IoT is making it possible to bring almost anything online. Explore some of the top IoT companies making waves in the market today.
Go to any electronics store today and you’re bound to encounter a variety of “smart” products.
From everyday items like smartphones and tablets to smart refrigerators and other home appliances, there’s been a proliferation of these kinds of digitally-connected products over the past 10 years.
It’s no longer a strange notion to think that everything from your appliances to your car and phone can all be connected to the same cyber-ecosystem, called the internet of things (IoT). A promising industry full of possibility, the IoT space is set to completely transform how we navigate our ever-growing digital landscape.
Today we’ll take a look at 10 of the most innovative IoT companies and how they’re pushing the boundaries of what’s possible.
What is IoT?
The internet of things (IoT) is pretty much exactly what it sounds like. We live in an age where the accessibility of wireless networks and computer chips have made it possible to bring almost anything into the digital realm.
From TVs to traffic lights, to airplanes and even pill bottles, almost anything can be connected to the internet to start accumulating and sharing data. This merging of the physical and digital aims to create more responsive and smarter products that can help solve some of life’s problems—both menial and large.
Of course, this presents a whole world of opportunity that enterprising companies are keen to explore. Even now as the technology is still emerging, IoT has quickly become one of the most important sectors of the industry, with spending expected to reach $1 trillion by 2023.
Who’s leading IoT into the future?
1. Farmer’s Fridge
This company maintains a large network of over 400 accessible smart fridges stocked with “chef-curated” ready-to-eat meals that can be picked up at fridge locations or delivered to consumers’ doorsteps. Common locations of the fridges include city halls, Walgreens, and Target. Plus, any food that isn’t sold is donated to charity.
Farmer’s Fridge uses IoT to keep track of every fridge, order, and meal that goes out. By using smart fridges, the orders—sent from anywhere in the 40+ states they operate in—can be delivered to the appropriate food center, where it’ll then be made to order.
2. Eastern Peak
For companies looking for custom IoT solutions, Eastern Peak offers personalized hardware and software development solutions and digital transformation consulting services, including specialities in connecting cars, fitness products, and manufacturing automation.
3. Point Inside
While satellite-based digital mapping services like Google Maps have helped countless people navigate from point A to point B, it can be difficult to find your way around once you’re inside a large building like a conference center or hospital.
Point Inside makes it easy to navigate indoor offices, stores, and public buildings by creating indoor maps and enabling data-driven positioning technologies. They leverage millions of Points of Interest to accurately shape their maps, with a constant feedback not unlike their competitor’s, Waze.
4. Superpedestrian
Based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, this IoT company employs robotics to build the future of “human-enhancing technologies” in transportation. Their IoT-powered bicycle called the Copenhagen Wheel senses a rider’s motions to boost pedal power when needed, intelligence unsurprisingly powered by AI.
5. IBM
It wouldn’t be an honest list without at least one obvious company; as one of the leading technology companies of the past half century, IBM has had their fair share of innovations across the IoT space.
One of the oldest companies to dabble in the internet of things, they serve a wide variety of industries today, from finance and banking to healthcare. Their newest IBM Watson IoT Platform in particular can aggregate data from any connected device and find meaningful insights.
6. Eero
No more bad Wifi. Eero makes it easy to get better WiFi by replacing traditional single home routers with multiple smaller routers throughout the space, or “access points.”
By changing both the hardware and software sides of obtaining faster WiFi, the access points use IoT to continually communicate with one another—meaning you’ll never experience a deadspot ever again. Controlled via a mobile app, users get access to network information, diagnostic tools and more.
7. Tive
Now more than ever, supply chain disruptions can plague businesses, leading to product shortages and delayed shipping times. Tive aims to bring next-level analytics to the supply chain space, using the Cloud to connect trucks to trackers, effectively enhancing the visibility of the chain, the condition of packages, and avoiding port delays entirely.
8. Nexleaf Analytics
Oftentimes, the nonprofit sector is left out of the latest and greatest of technological innovations due to a lack of resources or capital to spend. Nexleaf Analytics is working to change that by providing data analytics tools and lightweight sensors to nonprofits in the public health and climate change sectors.
9. Xage Security
As with any emerging technology, ensuring maximum security is key. This IoT company utilizes blockchain to offer security solutions for industrial IoT applications. From role-based access control to automated policy enforcement, Xage Security makes it easier for organizations to create a culture of cybersecurity.
10. SensLynx
Especially for companies managing large fleets or valuable assets, it’s important to be able to track the location of these assets wherever they may go. SensLynx has created small, mountable hardware that can be installed across an entire fleet to easily monitor their location.
The future of IoT
By 2025, Tech analyst company IDC predicts that there will be 41.6 billion connected IoT devices by 2025.
As computer chips and processing power becomes cheaper and more accessible, it will become much simpler to connect almost anything to the internet. We’ll likely see even more integration of AI into these connected products as well to better learn user preferences and how to best serve them.
Cities and governments are making use of the internet of things as well, bringing things like traffic lights, visitor kiosks, and more are becoming automated and remotely managed and monitored to save money and collect useful data.
While increasingly connected tech promises to make our lives easier, it also poses a variety of security risks in its current state.
For example, Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks can target things like smart appliances to bring entire sections of the web down for hours at a time, putting millions of people’s data at risk of compromise. However, companies are learning to not leave security as an afterthought, with some working to create new ways for our smart applications and products to stay safe.
Want to learn more about IoT companies and how their products can impact your organization? We’ve curated a large AI affiliate network of companies that can help plug your company into the IoT. Reach out to us today to learn more.
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