An Internet connecting not just billions of people, computers and handhelds but also billions more things – refrigerators, window sensors, thermostats, cars and even toilets – is not that far off.
Or at least that’s what two leading technology thinkers suggested Wednesday at the Global Communications Conference in Anaheim.
Google Vice President Vint Cerf outlined the challenges that come with the Internet’s growth. Krish Prabhu, head of AT&T‘s research arm, talked about his company’s vision of a future with pervasive connectivity. Both offered glimpses of what’s possible when objects and appliances come online en masse to become an “Internet of Things.”
“It’s not as far out as you might think,” said Cerf, a researcher often called the “father of the Internet.” “It may not be widespread yet, but it is commercialized, which is a big jump from the laboratory.”
Prabhu cited an example from the “Got My Stuff” project under way at AT&T Labs. The project uses small and inexpensive tags to label personal items. If a person affixed a tag to, say, a driver’s license and left home without it, the driver would receive an alert on a cellphone before leaving the driveway.
“It is being tested,” said Prabhu, adding that the specific market for the technology remains unclear.
What’s possible with an “Internet of Things” extends far beyond tracking items and into the realm of remote controls on steroids. Cerf said a number of mobile phone apps already are designed to control household items, such as light switches or air conditioning. If these systems can be built with standardization and interoperability in mind, Cerf said, the technology could open up a slew of business opportunities in managing devices on behalf of other people.
“There are a variety of things these ‘Internet of Things’ notions will enable,” Cerf said. “I’m sure there will also be a variety of things we won’t like. But this is always the problem with infrastructure – it has the potential to be abused.” The conference continues through Friday at the Disneyland Hotel.
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