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Ask HN: Object you'd like to see connected to the internet?

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Re: Ask HN: Object you'd like to see connected to the internet?

#31

Post by HeyLaughingBoy »

eps wrote: post #10

A big neon sign that says "I am on the Internet of Things" that would flash every time it gets an ICMP ping and do nothing else. This would capture nicely the essence and general usefulness of an average IoT device :)

Ha. This.

I led a project to connect my company's products (large, instrumentation devices) to the 'net a few years ago to improve serviceability, tell us when things are wrong, let customers order supplies, etc. It was a big success and I've been following the field for a while. Subscribed to the appropriate magazines, follow industry trends, get asked IoT questions from LinkedIn, etc.

I still don't see much purpose for consumer devices to be connected. Big industrial machinery: sure. Obvious benefits there. But my fridge being out of something? My oven timer went off? Why?

Re: Ask HN: Object you'd like to see connected to the internet?

#32

Post by ryanSrich »

Just to name a few:

- Stove

- Cat feeder

- Sink

- ...actually pretty much everything in my kitchen

- Selectable thoughts

- A physical notebook

- All restaurant ordering systems. So I can get the check right to my phone, pay with my phone, tip with my phone. No paper checks.

- City streets. So I can get real time data when I'm biking that tells me a certain road is closed or if traffic is heavy. I know this exists with Google maps but I'm talking about having the physical streets connected so the data is real time.

Re: Ask HN: Object you'd like to see connected to the internet?

#34

Post by awhitty »

byoung2 wrote: post #4

Technology is getting so cheap that eventually we'll have everything connected and wonder why it wasn't always that way. First, I'd like my sprinkler system connected so I can see and adjust the schedule, check current soil moisture levels, etc. Better yet, let the system adjust itself based on current conditions, forecasts, etc. I would use this mainly for my vegetable garden, not so much fo Second, I'd like my refr…

I see someone mentioned Lono. Another company called Rachio[0] has a connected sprinkler controller available for purchase now. It's connected to Wifi instead of Bluetooth which I think is interesting in the Internet of Things discussion.

0 - http://rach.io

Re: Ask HN: Object you'd like to see connected to the internet?

#35

Post by Mister_Snuggles »

ericfranklin wrote: post #30

Traffic lights. While not directly personal or "Internet of Things", traffic lights could really use some AI. It would be fantastic if they could learn routine traffic patterns (rush hour, weekends), detect flow (green light, but no one is there), even receive traffic data from Google/Apple/etc., then automatically adjust timing accordingly. Even mesh networking with nearby intersections. I can't count the number of…

This already happens in some cities. There are traffic lights in my city, for example, which adjust for trains, presence of cross-traffic, etc. The cross-traffic one is neat because a light will, quite literally, stay red forever and only change when a car pulls up to actually use the green light.

From this[0] article:

> Today, cities use computer-controlled traffic lights that adjust their timing based on traffic levels, the time of day and even the number of trucks on the road. In Los Angeles, for example, city officials use traffic management to control their 4,400 traffic lights, reducing travel time by 12 percent.

[0] http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2014/08/05/high-tech-traffic-lig...

Re: Ask HN: Object you'd like to see connected to the internet?

#36

Post by goodcanadian »

ericfranklin wrote: post #30

Traffic lights. While not directly personal or "Internet of Things", traffic lights could really use some AI. It would be fantastic if they could learn routine traffic patterns (rush hour, weekends), detect flow (green light, but no one is there), even receive traffic data from Google/Apple/etc., then automatically adjust timing accordingly. Even mesh networking with nearby intersections. I can't count the number of…

I find most lights these days have sensors to detect when cars are present and some basic logic to alleviate many of the problems you mention. No system is perfect, of course.

Re: Ask HN: Object you'd like to see connected to the internet?

#37

Post by hellbanner »

ericfranklin wrote: post #30

Traffic lights. While not directly personal or "Internet of Things", traffic lights could really use some AI. It would be fantastic if they could learn routine traffic patterns (rush hour, weekends), detect flow (green light, but no one is there), even receive traffic data from Google/Apple/etc., then automatically adjust timing accordingly. Even mesh networking with nearby intersections. I can't count the number of…

At least one city is working on this, no AI needed: http://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/a...

Re: Ask HN: Object you'd like to see connected to the internet?

#38

Post by kgrin »

ericfranklin wrote: post #30

Traffic lights. While not directly personal or "Internet of Things", traffic lights could really use some AI. It would be fantastic if they could learn routine traffic patterns (rush hour, weekends), detect flow (green light, but no one is there), even receive traffic data from Google/Apple/etc., then automatically adjust timing accordingly. Even mesh networking with nearby intersections. I can't count the number of…

Many lights and transportation networks already do (NYC is one great example). It's not just lights - there are all sorts of inputs into that system.

It does take some resources, so you typically don't see that sort of intelligent routing outside of the major cities (at least in the US), but the tech is definitely there (not that it couldn't be improved).

Re: Ask HN: Object you'd like to see connected to the internet?

#39

Post by ww520 »

viraptor wrote: post #24
ww520 wrote: post #8

Cars. I'd like to turn on the AC afar remotely 15 minutes or half hour before get into the car on a hot day, or heat it up remotely on a freezing day. Some might already be doing it (Tesla). Watering system. It can look up the season/weather and adjust the amount of water to sprinkle. Battery. So that it can send out a signal when it's low on power. I know it's probably impractical but we are talking about ideas for…

Some cars already use the electric heating automatically when you unlock the doors remotely. It just blasts hot air and heats up the seat quickly. I think the latest prius does it, but I may be wrong here.

But key fob needs to be nearby and almost getting into the car. I was thinking doing it in the office remotely 5 to 10 minutes before leaving. Cooling a car takes some times.

Re: Ask HN: Object you'd like to see connected to the internet?

#40

Post by agentx3r »

ericfranklin wrote: post #30

Traffic lights. While not directly personal or "Internet of Things", traffic lights could really use some AI. It would be fantastic if they could learn routine traffic patterns (rush hour, weekends), detect flow (green light, but no one is there), even receive traffic data from Google/Apple/etc., then automatically adjust timing accordingly. Even mesh networking with nearby intersections. I can't count the number of…

Traffic lights will often have sensors to prevent switching when no cross traffic is waiting. There are also centrally controlled systems that incorporate adaptive control methods. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traffic_light_control_and_coord...).

I think key infrastructure would probably be best left unexposed to the Internet, firewalled or not.

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