Smart Objects

1. Processing Unit

2. Sensor(s) and/or actuator(s)

3. Communication device

4. Power source

The building blocks of the IoT

Added value comes from being networked together

defined by ITU:

• RFID: tagging things

• Sensors: for measuring things

• Smart technologies: for thinking

• Nanotechnology: to makes things smaller

Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems

Electric and mechanical elements on very small scale (<1mm)

One of the keys to this technology is a microfabrication technique that is similar to what is used for microelectronic integrated circuits. This approach allows mass production at very low costs. The combination of tiny size, low cost, and the ability to mass produce makes MEMS an attractive option for a huge number of IoT applications.

Processing unit: A smart object has some type of processing unit for acquiring data, processing and analyzing sensing information received by the sensor(s), coordinating control signals to any actuators, and controlling a variety of functions on the smart object, including the communication and power systems. The specific type of processing unit that is used can vary greatly, depending on the specific processing needs of different applications. The most common is a microcontroller because of its small form factor, flexibility, programming simplicity, ubiquity, low power consumption, and low cost.

Sensor(s) and/or actuator(s): A smart object is capable of interacting with the physical world through sensors and actuators. As described in the previous sections, a sensor learns and measures its environment, whereas an actuator is able to produce some change in the physical world. A smart object does not need to contain both sensors and actuators. In fact, a smart object can contain one or multiple sensors and/or actuators, depending upon the application.

Communication device: The communication unit is responsible for connecting a smart object with other smart objects and the outside world (via the network). Communication devices for smart objects can be either wired or wireless. Overwhelmingly, in IoT networks smart objects are wirelessly interconnected for a number of reasons, including cost, limited infrastructure availability, and ease of deployment. There are myriad different communication protocols for smart objects.

Power source: Smart objects have components that need to be powered. Interestingly, the most significant power consumption usually comes from the communication unit of a smart object. As with the other three smart object building blocks, the power requirements also vary greatly from application to application. Typically, smart objects are limited in power, are deployed for a very long time, and are not easily accessible. This combination, especially when the smart object relies on battery power, implies that power efficiency, judicious power management, sleep modes, ultra-low power consumption hardware, and so on are critical design elements. For long-term deployments where smart objects are, for all practical purposes, inaccessible, power is commonly obtained from scavenger sources (solar, piezoelectric, and so on) or is obtained in a hybridized manner, also tapping into infrastructure power.

simple, unobtrusive and cost-effective system of item identification

Electronic Product Code (EPC) is the dominant standard for data contained in RFID tags

without the need for a line of sight between a sensor and a tag

range of approximately one meter

Data associated with the serial number on the tag would be stored in a database that would be accessible over the Internet

can be deployed everywhere

an be as small as four millimeters in size

data they collect can be received hundreds of miles away

can anticipate human needs based on information collected about their context

Within an intelligent networked system, sensors perform the functions of input devices

information processing capabilities to the edges of the network

Smart materials incorporate sensors and actuators

three kinds of materials:

• passive (response directly to stimuli without processing)

• active: can sense and reacte according to remote controller)

• autonomous: carry fully integrated controllers, sensors and actuators

Nanotechnology focuses on the design, characterization, production and application of structures and devices through the manipulation and characterization of matter at the nanoscale. Potential benefits include increased speed and memory capacities, and a decrease in energy consumption and, of course, size

measure some physical quantity and convert it inot digital reprensentation

receive control signal that triggers physical effect

natural complements to sensors

Size is decreasing

Power consumption is decreasing

Processing power is increasing

Communication is being increasingly standardized

Sensor/Actuarot Network

dispersed and dedicated senosrs/actuators

capable of communicationg and cooperting

highly coordinated sensing/actuation capabilities