The Internet of Things (IoT) seems ubiquitous now, but nearly a decade ago, it stood for an idea that many computer scientists wanted to bring to fruition. In 2014, futurist and entrepreneur Jason Hope told Media News Online he thought the IoT would become widespread by 2025.
That has happened, but the technology has roadblocks to overcome, which the activist investor also forecasted would become hurdles for Internet of Things scientists to surmount before the technology could enjoy widespread use. Jason Hope became convinced a decade ago that the then-nascent technology could take off long.
This, before it entered everyone’s homes under the guise of smart refrigerators, Alexa devices, and Fitbits. Today’s automated driving technologies and safety features on automobiles besides Alexa and Fitbits also belong to the IoT family. A technologist by trade, Jason Hope recognized the gaps in the technology in 2014, namely the issues of machine-to-machine communication.
Developing microchips that could handle this issue became a focus of the computer industry, and today, scientists have solved the inter-machine interactions. He noted that IoT devices lack standardization, a trait he says must change for IoT to fully blossom. Jason Hope adds that the computer industry must avoid the lack of compatibility, like Android and Google.
This could happen through a technology that becomes a clear winner, such as when VHS topped Beta as the standard for video tapes. Hope also noted the lack of standardized security for IoT and the many holes in security evident in the technology. Constraints on computational power limit the security measures a manufacturer can put into place. That’s the next roadblock that IoT faces before it can become the ubiquitous technology Jason Hope predicted in 2014.