This Week in Internet of Things News
Gartner offers some noteworthy insights into what the next five years will look like for the IoT. In the not-too-distant future, you might not have to worry about forgetting where you parked your car. Could 2019 be the year retailers start testing more IoT tech? It’s quite possible. Smart factories aren’t just about tech. They’re about humans and tech evolving together, so maybe we need to rethink how we approach this evolution. And Intel has released new technology that looks like a flash drive, but could have big implications for the AI community.
Gartner’s Top 10 IoT Trends for 2019 and Beyond
#TrendAlert (don’t worry, it’s not about the Pantone Color of the Year): Research firm Gartner has identified the most impactful IoT trends for the next five years, which include social, legal, and ethical implications, new user experiences, and new wireless networking technologies. If the high number of trends suggests anything about the IoT, it’s that there’s a lot going on in this arena. We’d even say the IoT is quite en vogue.
IoT Applications in the Automotive Industry
Thanks to some consumer-level vehicle tracking systems currently under development, the whole “dude, where’s my car?” scenario could soon be a thing of the past (although it will forever live on in that Ashton Kutcher movie). Vehicle tracking systems for car dealers are also in the works, and we’re seeing plenty of other uses for IoT in cars, too. That could mean smarter driving for all of us.
Retail IoT Is Still Coming Into Its Own in 2019
The new year seems like a good time for trying out new things, right? For many retailers, one of those new things will be the IoT, which will be part of many pilot programs and small-scale testing. Many businesses are already using asset management systems, but the IoT still hasn’t gone mainstream in retail. Who knows? Maybe a year from now we’ll be talking about how a year of testing brought IoT to the retail masses.
The Intelligent Factory Transformation Is a Journey, Not a Destination
Remember those old Nissan commercials from the ‘90s that said, “Life is a journey, enjoy the ride”? Perhaps manufacturers should adopt this attitude about the journey from traditional factory to smart factory. Humans and technology are evolving together, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. It’s something that will continue to happen on the never-ending path to greater efficiency, so everyone might as well enjoy the ride.
Intel Unveils the Intel Neural Compute Stick 2 for Building Smarter AI Edge Devices
The Intel Neural Compute Stick 2 might not look flashy, but it’s way cooler than your average flash drive. It’s a tool to help developers build smarter AI algorithms and prototype computer vision at the network edge. Then it makes the process of going from prototype to production way faster. So plug in this technology and start creating even more ambitious vision applications.