If you’ve watched much primetime television over the last several months, you may have seen Cisco’s “Ambulance” commercial, in which paramedics already know an injured cyclist’s identity, medical history and doctor by the time they reach him — all because the biker’s helmet was able to “talk” to the ambulance. The ambulance driver is even able to “speak” to traffic lights as well, telling them to give his vehicle a clear path to the hospital.
The ad represents just one potential benefit of the Internet of Things (IoT), which broadly describes the concept of connecting ordinary objects into networks in much the same way the traditional Internet connects websites. Earlier this year, Cisco CEO John Chambers said the IoT could inject $ 14 trillion into the global economy over the next decade — enough for every company in the world to grow its profits by 2%.
At the time, Chambers was pitching executives from major companies and institutions on the idea of an Internet of Things World Forum. Eight months later, the World Forum opened this week in Barcelona with more than 800 attendees.
Much as it has positioned itself as the network backbone for video and VoIP, Cisco sees its gear facilitating the connections that make IoT possible. As part of the event in Barcelona, the company announced several initiatives to accelerate IoT growth across industries, including more information about its newly formed Internet of Things Group.