We are immersed in what is known as "new technologies" that entail a process of total digitization. Within this process, one of the most relevant trends that predicts a future of enormous possibilities is what is known as the IoT (Internet of Things) or Internet of things.
As its name suggests, the IoT basically tries to connect all kinds of devices or “things” to each other through the network. Each of those devices have some of these capabilities:
- Collect information from the environment through different types of sensors: light, temperature, humidity, pressure, speed, etc...
- Process this information through all kinds of arithmetic/logical operations to obtain a result.
- Control, based on this result, the activation of all types of actuators such as relays, motors, solenoid valves and a long etcetera.
- Communicate. This is the real news! Each of these "things" is capable of communicating with others through local networks (LAN) or external networks (WAN) such as the Internet. A device that captures ambient humidity in a greenhouse can send it to another device in charge of controlling an irrigation system. A user from Sevastopol can control the alarm of her home located in Beijing.
According to some studies and estimates, in 2020 there were more than 21 billion connected “things”, not counting other devices such as smartphones.
The world population in that same year was about 7.6 billion. According to International Data Corporation (IDC), more than 40 billion devices are expected by 2025.
With these figures it is easy to intuit the importance that the IoT acquires, and this is the reason for this course, to introduce you to this fascinating world.