Living Within the “Cloud”

An exploration into the Internet of Things and a tour of smart cities

One of the most notable features of smart cities will be their talking cars.

Talking cars. For many, the first thought that comes to mind is a huge stadium encompassing the intense racing match between Lightning McQueen, Chick Hicks, and the King. But while this Disney movie features an alternate world of anthropomorphic vehicles, the concept of “talking” cars is no longer fiction but a new form of an innovative reality.

Similar to the classic Toy Story, the devices and appliances we use on a daily basis can already talk to each other behind our backs. Sounds skeptical, right?

Well, think of it this way. Our phones can already talk to each other, like when your best friend texts you a huge paragraph explaining why they got back together with their significant other. Our laptops can also do the same, like when we draft up an email to our boss with various excuses on why the assignment was submitted late.

And this is made possible because all our personal devices are connected to the Internet.

In a smart home, every device (not just a phone or laptop) is connected to the Internet and can communicate to each other through sensors and an IoT network.

Why don’t we apply the same thinking to the everyday appliances that we use so often? Showers connected to the Internet can notify our phones whenever the water temperature is just perfect, or when a family member is about to shower so you can go run to the bathroom yelling “I was just about to go!” Or let’s say your alarm clock and coffee maker that are both connected to the Internet “talk” to each other, such that when you wake up in the morning dreading going to work that day, at least you have a cup of coffee already waiting for you.

Think bigger. With everything around us connected to the Internet, the cities that we live in can fundamentally facilitate our lives in a way that deletes almost every scruple that we face daily, while simultaneously solving the unpleasant issues of living in a dense metropolis. But how would this seemingly complicated yet extremely helpful array of technology even work?

What is the Internet of Things?

The Internet of Things, or IoT, is a broad term that describes a network of devices that are all connected to the Internet, hence the term “Internet” and “things.” These objects have sensors that note any changes to their surroundings. For example, garden sprinklers may have water sensors embedded that can detect when the soil moisture has gone dry. Or you can have touch sensors attached to your refrigerator that will be able to tell when your sibling is trying to steal the leftover pizza you saved for a gloomy day.

All the information collected from these sensors is aggregated, or combined, in an IoT gateway, which acts as a telephone line between the sensors and “the Cloud”. Like your brain, sensors act as eyes or ears that receive information, which is sent through neuron gateways to your brain, which directs instructions back through the neurons to the muscles in your body. The only difference is that the Cloud is an acting brain shared between multiple devices, thus providing an interconnected network of servers that can perform services such as storing information, computing data, and directing actions.

Data flows from sensors that collect information involving the environment and is transmitted and processed through gateways. The gateways act as a bridge between sensors and the Cloud, a collection of web services that grant storage, computing power, and processing directives.

We use the Cloud all the time. Instead of downloading files onto our computer directly and editing it that way, a lot of us simply store our documents on Google Drive (which uses Google Cloud services). This allows us to edit our files wherever we go, no longer limited to a document that can only be found on one device. Or when we are streaming Netflix, there is no need to wait to download movie files found online, when they can be stored, processed, and streamed directly through the Cloud. (Netflix uses Amazon Cloud services, or AWS.)

Thus, the Cloud allows us to do everything directly on the Internet, connecting everyday objects to the Web and automating unnecessary actions. When the water sensors detect a loss in soil moisture, the Cloud can direct the sprinklers to turn on and irrigate the crops. Or when that last slice of pizza is about to be taken, the Cloud can send your phone a text message so that you can give your sibling an angry call before they inevitably eat your leftovers.

IoT- A City Dweller’s Dream

All these technological innovations with an intricate system of connectivity via the Internet come together to enhance urban life, as more of the world’s metropolitan centers become known as smart cities. As these smart cities and the objects within work to collect all sorts of data, IoT will come to become an indispensable part of our lives. Just try imagining it:

• After a long day of work, you hop into your self-driving car, where proximity sensors locate the various barriers and other cars in front of you. The cars “talk” to each other to avoid crashes and automatically drives at the most efficient speed to reach your destination, while you relax in your car sipping a nice cup of well-deserved tea, no longer needing to focus on braking and cursing at those people that do not know how to make turns.
• You remember that you have to buy groceries, and you direct your car to make a detour. Instead of putting it off until tomorrow because you don’t want to wait for another hour to get to the supermarket, smart transportation systems use sensors to detect traffic congestion and accidents, allowing you to arrive at the grocery store in a swift ten minutes. Meanwhile, smart parking meters immediately get your vehicle to settle in a parking spot without any wait time.
• Entering the Amazon Go supermarket, you scan the Amazon application on your phone and quickly grab all the things on your grocery list before leaving the store. It only took five minutes, and you laugh back at the times when you used to wait in long lines for cashiers and checkouts. The touch and pressure sensors in the store automatically registered when each item was picked up in an aisle, and your account is immediately charged without even a second thought.
• And once you arrive home, you are met with a nice cold gust of air conditioning that turns on once you open the door. The water for the shower starts to heat up and Alexa starts playing a relaxing song after your hard work at your job. To top it all off, the parcel you ordered that morning arrived at your house right when you got home, as drones are able to collect data involving when you arrive home as well as the fastest way to reach such a location.

A look into the abundant prospects of a smart city filled with devices and sensors that are connected to the Internet & overarching broadband infrastructure

I know that this sounds like living in a dream, with my head up in the Cloud, but it is not some far futuristic vision. Rather, many cities have begun experimenting and expanding on the notion of smart cities. Below are a few examples that show just how incredibly convenient certain aspects of our lives are being improved on as we speak.

Barcelona, Spain: Smart water systems are being adopted to monitor leaks in water infrastructure or a change in pH or chemicals that can lead to a decline in water quality. Parking and lighting management has also become automated and wired to coordinate parking availability and adapt to the natural environment.

Amsterdam, Netherlands: Amsterdam is working with home energy storage units and solar panels that are connected to the city’s overarching IoT network. The storage of solar energy during peak sun hours helps offset a lack of solar energy during off-peak hours, while also sparing superfluous energy to return back to the city’s smart grid.

Paris, France: Known as Autolib, Paris now has an electric car sharing program with over 3000 vehicles that work as a taxi. Sensors in the car are connected to traffic infrastructure as well as car stops, where Paris residents can reserve rides and parking spaces.

New York City, NY: Investments in smart elevator technology hope to decrease elevator wait time, which apparently counts for 22.5 years of wait time for New York citizens in 2010. Sensors near the elevators detect nearing persons and immediately open up for them at the designated floor. Surveillance sensors are also being implemented, in hopes of detecting gunshots and deterring crime.

San Francisco, CA: In an effort to reduce carbon emissions, various sensors are being embedded in solar and wind installations to track and improve renewable energy efficiency. Attempts to collect data regarding transportation comes with a desire to improve the efficiency of light rail, streetcar, and buses in both wait and travel time for customers. Smart trash cans are also being deployed across the city, with sensors that communicate with sanitation workers that help determine the most efficient pick-up route.

From infrastructure maintenance to transportation improvements to energy sustainability, the increasingly inexpensive wireless and sensor technology that spurs IoT is coming together to completely reshape cities and our lives within them. As our cities become more globalized and interconnected, it will become much more important that we use these new innovations to reinvent city systems that are more responsive to the needs and luxuries of the modern person.

The various applications of IoT in cities right now.

Key Takeaways

• The Internet of Things (IoT) refers to a broad network of interconnected systems where all the appliances (not just our phones) we use are connected to the Internet, allowing them to communicate with each other, with every receptive signal triggering a correlating response (a decrease in soil moisture means turning on garden sprinklers).
• The Cloud that stores, processes, and directs all the information received from sensors acts similar to our brain, except that it is responsible for every appliance that is operating under its services, instead of just one device.
• Many municipalities are using IoT technologies to significantly increase the quality of living under the notion of smart cities, applying sensors and the Internet of Things Network to improve traffic coordination, waste management, water distribution, etc.

Be on the lookout, as IoT and talking cars may soon be circling into a city near you!