10 amazing cases of IoT applications taken from the real life

Paul Stokes
DataDrivenInvestor
Published in
6 min readOct 29, 2018

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10 Applications of IoT — are there really so many cases?

Probably, you’ve heard a phrase that the Internet of Things (IoT) occupied the world these days. And there’s a high chance you questioned this statement — because it’s too loud and ambitious. But what if it’s true? How to check this? In fact, convincing you that IoT applications are numerous and various enough to fit the diversified needs of people is the main task of this post. And to achieve this aim, we reveal IoT applications examples in ten different spheres that compose the basis of our everyday lives.

So, here they are — top 10 applications of IoT that already occupied the contemporary market and are presented within current business operations. And what’s even more important: firmly established their positions in these dimensions.

#1 Smart House

The explanation of how IoT applications can equip the space within a house deserves a separate post — so many products the Internet of Things offers here. Among the best IoT application ideas we can sketch here, you possess an opportunity to improve your space with smart thermostats, air conditioners, speakers, pet feeders and lots of other technological innovations created to facilitate and control the daily operations done at home. Being the most popular sphere among the presented top 10 IoT applications, it’s also the most promising one in the near future — by taking into account the broad horizons of cost-effectiveness it brings.

#2 IoT Applications in Agriculture

Farmers heavily rely on smart devices and apply them in both farming and livestock management. In terms of performance and effectiveness, the best IoT applications for the area include drones, various tools to check soil composition and predict climate change, and IoT applications to detect diseases among herd members and track their location. In this context, the Internet of Things is highly useful in the sphere by making the job previously requiring tremendous effort from humans automatically. And this important facilitation puts this example on the top ranks in the list of 10 applications of IoT.

#3 IoT for Industry

The extent of IoT application for the industry is great — and even called for creating a special IIoT term. For real, the list of industrial IoT application ideas is impressive. To mention the best IoT applications here, there are sensors, programs, software systems, and big data analytics for futuristic designs and proper calculations. In addition, these machines improve productivity and fix the mistakes commonly made by humans, especially when it comes to quality control and sustainability. Consequently, the industrial applications of IoT have all the chances to continue occupying the sphere and enhancing the market.

#4 Retail and IoT Applications Ideas

Among IoT application examples in the retail sphere, there are numerous cases of using smart devices for enhancing the in-store experience. Specifically, the various applications of IoT here mean that capabilities of smartphone usage (empowered by Beacon technology) facilitate the communication between retailers and buyers — and the most wanted goods and services appear in front of clients’ eyes in the right place and at the right moment. In addition, smart retail opens opportunities for IoT applications in terms of accurate advertising, improved supply chain cycle, and an actual analysis of demand models. Finally, the applications of IoT already include NFC payment and intelligent shopping applications that you can use while making purchases.

#5 Best IoT Applications in Healthcare

In the list of top 10 applications of IoT, the health sector deserves a special place. Directly impacting human lives, it illustrates the importance of connected healthcare as a sphere. And among the key achievements of IoT application here, it is relevant to list an ability to provide medical assistance over the Internet, use drones and improve genetic medicine. Besides, the application of IoT contributes to creating a more personalized approach to health analysis and more consistent strategies to combat diseases. At the same time, the development of IoT applications still meets obstacles and debates on the current stage — especially, when it comes to a conflict between the application of IoT and traditional medicine. Nevertheless, the development of the sphere is already unstoppable.

#6 Smart Cars

Most people who tried driving a smart car support an idea that it should be listed among the best IoT applications currently available. Besides, the driverless car (which currently exists as a prototype) boosts the imagination — with it, the world where taxis work based on AI and take the passengers safely and accurately to the desired destination appears as a soon-to-come reality. What we can already enjoy is a connected car — an IoT application equipped with numerous sensors and the connection to the Internet to guarantee the maximum comfort of a driving experience. In this context, the concrete IoT applications for a car include Tesla experiments of a remote garage door opening and internal temperature control, as well as an App framework to manage speed, location, and battery storage of a vehicle.

#7 Wearables

This application of IoT unites a group of technological devices designed to be worn on a body and being empowered by an app on a smartphone. In fact, the development of the sphere is closely linked with various IoT applications in connected healthcare — because wearables are suitable to check the basic health indicators and improve the treatment. Among the key players on this market, the IoT application is mostly designed by Apple, Samsung, and Motorola — meaning fitness bracelets, GPS tracking belts, implantable gadgets, and many other IoT applications.

#8 Smart City

For the whole cities, the basic IoT applications include smart parking, structural health, noise maps, smart lighting, and smart roads. Even though this group of IoT applications is rather on the development stage than a reality, the perspectives of safety increase and the promises of smarter traffic and pollution control make its real-life emergence inevitable. It’s just a matter of time.

#9 Supply Chain and IoT

In particular, the best IoT applications for supply chain mostly refer to accurate tracking of goods, better appearance of shipment operations, and transparent information exchange with the key stakeholders. In addition, the application of IoT has a great benefit in minimizing the need for manpower, which logically leads to optimized cost-effectiveness and enhanced automation.

#10 Examples of IoT Applications for Energy Sector

The achievements of the technological revolution in the energy sector are outstanding — and worth being mentioned in the list of top 10 IoT applications. Precisely, the design of power grids changes the consumption rules by automatically collecting data and providing an instant analysis of electricity circulation. As a result of these applications of IoT, both customers and suppliers gain the better understanding of how to optimize the usage of the resource.

So, that’s it. As the presented list of top 10 applications of IoT shows, the technology already demonstrates outstanding results in the main spheres of human life. So, basically, the answer to the question at the beginning of this review is, “Oh, yes.”

And the confidence in such reply will only grow with time.

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