There’s no denying that IoT is ushering in a safer future for everyone

The rise of the Internet of Things (IoT) is known for changing the way we conduct businesses with one another, but little attention is being paid to the abundance of ways it is revolutionizing modern safety and public health.

As we become ever more interconnected, our ability to predict public health crises and avoid common fatalities is becoming better and better.

Here’s how the IoT can increase safety, and how some companies and government officials are already working hand in hand to harness the power of technology in the pursuit of saving lives.

Our roads are becoming safer

First and foremost, the IoT promises to reinvent modern roadways and make cars much safer.

Most people think about autonomous cars when they consider the future of transportation, and it’s indeed true that self-driving vehicles will be a major part of tomorrow’s cities.

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What few people realise is the way autonomous vehicles interact with their local environments to mitigate traffic fatalities and save countless pedestrian lives.

Given that the pedestrian fatality rate is increasing alarmingly in many regions, the need for interconnected vehicles that communicate in order to avoid collisions is more important than ever.

In the future, your distracting smartphone may communicate with the car or truck barreling down a sensory-laden road towards you, and divert the vehicle just in time to avoid a deadly collision.

The interconnected cities of the future are often imagined as surveillance nightmares, but although it’s true that privacy concerns will be around for years to come, one positive consequence is avoiding car accidents by a longshot.

The IoT is also reshaping city experiences as a whole, making things more pleasant for pedestrians and everyday citizens trying to go about their business.

Modern city planning is finding itself supercharged thanks to the introduction of intelligent planning software. For instance, reshaping our public work and enabling us to free up congested areas that have long suffered from traffic.

More efficient public transit schemes are in the work, and data analysis will also be conducted on the local climate to determine which areas of the city have more breathable air and fresher water.

The creation of a “smart environment” that can detect pollution at the speed of light is one of the most impressive ways that the IoT has done. This has increased the safety and longevity of the planet amidst climate change.

However, this is only the start and the true capabilities of the IoT are only just being discovered.

AI assistants are becoming home guards

The IoT is most notably taking shape in the living rooms across America, where smart AI assistants like Amazon’s Alexa have nestled into the role of household objects.

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The rise of Google Home and Amazon’s Alexa isn’t just good from a commercial standpoint, these devices can do so much more than help you order milk or play your favourite tunes.

In the future, AI assistants will be used as home security devices, alerting authorities whenever something goes wrong and enabling you to harness the power of data to make your home an ‘impenetrable fortress’.

Security companies have already moved heaven and earth to announce huge partnerships with Google and other home assistant manufacturers in an effort to make people feel safer than ever.

Home assistants becoming the future of home security is just another way the IoT is going to increase safety enjoyed in the 21st century.

Make no mistake, the IoT is upending every aspect of our lives from business to security to who knows what.

While some might continue to doubt the interconnectedness movement, the growth of sensory technology in our everyday lives is clearly a positive development that should be welcomed from the viewpoint of public health.

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