The Network of Everything

On previous issues of Trends, we've explored the phenomenon of our increasingly connected world from several different perspectives. In this edition, we'll look at some of the latest developments and challenges, beginning with a few examples of what this new world will look like.

German computer scientists, electrical engineers, and mathematicians are working together to implement their vision of a so-called "smart city."¹ In such a metropolis, all devices would be intelligently linked to one another through a backbone of wireless sensors that receive, analyze, and transmit streams of data. Users of each device would benefit from the added value gained as data is analyzed and retransmitted.

On a smaller scale, a smart home could be built on this model. Systems throughout the home, such as heating, air conditioning, refrigeration, media centers, and lighting, could communicate and automatically adjust to meet our specific demands.

Using the new super-cheap network sensors could make a smart home cost-effective for nearly anyone in the developed world. Systems throughout the home, such as heating, air conditioning, refrigeration, media centers, and lighting, could communicate and automatically adjust to meet our specific demands.

Already it's relatively easy to imagine major appliances being connected and controlled by a smart network. But soon, even individual light bulbs will have IP addresses and they'll be connected via Wi-Fi. This has become possible with the advent of compact fluorescent and LED bulbs, which already contain tiny circuit boards that control their function.

NXP, a Netherlands-based semiconductor company, has suggested that adding a tiny Wi-Fi system to these boards is relatively easy and cheap.² Using a laptop or iPad, users will be able to schedule light patterns that make it appear someone is at home, or set up motion sensors that turn lights on as people enter a room. By downloading a simple app, homeowners will be able to track their energy expenses and configure a lighting plan that cuts costs.

The key to connecting all these domestic devices, as well as equipment in factories and, ultimately, all the devices within a city, will be a network of interconnected, low-cost wireless sensors. These sensors, along with the ubiquity of the... To read the full article, you must be a Trends Magazine Subscriber. To learn more, click here