The Future Of Internet Of Things - How We'll Use the IoT | mpro5

We’re always interested in glimpses into the future here at mpro5, especially the future of IoT, and The Economist’s Technology Quarterly usually has a good story or two about where the latest trends are taking us. The latest quarter didn’t disappoint, with a wide ranging and sometimes slightly bonkers report on what IoT has in store. Sensors in cars that give your insurer information about your driving style – and possibly lower premiums – is not new news. But how about a toothbrush that reports on how well you brush your teeth? Is that a fair price of lower dental insurance? There’s more. How about face recognition software that can estimate your body fat content? That one’s from China. And, you may have guessed, can affect health insurance premiums. Away from insurance, there is much less creepy stuff going on, in buildings. Here we have:

• mpro5 clients are using sensors in public toilets to track usage. They’re then triggering cleaning reactively, not on a fixed schedule.
• CO2 sensors in offices because it only takes a small rise in CO2 levels before productivity drops significantly.
• And we’re working on sensors in bins on public concourses to enable waste collectors to operate on demand and more efficiently.

Finally, The Economist quotes a report by a research firm (GSMA Intelligence, if you’re interested) that the industrial IoT will overtake consumer IoT by 2023. We find that very easy to believe, because we are seeing great business benefits when always-on, low-cost sensors trigger human intervention, but only when it’s needed.