Knowledge Transfer Network, Sensors & Instrumentation Leadership Committee
Abstract
The excitement and hype surrounding the emerging technology market known as the Internet of Things
(IoT) has attracted a great deal of attention from industry, business leaders, and governments alike.
According to Cisco estimates1, the IoT will create a $14 Trillion global opportunity, and Business Insider
predict it will be the largest market for technology hardware ever 2. If these are correct, the impact on
traditional business models through the adoption of new technology within industry, the service sector
and governments will be transformational. At an individual and societal level, important areas such as
health care and aging population will particularly benefit from IoT. The changes on tomorrow’s society
can only be imagined but there is little doubt, whether individually, societally, economically, or
industrially, these changes will be far reaching.
However, the promise of future riches can fool the unwary into overlooking the jewels that already exist
which are delivering benefit to the UK economy today; whose presence will be pivotal to the UK’s position
in the IoT market of tomorrow. In the SILC white paper ‘The IoT Tree of Life’3, the 4 foundation roots from
which the IoT will develop are: Low Power Processing, Miniature Sensors, Ubiquitous Wireless, and
Power Efficiency. This briefing paper explores Sensor Systems, the ‘eyes and ears’ of the IoT, and
elucidates how the existing UK strengths in this area can be leveraged to deliver competitive advantage to
the UK economy in the emerging IoT market
