The Future X Network: The Future of the Internet of Things

Machine communication for monitoring and remote control predates the Internet, with Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition systems used to monitor and control machines since the 1960s. The deployment of devices for monitoring and control has accelerated in the recent years aided by ubiquitous wireless connectivity and declining communication costs. Nevertheless, until recently machines still communicated only with purpose built applications and with limited data acquisition or analysis capabilities. Connecting things to the Internet, on the other hand, is a completely different proposition that is occurring on a massive scale; by bringing together a wide variety of devices and applications, there is the potential for a major transformation in how humans interact with the physical world, both in a personal consumer and professional business context. The future of IoT can be viewed as bringing the physical world into the digital realm, and animating physical objects to augment our existence and save time by increasing knowledge and awareness.