Growing up as children in the ’70s and ’80s, “The Jetsons” sci-fi cartoon program embodied our vision of how the future would be, and it was nothing less than exhilarating. Now with the arrival of the Internet of Things (IoT), our childhood fantasies about the future are becoming a reality.
Just as today our smartphones enable us to constantly connect to the Internet, in the not-too-distant future, most of our devices will connect to many objects in our lives, including our general household appliances like lights, garage doors, toasters and security systems. The idea behind IoT is to give consumers more simplified, easier lives.
On “The Jetsons,” Rosie the robot maid cleaned the house amongst her other duties. Today, this function is already being performed by autonomous, robotic vacuum cleaners, like the iRobot Roomba, which is the fulfillment of a dream for some homemakers. Other home chore technologies include the ECOVACS Winbot window cleaning robot, and smart appliances like LG’s Smart washing machine, fridge and oven, that allow users to “communicate” with their machines.
And although we’ve yet to see flying cars like George Jetson’s, an American aerospace firm is designing Terrafugia’s TF-X, a vehicle that drives like a car, takes off like a helicopter and flies like a plane. This new mode of transportation will make its debut this year, yet may not be in use for at least another decade.
Of course the sky’s the limit when it comes to technology, and if IoT engenders anything, it’s creativity. For consumers raised on “The Jetsons,” the future is here, and it is full of awesome possibilities.