Markus Lutz is CTO and Founder of SiTime Corporation. He is a MEMS expert, a prolific entrepreneur and inventor who holds over 100 patents.
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Flying cars once captured imaginations as the de facto shorthand for the peak of futurity, but that sense of wonder has been replaced by the very real possibilities of the Internet of Things (IoT). The IoT always had immense potential, but with precision timing, it feels like the future is now. In fact, we may now be entering the golden age of the IoT—from smart homes and smart cities to industrial automation, agriculture and more.
How Intelligent Edge Processors Drive The Market
The market is already flooded with tens of billions of smart, connected devices, including video doorbells, smart appliances, LED lighting and HVAC controls, which will continue to grow in number and complexity as 5G capabilities expand. Many of these newer devices will likely require intelligent edge processors with short-range wireless or cellular internet connectivity. This is also expected to drive demand for small precision timing devices that are highly reliable and low power.
Precision timing devices are increasingly essential components of the IoT because they enable devices to reliably communicate with each other, synchronize data and ensure general functionality. The need for precision timing is driven by the nebulous nature of device placement over a wide area that still needs to be able to communicate with each other.
When Precision Timing Is Used—From Healthcare To Home
It is not just that devices are growing in number but that they are growing in complexity across all fields. Some fields like healthcare may have further industry-specific requirements regarding precision when it comes to vital health monitoring systems—especially with the addition of new wearable technology being used to track respiration rates, temperature, heart rate and rate variability. Precision timing is needed for these devices to communicate with each other effectively, and mistakes can be costly when human lives are on the line.
Precision timing is not exclusive to high-stakes applications and can even be used to facilitate mundane tasks in the home. Smart homes are coming up with a host of new ways to use IoT in the consumer sector to control connected appliances such as dishwashers, thermostats, home security systems, refrigerators and smart TVs, all from a cellphone.
Smart Cities, Smart Farming, And Beyond
Smart cities are not only complex. They add to the sheer volume of connected devices enabled by precision timing. Smart cities use the IoT to improve community services, such as connecting smart garbage cans with trash collection trucks to schedule pickups when they are full and having traffic lights communicate with sensors to adjust light timing for real-time traffic response. Even performing basic tasks like turning city streetlights on is more complicated than it seems because cities must protect their infrastructures against potential denial-of-service cyberattacks.
Cities are not the only targets of cybercriminal activity. The agriculture industry has also begun to turn to intricate smart farming technologies powered by the IoT. Farms typically defined by idyllic pastures or other natural imagery have become the final frontier for smart technology that tracks the health of the soil and air quality to promote ideal crop conditions.
While most farms might not experience the same level of connected device congestion as an entire smart city, they will depend on reliable communication between connected devices that are deceivingly complex. The global population is expected to reach 9.7 billion by 2050, leading to a 69% increase in agricultural production, which should make increasing efficiency with smart farming and precision timing a priority.
Precision Timing: A Critical Component Of The IoT
The IoT network will continue to grow as more connected devices are needed to run the smart farms to feed the people living in smart homes who drive their smart cars to their jobs in smart cities. As applications become more sophisticated and the capabilities of the IoT become more attractive, it will likely drive demand for connected devices even higher.
Precision timing is a critical component uniquely positioned to ensure this increasingly complex network of connected devices continues to work together regardless of the expected rapid growth to come. Without precision timing, it would ultimately be impossible for the IoT to realize its full potential. Cars still do not fly—for now—but in the coming golden age of the IoT powered by precision timing, it is safe to allow the imagination to wonder and to wander.
Implications And Challenges Of Precision Timing In The IoT
To synchronize an extensive array of devices, a robust and reliable network infrastructure is necessary. This infrastructure, however, remains vulnerable to disruptions, latency or potential external attacks. Moreover, with devices increasingly reliant on precision timing, even slight errors can occur, leading to substantial malfunctions and failures.
For example, cars have been transformed from mechanical systems to data centers on wheels, processing vast amounts of data in real time. Processing and transferring data puts great demands on automotive timing solutions.
The surge in IoT technology adoption also ushers in a set of legitimate concerns as the IoT landscape expands. For example, establishing uniform standards and ensuring interoperability between devices from different manufacturers becomes a formidable challenge, which may result in system inconsistencies and diminish the user experience.
A New Era
To genuinely grasp the "IoT Golden Age" notion, it's vital to underscore the exponential growth of interconnected endpoints. These devices will ultimately number in the trillions and be installed in locations never before considered, reshaping how we engage with our surroundings. The majority of IoT endpoints will be powered by batteries, small in size, and economically viable, facilitating the effortless collection and sharing of data across a wide range of environments.
In the IoT Golden Age, emphasis should be placed on the ever-growing network of interlinked devices that will revolutionize various sectors, spanning from smart homes and agriculture to healthcare and beyond.
By concentrating on this fundamental concept, we can gain a deeper appreciation of IoT's true potential and the transformative influence it will have.
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