即將被物聯網顛覆的三個行業
The IoT is a term developed to describe a wireless network of “things” containing embedded technology that communicate without human interaction. For example, a “thing” can be a wireless blood pressure monitor, a sensor on an assembly line or an RFID tag on a piece of clothing in a store.
物聯網這個術語描述的是“事物”之間的無線網絡，這些事物都採用嵌入式技術，無需人爲介入就可彼此通訊。這個“事物”可以是無線血壓監測儀、傳感器、生產流水線，或是商店裏衣服上的射頻識別標籤。
According to Gartner, there will be nearly 26 billion wireless devices connected to the Internet by 2020. Considering that in 2009 that number was less than 1 billion devices, it seems clear that the Internet is experiencing explosive growth of connected “things.”
據高德納研究公司（Gartner）預計，到2020年，全球將有近260億臺無線設備聯網。考慮到這個數字在2009年還不足10億，物聯網顯然正在經歷爆炸式增長。So far, IoT technology has been mostly adopted by the manufacturing industry using machine-to-machine (M2M) communication. However, with rapid innovation of IoT technology, more and more industries are taking advantage of this new way of life.
迄今爲止，物聯網技術主要是由製造業在機器對機器（M2M）通信上所採用。然而，隨着該項技術快速革新，越來越多的行業開始利用這種新的生活方式。
Here are three such examples of how businesses are becoming “smarter” by adopting IoT. Each presents new market opportunities for entrepreneurs innovating with technology to improve services, connections and communication:
以下是通過物聯網技術讓行業變得“更智能”的三個例子。每個例子都向創業者展現了通過技術創新來改善服務、增強聯繫、促進交流的全新市場機遇。1. Healthcare
1、醫療保健業With the potential to improve the health, safety and care of billions of people, healthcare is one of the most promising industries for IoT. With wi-fi-enabled medical tools and devices, hospitals are able to collect, record and analyze data faster and more accurately. This helps medical staff perform diagnosis and treatment and undoubtedly improve standards of care.
鑑於醫療保健水平的提高有助於改善數十億人的健康、安全和醫護問題，這是物聯網前景最廣闊的行業之一。在聯網醫療工具和設備的幫助下，醫院能夠更快、更準確地收集、記錄和分析數據。這有助於醫護人員進行診斷和治療，護理水平也必然會大大改善。Health monitoring and wearable devices for patients are becoming extremely popular, as they’re able to transmit a patient’s real-time, vital-sign data from their home to medical staff. Such Wi-Fi powered devices include “things” such as glucometers, scales, heart rate and ultrasound monitors.
供病人使用的健康監測和可穿戴設備變得十分流行，它們能夠把病人的生命體徵數據從家裏實時發給醫護人員。這類聯網設備包括血糖儀、體重秤、心率和超聲波監測器。Furthermore, wearable devices are gaining attention among the elderly and those with chronic illness. With the push of a button, a person is able to alert the medical staff of an emergency situation.
此外，老年人和慢性病患者也越來越關注可穿戴設備。在緊急情況下，他們只需要按下按鈕，就能及時通知醫護人員。Additionally, fitness bands such as the Nike NKE 2.73% Fuelband or Fitbit measure whole-body movement throughout the day — transmitting the data wirelessly to the user’s computer, tablet or smartphone. This trend also has the potential to impact the way health insurance companies operate.
此外，如耐克（Nike）的Fuelband或Fitbit等健康腕帶可以全天測量全身的活動狀況，並通過無線網絡將數據傳到用戶的計算機、平板電腦或智能手機上。這一趨勢還有可能改變健康保險公司的運作方式。Machinery and manufacturing was one of the first industries to take advantage of IoT technology. Currently, billions of wireless devices and sensors are network linked in factories around the world. Industrial networks make day-to-day operations “smarter” in many ways. To execute a “smart” manufacturing system, businesses integrate IoT sensor-based technology into their processes and systems.
機械和製造業是首批利用物聯網技術的行業之一。如今，全球的工廠中有數十億臺無線設備和感應器已經聯網。工業網絡在許多方面讓日常運營更加“智能化”。爲了打造“智能”的生產系統，許多公司在生產流程和系統中採用了基於感應器的物聯網技術。After installing IoT technologies, King’s Hawaiian was able to produce an additional 180,000 pounds of bread every day, doubling its previous output. The company installed 11 connected machines into a new factory that gave the employees the ability to access both historical and real-time data to monitor performance. The system is connected to the Internet, so it can be controlled and managed from a remote operations center.
在採用物聯網技術後，麪包公司King’s Hawaiian每天能多生產出18萬磅麪包，是之前產量的兩倍。該公司在新工廠中安裝了11臺聯網機器，使得員工可以根據歷史數據和實時數據，監控生產狀況。該系統與互聯網相連，這樣就可以在遠程營運中心對其進行控制和管理。IoT has the potential to make manufacturing faster, more efficient and more profitable.
物聯網有提高生產速度和生產效率、擴大利潤的潛力。The convenience of online shopping provides a huge advantage over brick-and-mortar stores. As such, ecommerce giants such as Amazon AMZN -0.38% have been growing at a phenomenal rate. With advancements in IoT technology, in-store retailers now have an opportunity to level the playing field by tracking inventory and consumers in real time.
比起實體商店，網店購物的便捷是個巨大的優勢。正因如此，亞馬遜（Amazon）等電子商務巨頭正在以驚人的速度不斷增長。而隨着物聯網技術的發展，實體零售商如今有機會以實時跟蹤存貨和顧客的特性在競爭中扳回劣勢。Mobile IoT technology has breathed new life into brick-and-mortar stores by giving them the tools to create a more personalized shopping experience. Today, these stores are able to collect a consumer’s location, demographic info and shopping history for an enhanced shopping experience. With real-time data, sales associates can make personalized recommendations and/or offers on the fly to increase the chances of making a sale.
通過移動物聯網技術，實體零售商得以營造更加個性化的購物體驗，這讓他們重獲新生。如今，這些商店能夠收集顧客的地址、人口信息和購買記錄，進而改善購物體驗。在實時數據的幫助下，銷售助理可以在忙碌中爲顧客提出個性化的推薦和提議，增加銷售的成功率。Furthermore, retailers are adopting the use of radio frequency identification (RFID) tags to identify individual items in a store. RFID tags work similarly to barcodes, but they can be used wirelessly. With tags, brick and mortars are able to efficiently track inventory and continuously update merchandise information. Sales associates are also able to give advice and make suggestions in the moment, giving them a competitive edge over their online counterparts.
此外，零售商開始用射頻識別標籤來識別店內的商品。射頻識別標籤與條形碼的原理類似，但它們可用於無線環境中。使用這種標籤，實體店就能有效地追蹤庫存，並持續更新商品信息。銷售助理也能夠立刻給出建議，這讓實體店在與網店的競爭中擁有了優勢。The future of IoT
物聯網的未來With billions of devices coming on board the Internet of Things, Gartner estimates that IoT product and service suppliers will generate incremental revenue exceeding $300 billion, mostly in services. There’s no shortage of predictions on how the market will evolve, but it’s clear in the years ahead, IoT will revolutionize our entire global ecosystem.
高德納估計，隨着數十億設備加入物聯網，物聯網產品和服務供應商將會產生超過3,000億美元的增量收入，其中大部分在服務領域。關於物聯網市場將如何發展的預測有很多，但確定無疑的是，在未來幾年中，物聯網會我們的全球生態系統帶來革命性的變化。（財富中文網）
