Created by Best Computer Science Degrees has just created the “Understanding The Internet Of Things: Towards A Smart Planet” infographic that breaks down the technological development of networked appliances into a digestible format. (Infographic)

The Internet of Things in its most basic form is where products and items are connected online to each other and to humans. This essentially means a natural or man-made object can be assigned an IP address and provided with the ability to transfer data over a network. Examples include a car that has built-in sensors that alert the driver when his or her petrol is low or a most recent example saw a smart window air conditioner called Aros, which can be controlled from a mobile device and helps owners save electricity.

The team at Best Computer Science Degrees explain, “On the Internet, no one knows you’re a toaster. That might be what people say when the Internet of Things (IoT) — aka, Internet of Everything (IoE) — has widespread use, instead of just the 10 billion “things” that are currently connected online. When that time comes, anything and everything could be connected.”

They go on to explain the market size and profit potential of the Internet of Things, providing some excellent statistics such as there will be “25 billion autonomous Internet-connected devices by 2015,” and “96% said their companies would be using IoT in some way within the next 3 years,” and if “$4.8 trillion was the global IoT market (technology and services, gross revenue) for 2012,” the figures in 2014 and beyond are set to be even more impressive.

Photo credit: Lux Capital

Via psfk