About The Episode

In today’s episode we will look at the Internet of Things and how it will impact jobs and industries

Transcript

So last week we looked at blockchain, but as I discussed the lack of a tangible product is a challenge for many in understanding this technology. So to help visualize this and also act as a segue into today’s episode on Internet of things, let’s briefly look at the largest diamond maker in the world. De Beers implemented a blockchain pilot project at the start of 2018 with the goal of reducing blood diamonds being circulated. Every interaction with a diamond was to be registered from the initial cut at a factory to the grading at a lab. However, I also mentioned that one of the weakest points of blockchain is when it interacts with the real world, as human error still exists when adding info to the blockchain. Using the diamond example, humans could still manipulate the original information (say the diamond isn’t a blood diamond when it actually is) which essentially renders the blockchain useless. One of the ways to navigate around this is to implement automated systems like the sensors and monitoring technologies connected to the internet of things, which is the focus of today’s discussion. 

What is IoT? 

The Internet of Things, or IOT, is first of all not a single technology, but rather a collection of different technologies that essentially aim to connect every thing across the world to the internet, in order to make things ‘smart’. By smart what is typically meant is to either send or receive information or both. But not just any information counts, to illustrate this i think the most recognizable example is that of the telephone. If you’re old enough you might remember a time when your telephone was only good for actually calling people and sending and receiving basic texts. Though my first phone was a basic flip phone, and it offered a great deal of freedom relative to the land line of the house I grew up in, it wouldn’t be considered a ‘smart’ device as compared to the smartphone I use today. With my first phone I was limited in calling only the numbers that I directly knew or had saved in my phone. This is compared to today where I can search any business or organisation’s phone number by connecting to the internet and do not need to have the numbers stored in my phone. Now apply the same principle of connection to most other ‘things’ in the world and you should have a basic idea of IOT. One of the main technologies that is therefore used by IoT are sensors that measure certain aspects of the world. Think of thermometers, air quality sensors, motion sensors, etc, all of these collect information on particular parts of our environment automatically, and by having them connected to the Internet and transmitting that data automatically they are said to be part of the Internet of things. “Just as our sight, hearing, smell, touch, and taste allow us to make sense of the world, sensors allow machines to make sense of the world.”

 

Why does this matter? 

But you may be asking so what if objects collect and send information? Why does this matter? On this podcast I’ve briefly mentioned a few times how farming and agriculture are being impacted by different forms of technology, like drones that monitor large crops. I think using an example of agriculture can really help with showcasing how powerful IoT can be. Think about one part of a farmer’s traditional work, watering crops. Absolutely essential for a healthy harvest, and traditionally done by physically checking the soil and keeping track of rainfall or dry spells. But, IoT allows something a bit different. By using moisture sensors placed across an entire crop, a farmer can know exactly when and how much water his/her crop needs by having the data sent. But, if those same sensors are connected to an irrigation system, crops can be watered automatically when a certain moisture level is reached, effectively removing this task for the farmer. Where things get really interesting is that these systems can be further connected to weather prediction data and ‘know’ when it will rain and ‘decide’ not to turn on and simply wait for the rain clouds to pass over.  So with this we can see that better more accurate decisions can be made about how we interact and control the world around us, and reduce the need for simple human tasks.         

Applications

By the end of 2018 there were some 22 billion connected devices, and various estimates say that by 2025 there will be between 40 and 70 billion total connected devices. This will continue as more and more devices are connected to the internet from: vehicles, appliances, homes, machines, wearables, phones, all the way to cities.Smart homes are one of the most talked about application areas, especially with Amazon Echo and Google Home already selling millions of smart speakers. The goal here is to link all aspects of a house, from lighting, heating and AC, to doors, fridges and general appliances together so that the house can automatically be cooled, illuminated, order missing groceries, warn of maintenance needs, and reduce electricity use when things aren’t in use. How often were we all told as kids to close the fridge or turn off the lights when we were done. With a smart home this will be done automatically without us needing to think about it. This is compounded when personal wearable technologies are connected, where biometric data can be taken from watches or sensors interlinked in clothing. These sensors could effectively ‘tell’ our home to turn on the AC if we are getting too warm, or turn on the coffee machine as we are beginning to wake up. The hope is that this is further exported to medicine and healthcare to be able to automate a number of treatments based on data collected from your body. Though this and many of the ideas presented above are at relatively early stages there are examples already in place like the Companion Medical’s InPen that tracks insulin doses for people with diabetes, and calculates the amount needed for the next injection. One of the more exciting applications of IoT relates to resource management in a city, and it happens that Barcelona (where I live and where the Smart City Expo is hosted) happens to have been implementing solutions since around 2012. Parking spaces across the city have sensors that identify their availability to drivers which reduces emissions and congestion. Smart waste bins allow the city to detect waste levels and optimizes waste collection rather than just collecting at set periods when it might not actually be needed. My personal favourite is the shared bike system of Barcelona, Bicing which I use all the time as sensors allow me to see which stations have bikes and where the empty racks are across the city. Although I mentioned the use in agriculture before, IoT is also useful in many other domains such as manufacturing, transportation, power management etc. This IoT push is clearly starting and rolling out across many industries and parts of the world. But it is assumed that with the implementation of 5G, the next generation of mobile broadband which offers much faster wireless internet speeds, IoT will really be able to push forward and cover many of the industries and applications discussed in this episode. But you should already be getting a general idea about what IoT enables even before the actual implementation of 5G, namely a real time image of what is happening in an environment enabling an immediate precise response reducing waste in time, resources, and effort. 

 Problems

This sounds great doesn’t it? But, unfortunately it doesn’t come without its fair share of problems, security and privacy being the main ones to consider. I first began really considering these problems when a friend sent me a Ted talk years ago, showing just how easy it is to hack and manipulate any connected device, even before IoT was even a popular concept. Other more recent talks have verified this idea which you can find in the shownotes. As bad as it is to have a virus on your computer, the hacking picture painted is one that once our civilization becomes more connected and dependent on the automated systems it actually becomes much more vulnerable. Rather than needing to go to the actual physical location to cause harm, a malicious hacker can now do this remotely. Some real world examples that have been shown to be possible are the hacking and shutting down of brake systems on cars, pacemaker electrical signals, and even first responder communications and equipment. Where things get even more worrying is when you have energy grids, hospitals, and entire sections of a city that are opened up to remote hacking and manipulation. Although this is quite frightening, perhaps the more talked about issue is privacy concerns especially as smart homes and devices we wear and use every day continually track our actions. If you’re interested in reading more about this as it is quite a deep subject I’ll have links in the shownotes for you, but essentially is it argued that IoT and privacy are in fact not compatible.  

 How will it impact jobs?

But moving onto the main topic of this podcast, hopefully you’ve already guessed some of the impacts on jobs that IoT will bring from the examples and ideas discussed. Most obviously, with the explosion of the number of new devices being connected, the need for data scientists, data security and privacy experts and similar data professions will continuously grow. But overall, IoT is another powerful tool for automating a great amount of the work we do in all domains. Although rather than outright automation, it currently enables more efficient use of time and effort which helps workers shift tasks from repetitive or basic actions towards monitoring and management focused ones, think back to the farmer example, instead of watering he/she just needs to make sure that the sensor grid is functioning, this can also be applied to manufacturing and many other industries. On a more detailed level, with monitoring technologies, workers can be shown when it is in their best interest to take breaks, stop physically exertive tasks, or get out of their chair and stretch at the ideal time for their personal physical needs. This will be brought on my such wearables like smart wristbands, work trousers and even helmets. But again the ability to monitor practically every aspect of an employees work day brings with it an entirely new set of problems. Privacy concerns are again at the centre of this debate as practically all information about future employees can be collected in the name of improving efficiency and safety. But what do you think? Is this assumed future one that you would want to work in? Do the benefits outweigh the listed problems? Let me know over twitter or linkedin, and drop a review wherever you listen to your podcasts. 

For next week we can continue the agricultural theme and look at automated vertical farming.