The ability to connect devices to the cloud from any place, at any time, will open the door to a wide range of cutting-edge applications. At the obvious end, devices that once had to be read by utility or city employees, such as electric meters and parking meters, will connect to the web and create a report. At the cutting edge, intelligence will be built into the fabrics of our clothes, bedding, and furniture. These intelligent fabrics will provide a wide range of services including the following:
Automatically adjust room temperature when body temperature becomes too warm or too cold
Notify rooms when we enter or leave so that lights, music, and other devices are automatically controlled
Monitor body functions such as blood pressure, blood sugar levels, stress, and more, and notify the person and adjust the environment to affect those functions
Notify others when an elderly person has fallen
Provide deterrence against mosquitoes and other insects
Similarly, new paints being developed change form based on environmental conditions. Currently, paints can change color on roads to indicate the presence of ice. In the future, intelligent paint may report driving conditions back to the cloud.
