Internet of Things

The Internet of Things could be defined as the pervasive and permanent combination between real world : which hosts physical objects whatever their processes or value chains they are involved in…

… and the Internet, an ubiquitous network where it is possible to publish their associated intelligence through autonomous software agents – also called avatars.

Actually, depending on the value of the objects, the intelligence can be embedded - this is the case in Machine-to-Machine implementations – or outsourced on the Internet.

Events readings made on Barcodes or electronic sensors such as RFID, NFC… that are placed on the objects then feed those software agents with raw information retrieved from processes.

Using this information they then behave as proactive actors in their value chains.

Here are some illustrations :

Packages or luggages which constantly check whether they are lost or not in supply chains, airports, etc. Pallets which, when noticing that they have been manipulated many times, ask for the forklift operator to check their consistency and integrity, although they have not been programmed for. Consumer products goods which decide, by themselves, to auto discount when considering their « Best Before Date » is close… We can multiply examples such as home services or automation, shared transports such as carsharing, etc.

Our offer has been thought when noticing that existing tools are not very adapted to such a software conception and to properly treat complex and open processes and interoperability. One of the main stakes is to give the objects the capability to decide, act and learn from feedback, that is no more than to giving them artificial intelligence. The internet of things is then just a question of how to industrialize it… we just did so.