Why does the field of IoT exist?

In 1999, Kevin Ashton worked at P&G. He found that a popular lipstick was often out of stock in stores. The computer system showed it was in stock, but the shelf was empty.

At the same time, RFID chips—which were first used for military security—were getting smaller. They were now ready to be used in everyday products.

Kevin Ashton had an idea: put tiny RFID chips into the packaging and use readers on shelves to track inventory. To get funding from top managers, he named his presentation "Internet of Things" (IoT). The managers loved it and sent him to MIT to develop the technology.

"When you can measure what you are speaking about, and express it in numbers, you know something about it." — Physicist Lord Kelvin

In other words, if you want to measure or manage something, the first step is to record it.

With help from MIT, they successfully put tiny RFID tags into Olay lipstick packaging. They also set up sensors on store shelves and in the backrooms. This method fixed the data problem between the system and the store. The success of this test showed the huge business value of IoT.

Have you ever faced a problem where "the system data does not match the real situation"? Welcome to leave a comment below and share your thoughts!

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• RFID Journal: “That ‘Internet of Things’ Thing”

• Medium: “Beginning the Internet of Things”

• IoT Analytics: “What is the Internet of Things? Definition & History”