Internet of Things is the next wave of the internet. Here billions of objects detect one another, communicate and co-operate with one another over the internet. One can make these objects perform a physical task e.g. opening a door, turning on a conveyor belt or opening/closing valves in a hydro-electric turbine in response to command that comes across the internet. IoT is a catchy name for a loose category of applications that involve identifiers, sensors and actuators working with one another and the IT systems. Previously the idea evolved over different names—object internet and machine-to-machine ( M2M ). In the 1990s, the radio-frequency-identification ( RFID ) was more common. There was realisation that if objects were to have their unique internet address, the standard IPV4 would be inadequate. A new standard IPV6 was developed to expand the available number of internet addresses. There were smart meters called advanced metering infrastructure ( AMI ) in the utility industries. Motes or smart dust are small, self-contained chips that can be scattered across a wide area, and integrate one or more sensors with radio and battery. They establish communication among themselves to create an ad hoc network. They can monitor the environment and raise an alarm when they detect an abnormal condition. IoT as a concept has evolved technologically across the applications quoted above. It is not a single technology which can be lifted off the shelf.
In order that IoT succeeds and becomes a reality, we have to focus on the following factors.
Accelerated innovation in hardware capabilities, issues of size, weight and power ( SWaP ), memory and battery life.
Design challenges as the devices are always on, issues of mixed signal, low power, SIP or system-in-package.
Standardisation as there is a lack of standards governing IoT. This will improve inter-connectivity, and simplify product development.
Cost and turn-around time which are critical for success. Cost management should be done by frugal engineering. The system should be set up in the shortest time.
Eco-system collaboration with eco-system partners to develop practical and reliable solutions in a reasonable time frame. There should be collaboration among semiconductor designers, vendors, IP providers, foundries and other players.