There has been a lot of speculation that 2016 will be the year that the internet of things (IoT) truly takes over and, not even a week into the new year, it looks like speculation is becoming reality—especially where chipmaker Intel (News - Alert) is concerned. The company has estimated that there will be 200 billion devices on the market by 2020, so there’s no doubt it believes there’s huge potential for connected devices. Following the Intel CES (News - Alert) 2016 keynote on Tuesday, company CEO Brian Krzanich has left little doubt: Intel believes strongly in the IoT.
Intel believes so strongly in the IoT that it essentially plans to embed sensors into everything, including sporting gear, drones, even clothing. For Intel, this means more data streaming back to servers based on Intel architecture. For consumers, well, Intel has a few ideas.
In terms of fitness and sports—a proven area of success thanks to health and fitness tech like pulse monitoring smart watches—Intel wants to make its button-sized Curie processor a major part of the upcoming Winter X Games. These chips will be embedded into snowboards, for example, to provide athletes with an unprecedented level of performance data.
Through a partnership with Red Bull Media House, Intel even plans to bring Curie to more accessible athletic gear, allowing amateur athletes to gain the same advantages as the pros. In conjunction with Replay Technologies, Intel plans to bring freed technology to sports games, turning standard video into full 360-degree 3D video in order to really put fans in the game.
As for clothing, fashion technology company Chromat shared the CES stage with Intel to demonstrate an “adrenaline dress” which expands when an adrenaline response is detected in the wearer, and a sports bra capable of venting air during exercise. For something more mainstream, Intel is partnering with New Balance to create a smartwatch designed specifically for runners. This will also allow New Balance to develop smart sneakers.
This was just the tip of the iceberg for what Intel has planned in the years ahead for the IoT, as well as just a taste of Intel’s extravagant keynote which featured drones, popular video game Fallout 4 and even Lady Gaga—all supported by sensors and the IoT.
For those who wish to prepare for the coming IoT revolution, check out IoTevolutionworld, where Ken Briodagh covers major IoT news and trends.