- Tomasz Stępiński-Ustasiak
- 27 April 2021
- News
The Internet of Things is undoubtedly one of the greatest technological trends that has emerged in recent years. Its use is gaining in importance every year. In some sectors, such as telemedicine, the coronavirus pandemic has significantly accelerated a number of implementations. But not only there. Here are a few IoT domains that I believe will be particularly exploited in 2021 and the next two years. Not only globally, but also in Poland.
According to IDC forecasts , over 41 billion devices connected to the network are to operate by 2025 . The trend called the Internet of Things will not stop anything, but what is important – there is still room to start earning on it. And that’s quite a lot of money.
Internet of Things in healthcare
Investments in technologies, including those based on the Internet of Things in the healthcare sector, will increase dramatically compared to previous years. This is the effect that was caused by the lockdown and the entry into the mainstream of services based on tele-advice or telemedicine. It turned out that the patients are able, firstly, to switch to the form of videoconsultation, and secondly, to remotely measure their vital signs using dedicated devices. And what is important – they are willing to do it.
The sales of IoT solutions for telecare for senors will increase, as evidenced by the increasingly frequent tenders announced by cities. In addition, it cannot be denied that the 5G network , which is also increasingly talked about in the medical context, will over time have an impact on the popularization of IoMT (Internet of Medical Things) solutions.
Smart City
Smart City is a term that has been in use for several years and its importance has slightly decreased. However, in my opinion, we are only now entering the period when projects in the field of smart city will start to develop dynamically . I mean all metering and monitoring of municipal enterprises, or those that work for cities: water supply and sewage systems, energy suppliers (intelligent meters on a mass scale), gas or other utilities, city cleaning services, law enforcement, etc.
Another aspect falling within the scope of IoT for cities is various tools for remote readings of noise and pollution levels, as well as intelligent video monitoring. Of course, I am aware of the fact that these are just slogans and many cities have already started even pilot implementations, but if we look at the map of Poland, in particular small and medium-sized cities, please believe me that smart city e.g. in the above-mentioned aspects is still ahead of us . Especially considering the growing trend of the so-called green and ecological cities. Nothing will improve this process more than Internet of Things technologies.
IoT in Retail (Smart Retail)
Retail is undoubtedly one of the industries that suffered the most as a result of the pandemic and the coronavirus. And here the need for technological transformation is evident. On the one hand, it will be a change of business models to e-commerce – one of the largest footwear chains in Poland informed that over 50% of sales already come from this channel, and on the other hand, it is an investment in stores, points or maintenance-free machines.
Automation and IoT will also develop in logistics centers and there will be more and more suppliers of machines for self-service collection of machines. This is already visible on the Polish market, and this trend will gain importance.
I think there will also be slightly more advanced vending machines that will offer a very wide range. Remember, however, that their operation depends on the technologies they are equipped with. And this one is called Internet of Things.
When it comes to large-format stores, in the coming years, tools and systems for tracking customer traffic paths, the way they make purchasing decisions, and the increasing use of in-building navigation will be developed .
IoT in remote work
Research of all kinds shows that we are unlikely to return to the pre-pandemic state. The most likely scenario for the coming years will be the implementation of the hybrid work model, i.e. 3 days in the office, 2 days at home or in a different location. This means changes both in the preparation of work environments for employers and changes in the equipment of employees themselves. Employers will have to start using the cloud to a greater extent , take care of cybersecurity, perhaps even use an IoT platform , provide the necessary tools, including remote monitoring.
Providers of consumer IoT solutions will also have a huge area for development here. It is about providing completely new tools to support remote work, self-control, self-motivation and time management. In the United States, where voice assistants are increasingly popular, much of it will likely be integrated with Alexa or Siri. In Poland, for similar solutions to appear , assistants in the native language are needed . So far, all kinds of applications that track our work time and commitment, intelligent seat mats, informing that we are sitting poorly or that we should get up and do a few exercises, simple IoT devices for home fitness or solutions supporting remote learning (robotics, STEM, programming) – this is all that in the coming years will become much more popular when it comes to consumer IoT.
IIoT – the industrial internet of things
On the one hand, the Internet of Things is already present in large production plants to some extent, on the other hand, I am aware of the fact that the larger the factory, the more difficult it is to completely change the processes. However, it is true that there is no turning back from IoT in the industrial edition. Starting from , for example, changes in the lighting of production halls, to one that is managed intelligently, through the measurement and automation of production lines, to the prediction of production and sales. The pandemic is also significant in the case of production plants . In many cases, it could turn out that it would be possible to avoid downtime or to optimize the use of the human factor if some of the production processes were using Internet of Things solutions. Already at the end of the year, the increased interest of large production plants in implementing IIoT solutions was noticeable. It is predicted that this trend will only increase in the coming years.
IoT Consulting in 2021-2023
These are just some of the sectors that will be leading in the coming years when it comes to the application and use of Internet of Things solutions. The truth is, however, that IoT will develop to a lesser extent almost everywhere: from agriculture, through horticulture, forestry, to, for example, fishing, for example.
Yes, as I have written many times, the need and willingness are one thing, and the knowledge and implementation skills are another. A study conducted some time ago by EY shows that the biggest brake in the field of IoT in companies is either the lack of employees or the lack of competences. Therefore, in order not to block the entire process, it is worth using IoT Consulting. Dedicated specialists, such as Gawinet, have both resources and competences to successfully carry out the digital transformation process with the implementation of IoT, or only advise on how to do it or which suppliers to use.