Avui m’estreno al bloc, i com que és una “cosa” nova per a mi, he pensat que una bona manera d’iniciar-me era amb una entrada sobre el concepte de la Internet dels objectes o de les coses, traducció apressada personal de The Internet of Things.
Us afegeix-ho uns extractes del resum executiu d’un informe de la Organització Internacional de les Comunicacions, del 2005. Un comenta ell concepte i l’altre és un exemple, que m’ha fet gràcia perquè es refereix a un dia en la vida de la Rosa, d’Espanya el 2020(haurà continuat aprimant-se?, serà una supervendes del món de la cançó?)
What is the Internet of Things?
We are standing on the brink of a new
ubiquitous computing and communication era, one
that will radically transform our corporate,
community, and personal spheres. Over a decade ago,
the late Mark Weiser developed a seminal vision of
future technological ubiquity – one in which the
increasing “availability” of processing power would
be accompanied by its decreasing “visibility”. As he
observed, “the most profound technologies are those
that disappear…they weave themselves into the fabric
of everyday life until they are indistinguishable from
it”. Early forms of ubiquitous information and
communication networks are evident in the
widespread use of mobile phones: the number of mobile phones worldwide
surpassed 2 billion in mid-2005. These little gadgets have become an integral
and intimate part of everyday life for many millions of people, even more so
than the internet.
Today, developments are rapidly under way to take this phenomenon an
important step further, by embedding short-range mobile transceivers into a
wide array of additional gadgets and everyday items, enabling new forms of
communication between people and things, and between things themselves. A
new dimension has been added to the world of information and communication
technologies (ICTs): from anytime, any place connectivity for anyone, we will
now have connectivity for anything. Connections will multiply
and create an entirely new dynamic network of networks – an Internet of Things. The
Internet of Things is neither
science fiction nor industry hype,
but is based on solid technological
advances and visions of
network ubiquity that are
zealously being realized.
2020: A Day in the Life
But what does the Internet of Things mean in a practical sense for a
citizen of the future? Let us imagine for a moment a day in the life of Rosa, a
23-year-old student from Spain, in the year 2020.
Rosa has just quarrelled with her boyfriend and needs a little time to
herself. She decides to drive secretly to the French Alps in her smart Toyota to
spend a weekend at a ski resort. But it seems she must
first stop at a garage – her car’s RFID sensor system
(required by law) has alerted her of possible tyre failure.
As she passes through the entrance to her favourite
garage, a diagnostic tool using sensors and radio
technology conducts a comprehensive check of her car
and asks her to proceed to a specialized maintenance terminal. The terminal is
equipped with fully automated robotic arms and Rosa confidently leaves her
beloved car behind in order to get some coffee. The “Orange Wall” beverage
machine knows all about Rosa’s love of iced coffee and pours it for her after
Rosa waves her internet watch for secure payment. When she gets back, a brand
new pair of rear tyres has already been installed with integrated RFID tags for
monitoring pressure, temperature and deformation.
The robotic guide then prompts Rosa on the privacy-related options
associated with the new tyres. The information stored in her car’s control system
is intended for maintenance purposes but can be read at different points of the
car journey where RFID readers are available. However, since Rosa does not
want anyone to know (especially her boyfriend) where she is heading, such
information is too sensitive to be left unprotected. She therefore chooses to have
the privacy option turned on to prevent unauthorized tracking.
Finally, Rosa can do some shopping and drives to the nearest mall. She
wants to buy that new snowboard jacket with embedded media player and
weather-adjusting features. The resort she is heading towards uses a network of
wireless sensors to monitor the possibilities of avalanches so she feels both
healthy and safe. At the French-Spanish border, there is no need to stop, as
Rosa’s car contains information on her driver’s licence and passport which is
automatically transmitted to the minimal border control installations.
Suddenly, Rosa gets a video-call on her sunglasses. She pulls over and
sees her boyfriend who begs to be forgiven and asks if she wants to spend the
weekend together. Her spirits rise and on impulse she gives a speech command
to the navigation system to disable the privacy protection, so that her
boyfriend’s car might find her location and aim directly for it. Even in a world
full of smart interconnected things, human feelings continue to rule.
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