IoT Brief History

Although the initial experiments have taken place in the 1980s, it is difficult to date the birth of the Internet of Things (IoT) as it emerged as the innovative result of the combination of various technology domains into an entirely new field. Historically, IoT has been primarily seen as the incorporation of stand-alone electrical and electronic devices within a truly open and flexible emerging network, namely the Internet. Beyond the initial demonstration of the spectacular connections of a coffee machine or a fridge, the breadth and impact of the IoT have become more and more apparent as new supporting technologies, particularly in support of device connectivity, were developed, consolidated, and, for the most successful, standardized. In the early 2000s, the potential of IoT, not only as a disruptive technology but also as a large business domain, has become clear rapidly. Ever since, the history of IoT has been enriched by the creation of a vast range of applications in many different business domains, including their consolidation into more and more complex, life-changing systems. The history of IoT is that of a great success, which can be measured by the place that IoT has taken in the global technology ecosystem where a growing majority of humans live now. To a certain extent, IoT has become so pervasive that it is sometimes no longer perceived as separate from mainstream technology as devices have become a part of our daily lives. From this standpoint, the future of IoT will probably be a continuation of this gradual fusion, supported by the development of new technologies increasing the global intelligence of the devices and outlining an extended relationship between humans and machines. The history of IoT is not over.