The internet of things (IoT) is a system of interrelated computing devices, mechanical and digital machines, objects, animals or people that are provided with unique identifiers and the ability to transfer data over a network without requiring human-to-human or human-to-computer interaction. IoT solutions are found everywhere. Look around you and you might be surrounded with one! A smart coffee machine, a smart air purifier, smart locks and the list goes on and on!
Undoubtedly, there is a lot of potential in IoT to make our lives digital, convenient, hassle-free and to also contribute to making our planet more sustainable. However, the importance of people as an integral component of the overall IoT infrastructure is not yet fully understood and recognised.
Moreover, for IoT solutions to be successful, humans must trust its security, safety, and privacy and currently that is not the reality. We are currently far from responsible solutions!
In this episode of Sustainability Unwrapped, Kimia Aghayi, Doctoral candidate at the department of marketing at Hanken invites Tomi Teikko, Founder and head of Empathic Building at Haltian to discuss why the human aspect is so integral in IoT technologies. They talk about the challenges, cultural aspects and why we are too slow and what can be done going forward to create more useful, sustainable and responsible IoT solutions.
Tune in to sense, think and act to ensure a responsible digital transformation!
Resources mentioned in Podcast:
- Internet of Things Guidelines for Sustainability, World Economic Forum, January 2018 http://www3.weforum.org/docs/IoTGuidelinesforSustainability.pdf
- Dijkman, R. M., et al. “Business models for the Internet of Things.” International Journal of Information Management 35.6 (2015): 672-678.
- Empathic reality and buildings: https://empathicreality.com/
For more info:
- Abdul Salam, Internet of things for sustainable community development, Springer, 2019