By Mouser Electronics, www.mouser.com.
While 2013 saw some remarkable advances in MCU and wireless technologies that further enable the Internet of Things, 2014 will move forward with the emergence of a more practical Internet of Useful Things. For some, this Internet of Useful Things promises a world where nearly every device continuously analyzes and transmits data about operational minutiae while winnowing non-useful details.
Wearable computing brings more immediacy to data and enables new applications
such as evidence-based healthcare that draws on continuous collection of vital health statistics. (Source: Intel.)
The trend toward a more useful world of connected devices hinges on a new class of smart sensors. Sensor integration and sensor fusion will continue to be the watch wordsfor these new sensor networks. In turn,more sophisticated sensor systems will rely on a new class ofprocessors – blending low power and high performance ata lower price point needed to enable widespread use. Expect more everyday devices to become intelligent and networked.
In 2014, portable and wearable computing promises to introduce major shifts in how humans interact with computing devices and information,dramatically reducing the gap between immediate information and the person for whom that information is the most useful. Health and fitness buffs already wear monitors that record their heart rate and the distance they run, coupling that to a PC to analyze the results. Wearable wireless medicaldevices include accelerometers to warn of falls, and insulin pumps and glucose monitors for diabetics. Each of these devices can connect to a smartphone via Bluetooth, and can issue an alert to their doctor by triggering a call over the cellular network.
Few industries have undergone such a rapid change in core technology and product offerings as lighting. Fueled by rapid market acceptance, solid-state lighting manufacturers are translating innovative technologies such as more-e cient silicon-carbide substrates into new classes of mainstream products that dramatically reduce the size and power consumption of more powerful LED driver ICs. For example, LED headlamps are evolving beyond just a standard replacementfor headlights in new vehicles. Increasingly, premium features such as side illumination and cornering headlights are appearing,thanks to greater reliability, smaller size, and lower cost of brighter LEDs. While enhanced hardware solutions continue to emerge for smart sensors,systems designers are looking to surround users with a more natural environment that provides an immersive experience via interacting with IoT devices and the cloud. Ultimately, all these key technologies – the Internet of Useful Things, wearable computing, and LEDs – serve the purpose of bending technology to meet real needs as efficiently as possible. With the continued evolution of these key areas in 2014, the industry is moving rapidly toward that objective.
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