paint-brush
IoT Innovation From The COVID-19 Global Pandemic in 2021by@techsaa
270 reads

IoT Innovation From The COVID-19 Global Pandemic in 2021

by Abdul Majid QureshiMarch 1st, 2021
Read on Terminal Reader
Read this story w/o Javascript
tldt arrow

Too Long; Didn't Read

Internet of Things (IoT) is becoming the most influential tech phenomenon in recent years. The global coronavirus pandemic has undoubtedly changed how this trend is evolving and affecting our lives, as with any aspect of our lives. Here's a look ahead to 2021 and some of how we can expect this megatrend to take shape and play an increasingly important role in how we live, play, and work, as well as how we interact with our devices and our social networks.

Companies Mentioned

Mention Thumbnail
Mention Thumbnail
featured image - IoT Innovation From The COVID-19 Global Pandemic in 2021
Abdul Majid Qureshi HackerNoon profile picture

Internet of Things (IoT Trends) is becoming the most influential tech phenomenon in recent years. In simplistic words, it refers to the fact that while the word 'internet' originally referred to the wide-scale computer networking, today, on a global scale, devices of all sizes and shapes, from cars to kitchen appliances to industrial machinery, are digitally linked and exchange information.

The global coronavirus pandemic has undoubtedly wholly changed how this trend is evolving and affecting our lives, as with any aspect of our lives. Communication between devices, tools, and toys will enable us to stay linked in a world where contact between humans is, for now, more limited.

Here's a look ahead to 2021 and some of how we can expect this megatrend to take shape and play an increasingly important role in how we live, play, and work.

IoT in the Healthcare Sector Increased Investments

Accelerated investment in IoT Smart wearables, smartphones, sensors, and other connected devices will tend to change the way healthcare is provided, from telemedicine to automated home support for the elderly and disabled. In circumstances where the risk of viral infection is incredibly high, such as nursing homes and infectious disease wards inside hospitals, avoid unwanted contact.

Initial figures for the number of virtual visits or online consultations with healthcare providers in the US is 36 million consultations. This is a large example of how the pandemic has intensified the acceptance of tech-driven healthcare transformation. That number is now on track to be closer to one billion, and this trend will undoubtedly continue upwards in 2021 now that incentives are in place for infrastructure and patient awareness.

In the marketplace for devices that will enable the elderly to remain independent inside their own homes for longer, high growth trends have also been seen. This will include methods that use AI to identify falls or alterations to normal daily activities that might warn relatives or healthcare providers that action could be needed.

This same technology can be used to assess if there is a rapid decline in people's health, protected themselves, or isolated at home. Responding to the challenges created by Covid-19 as the disease can sometimes place people in a situation where they can not seek treatment on their own in a matter of days.

IoT means more fecund Work-From-Home

For those of us in the information economy, work-from-home is the new standard these days because of security issues about vast numbers of people gathering in offices and city centers. We should expect more apps designed to help us navigate our day while working remotely, with AI-powered support staff like Alexa now available in many homes. As well as higher quality, more immersive video conferencing, and virtual meeting technology, this will mean more intelligent digital scheduling and calendar resources. For example, Microsoft's Virtual Stage platform uses its Azure Kinect sensors to allow immersive, AI-powered presentations that will keep us more active.

IoT ensures that resources can be more easily controlled remotely where businesses still need a physical presence, as is the case for most manufacturing, industrial, and logistics operations, providing peace of mind that automated technology can continue its function. When their involvement is required, human engineers or maintenance workers can be notified.

Many retailers and companies have undoubtedly been disturbed by a coronavirus. As we saw in the starting days of this pandemic, due primarily to the advent of online shopping, many non-essential outlets can be temporarily closed with minimal disruption to our lives. However, stores that supply necessities, such as food and medicine, must remain open to fulfill local communities' basic needs.

We should expect to see a new target for revolutionary models over the next year, such as Amazon's fully automated supermarkets, which reduce the need for non-vital human contact as we store food and other essentials in our homes. In the large fulfillment centers that dispatch inventory to shops, automation through IoT-enabled devices will also expand. Let's move forward into the "cashless society" that has been expected to arrive for some time now, bringing with it its obstacles. Contact-free payment systems will also become frequently prevalent.

The use of RFID tags to monitor customers' movement across stores would involve other retail innovations. As before, by recording, when clients communicate with displays items on the shelves, This situation will make decisions about stock positioning and replenishment. Because of this year's changes in society, social distancing control to prevent the risk of overcrowding in bustling areas, shopping malls, and supermarkets will also be increasingly used to monitor.

During the past few years, the "smart city" theory has become more popular with IoT technology used to track road network traffic, public transport, walking around pedestrianized areas, and the use of municipal facilities such as recycling stations and the collection of waste. The usage of energy in homes and businesses is tracked by smart meters, so supply can be balanced to meet demands during peaks and to prevent debris where it is not needed.

We should expect a flood of capital to develop digital capabilities within local authorities over the coming year to enable them to make better use of emerging technologies that are becoming available. When it comes to resolving the problems of a changing world, this will be important. IoT technology can help authorities and businesses understand user trends and safety concerns regarding public transport, city-center workplaces, and recreational facilities such as leisure centers and parks and prepare safety measures and emergency response plans more efficiently.

IoT at the Edge Computing

Finally, because of COVID, edge computing is another healthy development that will not go anywhere. The shift that it makes will become more important than ever, as with the other trends listed here, most probably leading to the more excellent pace of acceptance and advancement rate.

With edge computing, this work is carried out directly on the devices themselves, rather than IoT devices sending all the data they gather to the cloud to analyze and extract insights. Considerable savings in bandwidth use and the decreased expense that this brings, both financially and environmentally, are one obvious benefit. However, the advantages of privacy and data stewardship will be just as crucial in a post-COVID world.

IoT is Booming

Many proactive and reactive programs rely on personal data, such as health or location data, such as disease detection and contact-tracing. To minimize the risk posed by transmitting this information back and forth between personal devices and cloud servers, new ways of processing and taking action can exploit edge computing techniques.

When it comes to building public faith in these steps, this could prove necessary, something that must be done if they are to be effectively deployed on a scale.

Also published at https://www.techsaa.com/top-5-most-biggest-iot-trends-in-2021/