What do connected cows and wearables for seniors have in common? They are just two new innovative solutions in the world of #Iot 2016.
The business and consumer promise of the Internet of Things is well known -- even Goldman Sachs predicts a $2 trillion dollar market by 2020. And as awareness grows, so does opportunity.
The IoT industry has not been without hiccups, however. A tiny perception that there is not enough WOW-factor in Internet of Things applications lingers. Recently, Google's Nest has come under scrutiny for connectivity issues, and a recent survey from Accenture highlights demand for IoT devices is slower than initially hoped.
In fact, IoT applications are more innovative today than many may realize. Take Fujitsu's Connected Cow, for instance. I had the opportunity to catch up with Bhusan Chand, Vice President, Head of Practice, Technology and Systems Integration, Fujitsu North America to learn more about a truly market-driven application in ag-tech.
Fujitsu is helping dairy farmers in Japan optimize and increase cattle production by collecting and analyzing data from individual cows. This has helped produce a measurable increase in successful artificial insemination rates which directly translates to increased revenue.
The future in #IoT and ag-tech could be bright as other applications such as livestock disease detection and customized crop production come online.
In the world of wearables for seniors, I spoke with AT&T to learn more about their partnerships with device manufacturers in developing revolutionary discreet watches for seniors.
These wearables help monitor falls, provide medication-reminders, and offer much-needed peace of mind for the 'sandwich generation' as they are able to remotely monitor their aging parents movement and well-being.
Yes, consumers have high expectations that connectivity via their smartphones and the rest of their world is readily available. And businesses want to optimize the data they produce and collect to drive better business results and help increase revenue.
The state of Internet of Things in 2016 is that digital transformation is well underway. Market-driven solutions resonate best and gain the most traction and #IoT2016 shows great potential and innovation.
Beverly Macy is author of The Power of Real-Time Social Media Marketing. She speaks on Digital Transformation and Internet of Things and teaches at the UCLA Anderson School of Management.