Some of the Most Surprising IoT’s

To look at some of the new items being developed using Internet of Things technology, you might be surprised to see as many tea kettles and diapers and trash cans as they see earbuds, heart rate monitors and wristwatches. The Internet of Things is the Internet of All Things, not just popular consumer electronics.

Yes, there are a lot of neat electronics on the way. Bikn’s are tiny, thumb-sized tags that can be attached to anything. Put them on the car so it can be tracked via GPS if stolen (or to keep tabs on a teenage son), and even trigger an alarm if need be. Some developers are even aiming to make all of this a little easier to manage, such as the makers of SmartThings, an app designed to work as a universal remote for all of the user’s IoT-enabled devices.

Beyond these devices, it’s interesting to see old, non-electronic inventions being brought into the 21st Century. Consider the smart diaper, a new technology in development that will allow parents to check diapers without even looking at them, and even detect rashes and infections in their early stages. Consider the iKettle, an app to turn on the tea kettle on without getting out of bed, combing old and new technology in one handy package.

Yes, the Internet of Things will change how we use our phones, how we drive to work, how we check our heart rates. The biggest changes, however, will probably have to do with bringing non-electronic, analog devices into the digital age.