Introduction

Technology has come a long way in the past ten years. The Internet of Things is a remarkable technology that has given businesses and people a lot of flexibility when using devices. The Internet of Things (IoT) has built new industries, allowed companies to break into existing markets in creative ways, and changed how we interact with devices es forever. In this article, you'll learn about types of IoT, how it works and functions, and companies innovating in different markets.

What is the Internet Of Things?

The Internet of Things consists of devices with hardware, software, sensors, and processing to enable the connection between whatever device and people's mobile phones. According to Wikipedia, it describes devices with sensors that connect other devices while transferring data through the internet.

IoT is similar to Bluetooth, but it isn't the same.  For example, Bluetooth and IoT devices both have sensors, however, Bluetooth sensors connect with one device at a time and stream data through the Bluetooth device without sending data back and forth. IoT can work with many devices and it sends data back and forth. 

Think about a smart home where you can view, edit, and control your furness or A/C through an app on your phone. Many people are also able to dim lights and turn TVs on and off through their phones like remotes. This is because there is a device that connects a mobile phone with the thermometer while allowing the phone to control the thermometer. 

Types of IoT

IoT is everywhere these days. There are a lot of companies that are in the market with IoT connectivity. What types of IoT markets are out there?

Let's take a look at different industries using IoT and some companies within those industries that are innovating on this exciting technology.

Industries using IoT:

• Manufacturing
• Logistics and Supply Chain
• Oil and Gas
• Healthcare
• Energy and Utilities
• Transportation 
• Agriculture 

Manufacturing

Manufacturing is a large industry with many moving parts from factory lines to administration to packaging for the supply chain. Manufacturers are considered to be in the Industrial IoT space, which spans across more than just manufacturers to companies that are building steel and machinery too. 

Companies creating IoT in this space have devices connected to factory machines that are on the line and allow controllers to adjust components to the machines while spending data back and storing it in the cloud for managers to have more in-depth and accurate data.  

Some of these companies include:

• Siemens 
• PTC
• Schneider 
• Intel 
• Huawei
• Honeywell 
• SAP
• Bosch
• Cisco 

These are just a few Industrial IoT systems solution providers creating what manufacturers using in the IoT space. 

Logistics and Supply Chain 

Logistics and supply chain has many IoT companies and is a huge fast-growing industry. IoT has helped this industry to grow quickly. Logistics and supply chain has to do with transportation from trucking to warehousing. 

You can imagine the logistics involved in supply chain management from the dispatching to trucking loads to administration in stocking and warehousing to delivery. 

Companies using IoT in the Supply Chain space are: 

• Kizy Tracking 
• Etheclo 
• Beam Tracking 
• Samsara 
• Eyedentify 

Each of these companies is helping companies within the supply chain industry to perform better, tracking logistics accurately, managing and helping driver safety, and 

Oil and Gas

Oil and gas is a major industry that has exploded due to IoT. Trillions of dollars are flowing through this market and it's likely the largest part of economies. From oil fields to oil refineries to gas stations, this industry has a lot of data to be transmitted.

Oil and gas move the world in our current state. It impacts most other industries from industrial, healthcare, energy and utilities, and much more. The oil and gas industry has always had difficulties measuring input and output. Now they not only can measure the input and output, they can retrieve this data in real time. 

These are the major companies innovating IoT in the Oil and Gas industry: 

• Bake Hughes 
• ABB
• Haliburton 
• Equinor 
• BP
• Exxon Mobile 
• Shell 

Here are a few companies using IoT manufacturing and creating the tools, devices, sensors, and technology empowering the oil and gas industry. Although they are the major companies who run the oil industry, it is cool to see them innovating in their market making it easier than ever to manage their companies. 

Healthcare

Healthcare is another massive industry that has an incredible amount of devices, machines, gadgets, and technology that doctors, therapists, physicians, and industry leaders use already that can incorporate IoT to have faster data transmitted. 

IoT helps the entire industry to bring data quicker to patients, gives data faster to doctors so they can save lives, gives the ability to measure machines to make sure they're operating correctly and brings more security to hospitals and healthcare providers.  

Companies innovating IoT in Healthcare are:

• Proteus
• Alive Cor
• Sensely 
• Neurotech 
• Clover Health
• Babylon Health 

These companies are in the startup phase with many others out there. It is cool to learn about what some of these companies are up to and how it's shaping an entire industry and impacting lives. 

Energy and Utilities 

Energy and utilities brought the invention of smart home technology. It allows people to adjust their Furness, water heater, lights, and other appliances from their phones. 

IoT allows homeowners to accurately see the output and usage of what energy is being used which gives them the ability to lower costs and is becoming more environmentally friendly.   

Furthermore, IoT is changing similar aspects in the commercial space, that is, companies with large office spaces or factories can have real-time output data that can be altered by the click of somebody's phone or computer.  Previously, this had to be handled by a controller and dedicated to a certain area of any building.  

Companies changing energy and utilities in IoT are: 

• Onomondo
• M-Kopa Solar 
• Change Zero
• Infinitum electric 
• Project Canary 
• Kontrol Energy 

Each of these companies is creating IoT devices within the energy and utility space, innovating on the data flow in this sector. Everything from smart homes to environmental water irrigation, these startups are changing the way we interact with data and devices which can save energy costs and lower emissions and help us to learn how energy is being used in different parts of the world. 

Transportation 

Transportation is different than supply chain which entails fleets of trucks. Here we're looking at cars, busses, trains, and airplanes. This industry is very behind in utilizing technology except for many planes. This is due in part to the government's ability to allocate funds to things like trains and buses to build new trains or modernize existing trains and buses. 

It will be great to see the transportation industry come to life with IoT because it will make it much more convenient and accommodating to take buses and trains. 

Companies innovating in the transportation industry are:

• Cavnue
• InRix 
• Flash 
• Next Trucking 
• Maersk
• Turbine 
• Spot Hero
• ParkHub

Companies like Next Trucking are helping trucking companies connect with suppliers, but other companies like InRix are analyzing road data helping the Department of Transportation to understand road congestion effectively. 

Sport Hero and ParkHub are helping people find parking easier and faster helping roads to clear up and giving revenue to commercial buildings and homeowners who have space available for others to rent out. 

Transportation is an exciting market to watch IoT grow in.  

Agriculture 

Agriculture has exploded with companies bringing IoT to the market. With over 800 companies in the space, innovating an industry that needs dramatic attention to its operations. From trackers to irrigation, to crop life and harvesting, agriculture is a huge industry that impacts the health and nutrition of billions of people.

IoT devices and sensors are helping farmers to learn more about their fields, when plants need more water, if insects are affecting the crop, how their trackers are affecting the fields, and much more.

There are way too many companies to list here, and too many forms of technology in IoT that we'd love to share here, but will have to come in later articles. This is just a sample of companies how they operate and what IoT is doing to help agriculture thrive.

Companies operating in the IoT agriculture space:

• IGS
• Jala
• Skylo Technologies
• FarmInsect
• Cubic Telecom
• Ecozen Solutions
• WeatherXM
• Fasal

According to an article written by Alexey Shalimov, he shares 9 case studies on how IoT and smart farming are being used. One of which is helping farmers manage livestock. For example, farmers let their livestock graze the land and sometimes the fields are too be to watch all day. Cattle have wandered off and gotten killed, fell in ditches, and sometimes to couldn't get back and died of heat stroke.

When this happens, that is time and money for farmers. Smart technology helps farmers to place sensors around the perimeter  of the given territory of cattle. If any cattle gets too close or passes the boundaries of the territory, it triggers a notification to the farmer's phone. This allows farmers to quickly, go and retrieve the cattle to safety. 

There are plenty of use cases out there, but saving our farmers time, energy, and money is a major deal. Furthermore, allowing farmers to effectively manage their fields and not overwork themselves helps them grow better crops for us to eat, giving the world better nutrition. 

Conclusion: IT Innovation

IoT is shaping our world as we know it at a rapid pace. The amount of industries it's impacting is nearly all of the markets today. The way it's providing such a quick turnaround in data is revolutionary. It is clear that

Citation Links:

https://builtin.com/articles/iot-in-transportation

https://builtin.com/internet-things/iot-internet-of-things-companies

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_of_things

https://www.iotone.com/iotone100

https://www.energystartups.org/top/energy-iot/