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Internet of Things: A Key to Unfasten Mundane Repetitive Tasks

Hemanta Kumar Palo* and Limali Sahoo

Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering, ITER, Siksha 'O' Anusandhan (Deemed to be University), Bhubaneswar, India

Abstract

The emergence of the Internet of Things (IoT) finds its footprints in many vivid application domains such as Cognitive Science, Artificial Intelligence, Mobile-first, Blockchain, Biomedical Engineering, Immersive Experience, Zettabyte Era, Micro-service Architecture, Robotic Process, 3D Alteration, Automation, Quantum Computing, etc. These trending technologies are likely to rule the future world in the coming years and make it a must for the industries, and academia. It will arguably change our perception of living by connecting everybody and almost everything placed anywhere in this world. It has recently found its presence in everyday human life connecting a host of home appliances such as the refrigerators, washing machines, microwaves, water taps, clocks, homewares, and even the cooking vessels or pots. It is difficult to imagine things or appliances without the IoT we use today. However, to maintain sustainability, these devices need to be economically viable, ecofriendly, and energy-efficient. This motivates the authors to coin the concept of IoT and its application domains in the current scenario and the way ahead. Some of the major areas of IoT platforms that sensitize the digitized world have been highlighted with special emphasis on the concepts of cloud, fog, edge, and virtual computing.

Keywords: Internet of things, green computing, cloud computing, fog computing, edge computing, virtual computing, semantic IoT

1.1 Introduction

The advents of green computing and green technology make the Internet of Things (IoT) an emerging field of research in recent years. Many vivid application domains such as cognitive science, Artificial Intelligence, biomedical engineering, Micro-service Architecture, Robotic Process, etc. are the outcomes of the IoT technology [1]. Any IoT domain is associated with a set of equipment, devices, machines, home appliances, agricultural or medical instruments, smart vehicles, hardware (servers, monitors, printers, sensors, actuators, etc.), software, and communication network. It is an essential commodity today that finds its footprints in smart homes or smart cities, educational institutes, smart vehicles, agriculture, wearable technologies such as sensors, or wearable devices using remote controls for monitoring and management [2]. The thrust areas of IoT devices are to provide efficient lighting, heating, air conditioning, security, media, and communication, e.g., the provisioning of much needed care and assistance to disabled, sick, or elderly individuals [3]. Some of the major areas of IoT platforms that occupy in the current scenario are shown in Figure 1.1.

Figure 1.1 Major areas of IoT platform.

1.2 The IoT Scenario

In recent years, the IoT domain has been extended to provide enhanced tags to monitor and control the human affective states. Such attempts can be found useful in the field of criminal investigations, lie detection, an advanced warning to in-car board systems, on-line tutoring, computer games, security, banking, human resource planning, call centers, child psychology, etc. [4-9]. The associated devices and technologies can be effectively utilized in systems such as voice control, pacemakers, advanced hearing aids, Fitbit electronic wristbands, wearable sensors for the people having sight or mobility disabilities. The use of actuators or sensors to cope with an immediate seizure or a sudden fall or similar emergency can help people or patients of all ages in the home and work environment [10]. The additional security devices mounted on the body or its part will alert nearby individuals including the health attendants or medicos at the right time hence can enhance the quality of living being.

An effective IoT framework in commercial applications requires the collection, analyzing, monitoring, and management of input data concerned with healthcare, medical, transportation, building, home automation, vehicles including agriculture. Elaborate research, control, and monitoring of these inputs can lead to new information and insights for channelizing in the desired directions. A reliable system can provide the desired freedom by linking the smart systems or devices, healthcare services, physicians, and medical resources to patients [11]. Another interesting application is to set-up smart beds in healthcare units equipped with actuators and sensors that provide patient information regularly and also to confirm whether a bed is vacated or occupied. These beds fitted with automatic sensors with appropriate supporting and pressure devices can either reduce or eliminate manual assistance to unwell individuals.

The application of IoT in the transportation system requires an efficient framework to communicate, integrate, process, and control information among many sensors and devices connected to such a system and its peripheries. The role of IoT remains vital to interact and coordinate among traffic systems, logistics and packaging systems, vehicle control, parking, toll plaza, security and safety, road assistance, etc. [12]. Similarly, IoT-based smart infra-structure systems that design and develop smart homes or apartments or campuses or a smart city must be able to manage and control the electrical/electronic/mechanical sensors, actuators, devices, and equipment as per a user demand [13]. Further, such a technology finds its place in several service-based industries, infrastructure development, product or manufacturing industries, metropolitan scale development, agriculture, energy management, living laboratories, environmental monitoring, intelligence, and security, etc.

1.3 The IoT Domains

1.3.1 The IoT Policy Domain

The policy-based IoT intends to develop, plan, and implementation of suitable rules, strategies, and policies concerned with IoT devices based on real-time data for future impact and possible environment sustainability. It helps in efficient energy management, data management, resource utilization, and user feedback that benefit the industries as well as the end-user. A few areas of policy-based IoT application are shown in Figure 1.2.

The application of policy-based IoT in smart cities helps to plan for smart healthcare, smart vehicles, smart homes, smart security, smart campuses, smart agriculture, etc. [1]. Due to scare, limited and rapid depleting of resources with an increase in global population, it demands .a smart city environment for the future generation. With the advent of industrialization and the emission of poisonous gas particles, the world becomes unhealthy and suffocated. Further, many environmental hazards such as global warming, climate change, acid rain, soil erosion, etc. tend to threaten the world ecosystem. This has compelled the government agencies, NGOs, and policymakers to find different means or ways to contain the carbon footprints that grow exponentially. To be successful, the policies and strategies must appeal and be conducive to the manufacturers, designers, service providers, as well as the end-users with energy-efficient systems. Such planning, policies, regulations, etc. facilitate the smart environment where people can utilize the air conditioners, computer labs, sensors, and networking systems with desire for economical effectiveness. The IoT application in smart cities provides the provision to many factors such as

• Smart Agriculture: Smart agriculture based on the IoT aims to integrate several heterogeneous devices, objects, equipment such as the wearable sensors, humidity sensors, temperature sensors, mobile phones, etc. with the networking system to remain successful [14].

  Figure 1.2 Policy-based IoT applications.

• Smart healthcare: It requires a context-aware linking system to be efficient and viable linking the agriculture, healthcare, and environment [15]. The IoT must cater to a remote health monitoring system while managing huge data by applying visualization and data mining. The linking of the IoT green computing to health industries can infuse flexibility, interoperability, and intelligence by information transmission among different modules of the healthcare system. This reduces and simplifies the administrative task.
• Smart security: The world becomes small due to the use of IoT. This makes the people, installations, equipment, etc. vulnerable to cyber-attack. The loss, theft, and exposure of private information become common today due to network interconnectivity. The IoT system must be capable to safeguard from pilferage or leakage of sensitive information by taking preventive measures. This way, it can avoid unwanted threats to national, environmental, social, and personal entities by providing smart security with efficient IoT gateways [16]. It requires the provision of password protection systems, ciphering or cryptographic or jumbling technologies, robust routing mechanism. The security clearance is a must at every level to maintain information integrity, confidentiality, authenticity.
• Smart homes: The IoT-based smart homes help the end-users to cope and deal with their busy schedules by interlinking the sensors, electronic gadgets, etc. with software set up in homes [13]. The equipment such as the computer, mobile phone, air conditioner, lighting, heating mechanism, ventilation, security systems, hardware, etc. connected through networking and...