The Internet of Things is revolutionizing our lives by connecting a wide variety of devices to the internet and providing personalized services to users. However, with the increased risk of privacy and cyberattacks, it is imperative to strengthen security. Businesses need to implement regular security updates and redundant security systems, and users need to check for the latest security updates and change their passwords frequently.
You come home from class, open the front door, and the lights turn on automatically. The speaker on my desk, which is connected to my smartwatch, plays the right song based on my mood for the day, and when I go to the bathroom to brush my teeth, my toothbrush analyzes my saliva and gives me a personalized oral health regimen. The Internet of Things, or IoT, is where everything is connected to the internet and constantly connected to information. These things that seem like they’re only possible in movies are already getting closer to commercialization. With the fourth wave of the Industrial Revolution approaching at breakneck speed, it’s impossible to describe it without mentioning the Internet of Things, and it’s one of the keywords of the future. Understanding how it works and how to use it wisely is crucial for predicting and preparing for the future.
To understand the concept of the Internet of Things in a more concrete way, we need to understand embedded systems. An embedded system is a device that receives input and performs a defined task accordingly. Many devices around us use these systems, such as air purifiers and door locks. Air purifiers use air quality sensors to measure the amount of dust and odor and divide it into several classes based on the amount of dust and odor. A door lock is also an embedded system that receives a password input via a button or touchscreen, unlocks the door if the password is correct, and locks the door if the password is incorrect. The Internet of Things is the connection of these devices to the internet.
These advances in the Internet of Things are revolutionizing many of our daily experiences. For example, smart fridges can manage the expiration dates of the food inside and automatically order low supplies. Smart lighting systems can learn your living patterns and automatically adjust your lighting to help you save energy. All of these smart devices maximize convenience for the user, while also increasing energy efficiency and enabling sustainable living.
But what makes embedded systems different from computers? A quick comparison might make them seem similar, but there are big differences between the two devices. Computers don’t have a specific purpose. If you want to work on a document, you can work on a document, and if you want to play a game, you can play a game. However, an embedded system is specific about what it can do. This is because embedded systems use microcontrollers differently than computers. The microcontroller, which is the brain of an embedded system, is responsible for taking inputs from sensors or buttons and sending commands to outputs. When you look at this sequence of operations, you can see that an embedded system is similar to a function that performs a specific operation on a definition and outputs the result.
Why are embedded systems and the Internet of Things gaining traction? For starters, embedded systems are very small and consume very little power, so they can be used in almost anything. Also, because these devices are connected to the internet to create the Internet of Things, they can share data with each other. By sharing data, we can continuously understand the user’s characteristics, hobbies, and health status, regardless of location and time, so that we can provide and utilize information that is personalized to each user. This will make our lives more comfortable, and businesses can use it for personalized marketing, which is why interest in the Internet of Things has never been higher.
IoT technology is also revolutionizing healthcare. For example, wearable devices can monitor a user’s health status in real time and relay the data to healthcare providers so they can take appropriate medical action. This allows for more personalized care and faster response times in emergencies. As you can see, the Internet of Things is becoming an important technology that is making our lives healthier and safer.
However, it’s not all positive. For starters, the Internet of Things requires many different types of sensors to collect data. There will be hundreds of sensors in your home, from pressure sensors to cameras, voice recognition sensors, blood pressure sensors, and more, and the information from these sensors will be shared over the internet. Even when you defecate in the bathroom, the sensor attached to the toilet will constantly analyze the type and number of bacteria in your stool and send this data to a nearby hospital in real time. Your personal information will no longer be personal. Worse yet, IoT devices are so closely connected to our daily lives that they can be physically attacked in addition to cyberattacks.
Therefore, strengthening security is the most important thing to deal with the IoT era. There are two ways to improve security: from the corporate side and from the individual, or user side. On the corporate side, a security development cycle must first be established. Currently, most devices are designed in such a way that security updates cannot be installed after they leave the factory. This needs to change so that security updates are coded to always be available, and these updates need to be delivered on a regular basis. Second, personal information of specific individuals should be double secured. It’s dangerous to store information collected by various IoT devices in just one place, so it should be split between the user’s home and the company’s servers, and the data should only be accessed if the two security codes match. Finally, companies should legally formalize their obligation to protect their customers’ personal information and refrain from providing it to third parties.
On the personal side, you should always be aware of security updates provided by your organization and regularly check to make sure you have the latest updates installed on your devices. Even if your organization provides periodic security updates, it’s still up to you to install them, so it’s important to make it a habit to always check for them. Secondly, as with any website on the internet, you should change your passwords from time to time to prevent hackers from getting in.
It’s fun to imagine the richer life that the Internet of Things can bring, but it’s important to know what you’re getting into to get the most out of it. If you know the basic principles of the Internet of Things and embedded systems and are prepared for their side effects, you’ll be better equipped to use them wisely when the Internet of Things arrives.
