Five ways the IoT will change our lives in the next ten years
Chances are you’ve probably heard about the Internet of Things (IoT). Already it’s helping combat climate change, influencing sports training, and revolutionizing emergency response methods. Over the next decade, we’re expecting the technology to become even more sophisticated and change our lives in new, exciting ways. Here are five ways we’re expecting the IoT to change the world over the next ten years.
The connected car
If you followed Gemalto’s coverage of CES, you’ll have heard about car giants’ plans to introduce new connected features, such as in-car entertainment, automatic overtaking and even gesture control. Over the next decade, we think the connected car could become commonplace on our roads.
In ten years’ time, a large proportion of cars might well be autonomous. Using powerful sensors, they’ll probably drive themselves – and cause far fewer accidents than human drivers. They could also link up with the smart home, with connected car owners being able to control their house from their vehicle and vice versa.
These autonomous vehicles could also be far more secure, with the traditional car keys being replaced by smartphone apps, protected by multi-layered cybersecurity.
More powerful wearables
By the 2020s, wearables could be more powerful than ever before. We think they could challenge the smartphone as the primary portal for engaging with the virtual world. Thanks to embedded SIMs and 5G, these devices will probably be equipped with new, powerful features. For instance, watching television on your smartwatch could become commonplace, as could making a phone call via connected jewellery.
Immersive sport
Thanks to the IoT, watching a soccer or NFL match might never be the same again. Fans may well be able to purchase smart clothing which allows them to ‘feel what the players feel’. Sensors on the pitch and on sportspeople’s clothing could give supporters deeper insights into performances, settling that ‘man of the match’ debate in the pub once and for all!
It’s not just fans who will benefit – coaching techniques could become more effective than ever before thanks to the IoT. Wearables like connected boxing gloves and smart shorts might well be able to provide an athlete with more data and performance analytics than a coach or manager ever could.
More efficient healthcare
To relieve the burden on medical professionals, national health services could provide patients with health wearables like heart rate monitors. In addition, connected goggles could empower surgeons to undertake more complex operations, while diagnostics could become more accurate thanks to millions of powerful sensors. More sophisticated fitness trackers could help physiotherapists train their patients. Finally, we could have a solution to ageing populations: a high-tech health system, capable of catering for all.
Even smarter homes
In ten years’ time, we could all have personal assistants at home, thanks to continued innovation in the field of smart homes. There could be devices which essentially manage your household for you, switching off your lights, washing machine and even telling you when you don’t have enough food in the fridge!
As you can see, the IoT is set to have an enormous impact on our lives over the next decade. What are your expectations for the next ten years? Let us know by commenting below.
