The internet has connected the world in more ways than one. Not only can we exchange information instantaneously, but we can also ensure that our lives are changed for the better using the technology of today.

The primary purpose of technology was and is to make our lives more comfortable, giving us more time for leisure activities. Before the advent of modern technology, manpower was used to make our lives comfortable as we paid others to take of the tasks we considered tedious or difficult.

In today’s connected world, technology has a bigger role to play than humans in making our lives comfortable.
From taking care of housework to repairs to monitoring the watering of your lawns, the power of the internet is leveraged by the Internet of Things to ensure that we find more and more time for ourselves.

The impact of IOT on our lives

The impact of the Internet of Things and technology in our lives is manifold and profound. Although the impact of technology was limited to labor-saving devices and devices that switched on and off automatically earlier, devices today are much smarter than before. They know your daily routine and using Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning and can sense what you might need and suggest assistive regimes automatically.

For example, automated lawn mowers use sensors to determine the overall growth of grass in your lawn. This data is then fed to motorized lawn mowers that cut the grass at the right time, ensuring optimal growth and letting you focus on the layout of the garden rather than spending half a day mowing it.

Home Automation and Smart Cities

Domestic automation and robotics, or Domotics is a collection of technologies and systems that allow automating different tasks performed inside a house to reduce human intervention as much as possible. This has given rise to the concept of Smart Homes.

A smart home is a part of the larger ecosystem of connected intelligent dwellings called a Smart City. As the focus of city governance moves from areas to individual homes and even individuals, smart homes offer solutions like never before, ensuring security, compliance, efficiency, adaptability, and interactivity.

For example, Smart energy metering, combined with Smart energy grids that power our homes can regulate and monitor our power usage, leveraging the unused extra power that would otherwise get wasted, in powering smart cars that take us from point A to B.

This showcases how today’s devices are connected, smarter and adaptable. As our devices learn our lifestyle patterns and reduce their dependence on us, task repetition reduces, and efficiency increases manifold. Mundane tasks like buying groceries and items of daily use have been
made easy.

Healthcare

Another field where the IOT and automation have made headways is healthcare. With healthcare providers, insurance companies and patients using the internet much more than before, the cost of health care has reduced greatly.

As more and more patients use lifestyle and health management apps, patient data has become a breeze to gather as wearables and innovative apps have come together to ensure that patients add relevant data to their favorite devices or apps at their convenience.

This ensures the accuracy of the data. This also motivates the user to stay fit and ensures that the wearable can track data that the healthcare provider may need in emergencies. Many wearables also offer capabilities that trigger messages to emergency services.

Fitness

Fitness wearables are the new fad. With wearables offering levels of sophistication previously unheard of, wearers can monitor their progress towards a healthier lifestyle, form support groups and stay motivated with challenges.

Reminders to walk, hydrate and meditate are increasingly being used at workplaces where it has shown that active employees take fewer sick days off. Whether it is a style statement or just a new toy, wearables have helped people get up and about and find time for themselves in their busy, hectic lifestyles.

Security

Security devices have been around for a long time, but connected security devices have made our lives much easier. Smart cameras connected to the internet can show real-time data, allowing us to be at ease when not at home.

Devices like nanny cams now allow people to monitor their children as they are attended to by caregivers when they are at home. Home security benefits a lot from the IOT as smarter devices can detect intrusion and notify authorities automatically.

Another subtle way of dissuading intruders is by using automated lighting and devices. Many devices can be set to switch on at fixed times, leading potential intruders to think that the occupants are at home, deterring attempts to break-in.

In today’s day and age, it is difficult to imagine a world without connected devices. With bandwidth in abundance and the cost of wearables and smart devices reducing by the day, the use of these devices has increased manifold. The positive impact of these devices has been an increased urge towards healthier lifestyles, fitter, better-hydrated individuals who work to find time for themselves and their families.