Two trends that are taking over the technology industry are the “Internet of Things (IoT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI)”. The fusion of AI and IoT which is AIoT (Artificial Intelligence and Internet of Things) will reshape the future of industrial automation and it is set to lead the Industry 4.0 wave.

IoT and AI are two powerful technologies that affect various industries significantly. To understand AIoT, we must start with IoT and AI.

 

Internet of Things (IoT)

The Internet of Things ( IoT) means, in simple terms, to take everything in the world and connect it to the Internet.
Anything connected to the internet can be classified into three categories:

1. Things which collect information and then send it: This includes sensors which collect the information from the environment and sends it to the server. Sensors like- temperature sensors, pressure sensors, proximity sensors, optical sensors, IR sensors, smoke sensors, motion sensors and so on…
   For Illustration: Motion Sensors help save electricity, the sensor collects the information from the environment to turn the power supply on and off.
2. Things that receive information and then act upon it: The phone unlocks when you touch your smart device’s fingerprint sensor.
3. Things which do both simultaneously: Gathering and acting on information at the same time.
   Example: If the irrigation system receives weather updates from the internet, it may know when it will rain and decide not to water the crops today because the rain will water them anyway.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

AI is the ability of a machine or a computer program to think and learn. The AI concept is based on the idea of building machines that are capable of thinking, acting, and learning like people.
The ultimate goal of AI is to build expert systems for displaying intelligent behaviours, understanding, demonstrating, illustrating and advising its users and incorporating human intelligence in machines, i.e. creating systems to think, learn and behave like humans.

Presently AI can capture a single skill but the future entails the machine to have Artificial General Intelligence i.e to behave more like humans by capturing more than one skill.

IoT is the digital nervous system and AI is the brain of the system

AIoT

Artificial Intelligence when added to the Internet of Things it means these devices can analyze data and make decisions and act on that data without human intervention, providing intelligent and connected systems capable of self-correcting.
The key difference between IoT and AIoT is being proactive vs reactive. Current IoT systems are designed to respond to an event while AIoT systems can detect faults and events proactively. Infusing AI into IoT systems delivers the promise of predictive maintenance that will help businesses save lots of money in equipment support and routine maintenance.

Actual Example of AIoT:

Smart Shopping Cart
The United States and Canadian grocery stores are experimenting with high-tech shopping carts. Caper brand provides a feature of image recognition capabilities and built-in sensors that can determine what a person is putting into a shopping cart. Some smart carts have display panels on the handle as they pass through a shop, giving updates about promotions to customers live.

Conclusion:

• We have IoT in Industry 4.0- The digital nervous system and AI- The system brain.
• The future of industrial automation is that AI and IoT converge. Artificial Intelligence of Things will affect virtually every verticle of the industry including the automobile, aviation, banking, healthcare, manufacturing and supply chain.
• AIoT- which is a combination of the two powerful technology disrupts all sectors. Smart shopping cart in the retail industry is one example.
• Initially, AI used cloud servers and now it is moving towards “edge computing” which will be way more efficient AIoT model.
• To learn more about the various technological innovations, edge computing and other insights from top industry experts, innovators and CEOs join the global digital community to be on top of the latest technologies, trends and network with individuals with a common interest.

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