Lesson6TheInternetofThings

(第六課物聯網)

Vocabulary(詞匯)ImportantSentences(重點句)Multiple-choiceQuestion(多選題)Problems(問題)

ThetermInternetofThingsappearstohavebeencoinedbyamemberoftheRFIDdevelopmentcommunitycirca2000,whoreferredtothepossibilityofdiscoveringinformationaboutataggedobjectbybrowsinganInternetaddressordatabaseentrythatcorrespondstoaparticularRFID.Sincethattime,visionarieshaveseizedonthephrase“InternetofThings”torefertothegeneralideaofthings,especiallyeverydayobjects,thatarereadable,recognizable,locatable,addressable,and/orcontrollableviatheInternet—whetherviaRFID,wirelessLAN,wide-areanetwork,orothermeans.

Everydayobjectsincludesnotonlytheelectronicdevicesweencountereveryday,andnotonlytheproductsofhighertechnologicaldevelopmentsuchasvehiclesandequipment,butthingsthatwedonotordinarilythinkofaselectronicatall—suchasfood,clothing,andshelter;materials,parts,andsubassemblies;commoditiesandluxuryitems;landmarks,boundaries,andmonuments;andallthemiscellanyofcommerceandculture.AlthoughanalystsdefinetheIoTintermsofconnectedeverydayobjects,thenatureoftheconnectionremainstobedetermined.

Atwo-wayconnectionbymeansoftheInternetProtocolconstitutestheidealcase,buttheoriginatorsoftheIoTconceptappeartohaveemphasizedasimplermodelofRFIDqueryandresponse.[1]TheIoTwillbeinextricablefromsensornetworksthatmonitorthingsbutdonotcontrolthings.Bothconnectedeverydayobjectsandsensornetworksbothleverageacommonsetoftechnologicaladvancestowardminiature,power-efficientsensing,processing,andwirelesscommunication.AnalystscommonlydescribetwodistinctmodesofcommunicationintheInternetofThings:thingtopersonandthing-to-thingcommunication.

Thing-to-person(andperson-to-thing)communicationsencompassesanumberoftechnologiesandapplicationswhereinpeopleinteractwiththingsandviceversa,includingremoteaccesstoobjectsbyhumans,andobjects(sometimescalled“blogjects”)thatcontinuouslyreporttheirstatus,whereabouts,andsensordata.

Thing-to-thingcommunicationsencompassestechnologiesandapplicationswhereineverydayobjectsandinfrastructureinteractwithnohumanoriginator,recipient,orintermediary.Objectscanmonitorotherobjects,takecorrectiveactions,andnotifyorprompthumansasrequired.Machine-to-machinecommunicationisasubsetofthing-to-thingcommunication;butmachine-to-machinecommunicationoftenexistswithinlarge-scaleITsystemsandsoencompassesthingsthatmaynotqualifyas“everydayobjects”.

Manyeverydayobjectsalreadyincorporateembeddedmicrocontrollersandwillincreasinglyincludewirelessinterfaces.Typicalmicrocontrollersincorporateamicrocomputer,storage,software,andinterfacesforsensorsandactuatorsthatcanresideaboardeverydayobjects.Withadditionofanetworkinterface,peopleandmachinescanmonitorandcontrolsuchobjectsfromadistance,viatheInternet.Objectscontainingsensorscaninterconnectwithoneanotherandcanbemonitoredbydistantserversorpeople.

Softwarethatresidesinserversand/orInternet-connectedobjectscaninitiateasequenceofevents,withorwithouthumanintervention.[2]Thecombinationofembeddedmicrocontrollers,sensors,actuators,networkinterfaces,andthegreaterInternetmakesitpossiblefortheInternettoevolvefromannetworkofinterconnectedcomputerstoanetworkofinterconnectedobjects.SuchobjectsmayormaynothavetheirownInternetProtocoladdresses.

DevelopersandvisionarieshavedescribedanumberofconceptsthataredistinctyetcloselyrelatedtotheIoT.

SensornetworksneednotbeconnectedtotheInternetandindeedoftenresideinremotesites,vehicles,andbuildingshavingnoInternetconnection.Smartdustisatermthatsomehaveusedtoexpressavisionoftiny,wireless-connectedsensors;morerecently,othersusethetermtodescribeanyofseveraltechnologiesthatrangefromthesizeofapackofgumtoapackofcigarettes,andthatarewidelyavailabletosystemdevelopers.OnemaythinkofthevisionoftinyinstancesofsmartdustasaDisruptiveTechnologiesdevelopmentthatwillariseafteralongperiodofIoTevolution,duringwhichanumberofdisruptionsareforeseeablewellbeforeusablewirelesssensorsshrinktothesizeofgravel.

Ubiquitouspositioningdescribestechnologiesforlocatingobjectsthatmayresideanywhere,includingindoorsandundergroundlocationswheresatellitesignalsmaybeunavailableorotherwiseinadequate.

Biometricsenablestechnologytorecognizepeopleandotherlivingthings,ratherthaninanimateobjects.Connectedeverydayobjectscouldrecognizeauthorizedusersbymeansoffingerprint,voiceprint,irisscan,orotherbiometrictechnology.

MachinevisionisanapproachtotheIoTthatcanmonitorobjectshavingnoonboardsensors,controllers,orwirelessinterfaces.

Generally,nosharpdividinglineexistbetweenIoTandmanyotherInternetrelateddevelopments.JustastheInternetitselfblursboundariesamongdevices,people,organizations,andnationalboundaries,theIoTblursboundariesbetweenITandobjectsthatwedonotordinarilythinkofasIT.1TheEnablingBuildingBlocks

ProgressinthefollowingtechnologieswillcontributetothedevelopmentoftheIoT:

Machine-to-machineinterfacesandprotocolsofelectroniccommunicationsettherulesofengagementfortwoormorenodesonanetwork.

Microcontrollersarecomputerchipsthataredesignedtobeembeddedintoobjectsotherthancomputers.

Wirelesscommunicationisfamiliartomostpeopleinthedevelopedworld.ManydifferentwirelesstechnologieshavethepotentialtoplayimportantrolesintheIoTincludingshort-rangeandlong-rangechannels;aswellasbidirectionalandunidirectionalchannels.[3]Wirelessdevicesidentifythemselves;inpracticevirtuallyallwirelessInternetdevicescontainuniqueidentifiers,includingallcellphonesandWi-Ficlients.However,seethenextbullet.

RFIDtechnologyresemblesanelectronicbarcodethatareaderdevicecandetectevenwithoutlineofsight.SomeRFIDreaderscanidentifymultipleobjectsconcurrently.AndsomeRFIDtag-readerarchitecturessupportsecurityfeaturessuchasrequiringahumanoperatortoinputachallengecodebeforedecodinganID.RFIDhavevaryingsizes,powerrequirements,operatingfrequencies,amountsofrewriteableandnonvolatilestorage,andsoftwareintelligence;rangesvaryfromafewcmtohundredsofmeters.

However,largerdeviceshavinganinternalpowersourcetendtooperateatlongerranges;conversely,smallerdeviceshavingnointernalpowersource(RFengineerssaytheyareilluminatedbythereaderdevice,muchasaradarilluminatesatarget)tendtooperateatshorterranges.Also,architecturesthatsupportmorestorage,rewriteability,andprocessingtendtocostmorethansimplerarchitectures.

Energyharvestingtechnologiescapturesmallbutusableamountsofelectricalenergyfromtheenvironment.Currentenergy-harvestingR&Dconcentratesonadventitioustemperaturevariations,ambientsoundandvibration,andambientRF.UnlikepassiveRFIDs,whichsimplyresonatewhenilluminated,anenergy-harvestingtransducerproduceselectricalpowerthatrunsamicrocontroller,sensor,and/ornetworkinterfaceinwholeorpart.Technically,energyharvestingtransducersrespondnotonlytoadventitioussourcesbutalsotointentionaltransmissionsofpower,say,viaRFandacousticchannels.AdramaticexampleofintentionaltransmissionofpowerviaRFchannel:MIT’srecent“Witricity”demonstrationofclosely-coupledresonators,enablingrelativelyefficientwirelesspowertransfersoveradistanceofafewfeet.

Sensorsdetectchangingattributesintheenvironmentandreportthemtoasystem;sensornetworksaimtoexploitthebenefitsofsensingatmorethanonelocation.Sensorsareatypeoftransducerthatmustproducetheminisculeamountofpowerrequiredtoconveyinformationatausableerrorrate.Sound,light,atmosphericconditions,vibrations,andotherenvironmentalsignalsareallfairgameforsensordesigners.

Actuatorsdetectanincomingsignalandrespondbychangingsomethingintheenvironment.Forexample,arelayisanactuatorthattogglesamechanicalswitch,andcanthuscauseagoodnumberofresponsestooccursuchasenablingillumination,heatingsystem,audiblealarm,andsoon.Actuatorssuchasmotors,pneumatics,andhydraulicscanmoveobjectsandpumpfluids.

Locationtechnologyhelpspeopleandmachinesfindthingsanddeterminestheirphysicalwhereabouts.Sensorsplayaroleindeadreckoning,butthatapproachdoesnotsatisfypracticalneedsforgeolocation,resultingintheriseofwirelessapproachesincludingGPS(whichisoftenaugmentedbyothersignals)andcellulartowers.Fixedororbitingtransmittershaveknownlocations.Theybroadcasttimingsignals,andreceivingdevicestriangulatebycalculatingtheamountofdelayfromeachtransmitter.Radar,lidar,andsonarcandetectrelativelocationsofthings,dependingontheirelectromagnetic,optical,andacousticproperties.Andsomethingstransmittheirownradio,light,and/orsoundinordertodisclosetheirwhereaboutstopeopleandmachines.

Softwarecomprisesabroaddomainofdevelopment.DevelopmentoftheIoTwillrelyonmanydimensionsofsoftwarecapabilitiesincludingdistributedexecution,self-describingdatastructures,andmore.Notheoreticalframeworkexiststocircumscribethelimitsofsoftwaredevelopment,leadingtospeculationaboutsoftwarethatemulateshumanreasoningandperformstasksonbehalfofpeople.Regardlessofthemeritoflong-awaitedartificialintelligence,softwarewillnodoubthelpfutureusersmakesenseofcomplexdatasetscollectedfromnetworksofeverydayobjectsandsensors.2ImplicationsofAdvancementinVariousTechnologicalCapabilities

Ideally,thefollowingusecasescouldbecommonintentofifteenyears.Tocompleteshoppinginbricks-and-mortarretailstores,customerscouldsimplywalkthroughdoorwaystocheckout,debitaccounts,andreceivee-receiptsthattheycaninspectviathedisplaysontheircellphones.

Asoldiercouldrapidlylearnhowtoperformamaintenanceprocedurebyscanninganitemofequipmentusingahandhelddeviceandreadingthedevice’sdisplay.Handhelddevicescouldbecomenotonlyinformationsourcesbutuniversalremotecontrolsfortheenvironment—userinterfacesforengaginglightsandappliances,locatingmisplacedandloosely-organizedobjects,diagnosingproblemswithsystems,andcontrollingtele-operatedobjectsfromgreaterorlesserdistances.

Usingmachine-to-machinecommunication,objectscouldcollaboratewithoneanothertoperformactionsonbehalfofpeopleandreduceoreliminateneedforhumanlabor.[4]Vehiclesthatcommunicatewirelesslywitheachothercancollaborateby“refusingtocrash”.Entertainmentsystemscansenseandrespondasuserswalkthroughahouse,transferringthebaseballgamefromlivingroomtokitchentogarage.AmedicinecabinetfittedwithRFIDreaderandanarrayofweightsensorscoulddetectwhensomeonedoesnotremoveapillasprescribedandrespondbyalertingthepatient;alternatively,thecabinetcoulddetectwhenthesupplyofaparticularpillrunslow,automaticallyrenewaprescription,ormakeamedicalappointment.

Buildingscanoptimizeenergysavings,indoorairquality,andcomfortbyadjustingclimate-controlsystemstoaccountforthenumberofpeoplepassingthroughentranceways,readingsofoxygensensorsinwalls,datafromrooftopweatherstations,andnationalweatherservices.Eversmaller,cheaper,andsmartersystemshavethepotentialtoaugmentevermoreeverydayobjects.Notethattypicalmicrocontrollers(althoughnotallofthem)canbereprogrammed,andthisreprogrammabilityacceleratestheabilityofsystemstoevolve.

Onceanobjecthasanetworkinterface,itsabilitiescanimproveatthespeedofsoftwaredevelopment:Progressisnotlimitedtothespeedofhardwareandinfrastructuredeployment.Capabilitiesofsoftwareupdatespromisetoevolvetowardprocessesthatresemblereasoning.Forexample,researchersaimtodevelopsystemsthatadaptmessagestothepresentnetwork,device,user,andcontext.Someusersmayperceivesuchadaptationtobe“intelligent”;butresearchershopetoimplementalgorithmsthatcomeeverclosertoemulatinghumanreasoningtomakesenseofcomplexdatasets.

Onepromisingapproachtothelattergoalreliesoncomputationalsemanticalgorithmsthatoperateonself-describingdatastructures.Significantly,synergiesamongInternet-connectedobjectswillarise,yieldingcapabilitiesthatdesignerswillnothaveanticipated.Smartbuildingscouldprovetobecomeanetworkforcollectingfine-grainedweatherdata.Home-andoffice-securitysystemscoulddoubleasadhocwirelessnetworkinfrastructure.Manyeverydayobjectscouldserveasnodesforcollectingdatathat’susefultobusinesses;anopenmarketinusagedatacouldsupportthelaunchingofadvertisingmessages;suchanopenmarketininformationcouldequallyenablesurveillancebylawenforcementagenciesandexploitationbyenemiesoftheUnitedStates.3SynergisticTechnologies

ThefollowingaresomeofthetechnologiesthatmaynotbeessentialtothedevelopmentoftheIoT,butcouldextendthescopeoftheIoT.

Geotagging/geocaching

Biometrics

Machinevision

Robotics

Mirrorworlds

Telepresenceandadjustableautonomy

Liferecordersandpersonalblackboxes

Tangibleuserinterfaces

KeyUsesandInstantiationsoftheInternetofThings.

Retailandlogistics

Productmanagement

Surveillance

Smartbuildingsandgreenbuildings

Telematics4Applications

HerearesomeofthemoreprominentapplicationareasfortheIoT:

Cellphonesas“windowsoneverydaythings”.HandhelddevicescandisplayinformationaboutobjectstaggedwithbarcodesandRFIDtags,andcameraphonescancollaboratewithdistantserverstoidentifyuntaggedpeople,places,andthingsbymeansofmachinevision.Aphonecouldgivedetailsabouttheproductincludingitsattributes,origin,price,warranty,reviews,andusermanual,aswellaswheretobuyitandhowtorecycleit;theidentifyofaperson;andforeign-languagedetailsaboutaplacesuchasarestaurantorhistoricalsite.Usersmightcometofeelthatsuchinformationisasvitalastoday’sWorldWideWeb.

Cellphonesas“remotecontrolsfortheenvironment”.CellphonesalreadyfindcommonuseinJapanaspaymentchannelsforcheckingoutorretailstores,andoccasionaluseworldwideasremotecontrolsforaudiovisualequipment.Handsetscanfurtherevolveintoameansforcontrollingnearbyanddistantthingssuchasdoorlocks,securitysystems,lights,appliances,andofficeequipment.

Continuousmonitoringandmeasuring.Commoditizationofsensorsandnetworkswillenableeverydayobjectstobechannelsforsurveillance,consumersurveys,measuringenvironmental-qualitybenchmarks,andanyothercontinuouslychangingdimensionoftheworldthatpeoplefindvaluabletotrack.

Locatingthings.Miniaturization,abilitytoworkinindoorlocations,andothertechnologicaladvancespromisetoincreasethevarietyofthingsthatcanreporttheirlocationstoowners,includingkeys,wallets,eyeglasses,jewelry,andtools.Asintermediatestepbetweentoday’slocationcapabilitiesandthesefutureapplications,animal-locatingtechnologypromisestobecomepracticalandaffordablefortypicalfarmersandpetowners.

Loosely-organizedthings.Abilitytolocateobjectsasrequiredcouldleadtochangesinparadigmsforwarehousing,filing,andhouseholdstorage,awayfromthetraditionof“aplaceforeverythingandeverythinginitsplace”.WhenacellphoneRFIDreaderistheultimatearbiterofwheresomethingresides,business,government,military,andindividualapproachestostoragewillchange.

Prognosticsandjust-in-timemaintenanceforvehiclesandmachines.Continuousmonitoringpromisestoenableanewparadigminvehicleandmachinemaintenance.Ratherthanconductingmaintenanceatspecifiedintervals,organizationsmaybeabletoconductmaintenanceasneeded.Fluid-levelandcontaminationsensorscantelltechnicianswhenfluidsneedtobereplenished;andmicrophonesembeddednearrotatingpartscandetectsoundsthatindicateexcessivewear.

Sensorreadingscombinedwithservicerecordsenablecreationofpredictive-maintenancedatabases;algorithmscouldtriggercustomschedulesthatconcurrentlyimprovereliabilityandreducethecostofregularly-recurringmaintenance.Suchalgorithmswouldaimtoprovidenotonlyafter-the-factdiagnosesbut“fixingproblemsbeforetheyoccur”.Duringanemergency,responsiblepartiescouldusealgorithmicprognosestoselectonlythatmothballedormarginally-maintainedequipmentthatismostlikelytoaccomplishadesiredtask.Thus,vehicles,electricgenerators,factoryequipment,andotherdevicescontainingrotatingmachinerycouldbeearlycandidatestojointheIoT.

Healthcareandcaretaking.Sensorsandactuatorsinbeds,floors,andplumbingpromisetobe“helpingthehelpers”.TheUniversityofVirginia’sAlarmNetresearchprojecthasinterconnectednetworkswithsomeeverydaythingssuchasbedsandfloors.Apressuresensorinabeddetectsheartrate,breathing,andmovement;sensorsinthefloornearbycandetectwhenapersonfalls.TheAlarmNetprojectteamhasalsoembeddedaccelerometersandaGPSreceiverintoclothing,inordertodetectlocationandclassifyactivities.Pressuresensorsinbedsorfurnituremayalsobeabletodetectsuddenweightgainsassociatedwithcertainheartconditionsandthesideeffectsofbetablockers.VariousR&Dprojectshaveexperimentedwithconnectedsmartmedicinedispensersthatfacilitatecompliancewithcomplex,multi-prescriptionregimens.

Loosely-coupledrelationshipsamongconnectedthings.Justasphysicalobjectshaveadhoctemporarysynergies(aswhenabrickservesasadoorstop),adhocinterconnectionsamongeverydaythingscanhaveopportunisticbenefits.AsingleWeb-servicesinterfaceforavehiclecouldcouplewithadealer’sdiagnostictoolformaintenancepurposes;alaw-enforcementserverforrecoveryaftertheft;acolleague’scellphoneforinputtingthephysicaladdressofadestinationintoanonboardnavigationsystem;andanynumberofsurprisingandunplanned-forapplications.5Timeline

UseofRFIDinsupplychainshasbegun,anduseattheitemlevelcouldbeginasearlyas2010.IncorporationofcompatibleRFIDreadersincommoncellphonescouldbeginshortlythereafterandbecommonby2015,enablingeverydaypeopletointeractelectronicallywitheverydayobjects.Ubiquitouspositioningtechnology,includingaccurateindoorpositioning,couldbeavailableby2017.

SynergiesbetweenpositioningandInternetconnectivitycouldenableanumberofmust-haveapplications,especiallytheft-resistantpersonalitemsthatcanbelocated,controlled,andmonitoredfromadistance.After2020,intelligentsoftwaremayemergethatacceptslargesetsofdatafromconnectedeverydayobjects,andanalyzessuchdatausingprocessesthatresemblehumanreason.After2025,perhaps,suchsoftwarecanbedeputizedtomakeunsuperviseddecisionsandactonbehalfofpeople.6DirectionalSignposts

IdentifyingthemajorissuesthatwilldeterminehowtheInternetofThingswilldevelopandunderstandingtheuncertaintyofitemsimportanttowatchhelpustounderstandbetterthepotentialdynamicsofdevelopmentandapplicationthatwemightseeinthefuture(Fig.1).ThatheightenedsenseofawarenessisnecessarybecausetheUnitedStateswillwanttoformulateapolicyandactbeforeunambiguousevidenceonthedriversandbarriersto,anddirectionofadvancementofthenecessarytechnologiesisavailable.

Preparationforawatch-and-respondsystemisessentialtoidentifycorrectlythesignpoststhatwouldindicatewhethertheadvancementoftheInternetofThingsisproceedingrapidlyornot.Plausibly,thefollowingeventsanddevelopmentscouldoccurnearthesuggestedyears,andtheiroccurrencewouldindicatethattheaboveissuesanduncertaintieswerebeingresolvedinthedirectionofpositivedevelopmentandapplicationoftheInternetofThings.

2007-2009—LargeretailchainsintheUnitedStatesadoptRFID-taggedpalletsandpackagingforexpeditingsupplychains.Fig.1TechnologyRoadmap:TheInternetofThings

2010—LargeretailchainsintheUnitedStatesbegintodeployRFIDsonindividualitemstosupportunattended,walk-throughcheckout;healthcareproviders,largeorganizations,andgovernmentagenciesadoptRFIDtagsforkeepingtrackofindividualdocuments.

2011-2013—EndusersadoptcellphonescontainingRFIDreadersthatscaneverydaythingsandprovideinformationaboutprice,availability,origin,ingredients,howtouse,wheretoreceivewarrantyservice,andotherattributes.

2011-2016—Vehiclesgraduallyincorporatewirelessdiagnosticsandprognostics,concurrentlyimprovingreliability,eliminatingcostandweightofwiringharnesses,reducingcostofmaintenance,andenablingdeliveryofnewfeaturesviasoftwareupdates.

2017—Effectively,ubiquitouspositioningtechnologyarrivesintheUnitedStates—initially,tohelpfirstresponderslocatepeoplecarryingcellphones,evenindoors.

2018-2019—Manufacturersincreasinglydelivereverydaythingswithaguaranteeagainstlossandtheft,equippingsuchthingswithreceiversforubiquitouspositioningtechnologyaswellaslow-duty-cyclewirelessInternetcapability.

2020—Thepasttenyearsofspectrumauctionsandreallocationshasgraduallyyieldedatransformedspectrumplan.Everydaymobilecommunicationsisnowbroadband.Thelegacymobilefrequenciesusedfornarrowbandcommunications(thetypethatrevolutionizedperson-to-personcommunicationsduring2000-2005)havelargelybeenrepurposedforsupportingperson-to-thingandthing-to-thingcommunications.

2020-2025—Aperiodofinnovation,growth,opportunity,anddisruptionfollowswherebyusersandsuppliersfindandimplementsynergiesamongconnectedeverydaythings—andcounterproductiveusesalsoemerge.Forexample,organizationsmaycreateadhocsensornetworksbyfusingdatagatheredfromdisparatedevices.Suchnetworksmayonbalancedomoregoodthanharm,notwithstandingthesubstantialharmsthatdoarisewhenunauthorizedpersonsexploitconnectedeverydaythingsforcrimeandespionagepurposes.1.sensorn.傳感器,靈敏元件。

2.interconnectvi.相互連接，相互聯系。

3.luxuryn.奢侈，豪華。

4.transmitvt.發射，播送，廣播。

5.microcontrollern.微控制器。

6.plausiblyadv.似真