Internet of Things and Data Analytics Handbook

3THE INDUSTRIAL INTERNET OF THINGS (IIoT): APPLICATIONS AND TAXONOMY

STAN SCHNEIDER

Real‐Time Innovations, Inc., Sunnyvale, CA, USA

3.1 INTRODUCTION TO THE IIoT

The Internet of Things (IoT) is the name given to the future of connected devices. There are two clear subsets. The “Consumer IoT” includes wearable computers, smart household devices, and networked appliances. The “Industrial IoT” includes networked smart power, manufacturing, medical, and transportation. Technologically, the Consumer IoT and the Industrial IoT are more different than they are similar.

The Consumer IoT attracts more attention, because it is more understandable to most people. Consumer systems typically connect only a few points, for instance, a watch or thermostat to the cloud. Reliability is not usually critical. Most systems are “greenfield,” meaning there is no existing infrastructure or distributed design that must be considered. There are many exciting new applications that will change daily life. However, the Consumer IoT is mostly a natural evolution of connectivity from human‐operated computers to automated things that surround humans.

While it will grow slower than the Consumer IoT, the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) will eventually have much larger economic impact. The IIoT will bring entirely new infrastructures to our most critical and impactful societal systems. The opportunity to build truly intelligent distributed machines that can greatly improve function and efficiency across ...