Invisible devices could be real game-changers in the age of the flashy IoT

Image source: T3 Middle East

Source: iothome.com

Most talk about the Internet of Things starts with how some flashy devices are changing our daily lives. However, perhaps the most impactful IoT advancements in the coming years may be those we cannot see with our naked eyes.

People and their devices can now share all kinds of data with each other over wireless networks, overcoming the physical barriers that previously separated us.

Driving these connections are sensor devices and beacon devices that continuously collect and exchange vast amounts of data. If used correctly, these connections can potentially save lives and their importance cannot be overstated. For example, in the case of medical devices, wearable devices can collect heart rate or blood pressure indexes and send them to medical staff so the data can be analyzed in real time. Connected cars can sense other cars and obstacles on the road to avoid accidents. Smart cities will be able to improve citizen safety and reduce energy consumption.

But there are thousands of other ways in which IoT is embedded into the fabric of our lives.

find everything

Tile is a leading smart location company with a range of Bluetooth tracking devices that make it easy to find lost or misplaced items. Tile's thinnest tracker, Tile Slim, uses the DA14580 SmartBond system-on-chip (SoC) for Bluetooth connectivity and adds smart features provided by the embedded chipset ARM Cortex M0 processor.

While the purpose of the Tile Slim and similar devices is to help consumers track everyday items, Tile has also opened up its smart location platform to allow manufacturers to easily add location tracking capabilities to any physical product. The underlying platform and SoC it's built on makes tracking look simple, when in fact it's one of the more advanced IoT platforms on the market.

Tracking items or assets may not seem like the flashiest use case for the Internet of Things, but such tracking devices have the potential to have a significant impact on our daily lives more than other IoT products.

Use a tracker to eliminate travel nightmares

Take luggage for example. Traveling, whether by plane or train, can be a crazy experience that requires you to juggle waiting, transportation, and taking care of your carry-on luggage.

If your luggage's built-in tracker syncs with your mobile phone, you can avoid or quickly solve many potentially frustrating travel experiences. We all experience extreme panic when we don’t remember where we put our luggage, but if there is a tracker inside your luggage, then you can find it by activating the tracker.

According to data from SITA, the world's leading expert in air transport communications and information technology, nearly 1.4 million pieces of luggage were lost or stolen by airlines around the world in 2015, causing an economic loss of US$2.3 billion to the aviation industry. Although the Bluetooth BLE tracking range is limited, the owner can report the loss of an item with a Tile tracker on the Tile app. The app will connect all Tile users and after other users enter the range of the lost item with the built-in Tile tracker, Timely reporting alerts item owners to the location of missing items.

Similarly, if an airline loses your baggage, you can post baggage search assistance information on the Tile app, and Tile users near the lost baggage will receive help messages and help search, helping to find the lost baggage. .

bike tracker

This lost item recovery feature is also useful for bicycles. As the primary means of transportation for many people, more than 1.5 million bicycles are stolen every year.

The Tile recovery feature can also track whether a lost bike is within the scope of the Tile app. In some real-life application cases, bicycle thieves themselves send alert messages to tracking beacons, sending location information to the bicycle owner without their knowledge.

Trackers can avoid common headaches at home

For trackers like Tile, a small purchase price can make a significant difference in our daily lives. For example, the remote control is arguably the most misplaced item in the home and has caused countless family disputes since the advent of television. By simply tracking the remote, the headache of finding it will soon be eliminated from our daily lives. The same method can be used to find keys easily.

This technology helps improve many of the flaws in our lives that tend to complicate every interaction we have. Trackers can shorten the time it takes to find a remote control, not to mention expensive equipment or valuable work documents, which will give us more time to enjoy the good things in life. I believe that IoT tracking platforms will have a huge impact in the coming years.

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