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So we’re all connected – what’s next?

It’s understandable that parts of IoT will move forward at different rates. But if we assume the advances in IoT will play out as we expect across our five areas of interest (wearables, home, cities, enterprise, environment), then we could be looking at a future where we live longer, we’re fitter and healthier, there’s less pollution, we need to work less, and we’re rarely late. Or are we? To paint a picture of the future as a Logan’s Run-esque utopia (spoiler: the film doesn’t turn out well) would be disingenuous, but to envisage 50 years from now as like the Pixar film WALL-E where humans are inert and ignorant would be taking things to the other extreme too. It’s clear at least that there will be knock-on effects of an automated society that no-one can predict but let’s try some of the easier ones .

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Will 2017 be the year that everyone gets wearables?

One of the only areas of the wearable technology market that has matured to the point where its advocate base is wider than just early adopters, is fitness trackers. Sure, recently we’ve seen Nike release real-life versions of the clothing tech from Back to the Future 2 but coupled with a prohibitively high price tag for most, these are unlikely to go much beyond shares and likes across social media for the few days after the story breaks. But as more tech companies realise the potential of wearable devices and more fashion brands warm to the idea of smart clothing, we’ll see two huge industries that will try – and often combine – to make wearables more than just a sought-after christmas gift for 2016/2017.

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The IoT in 2017: What’s coming our way this year?

Without hyperbole you could say that 2016 has been one of the most eventful years in recent memory. While bigger events on the world stage command much of the media’s attention, there has been plenty of progress this year within the Internet of Things – and there’s more to come. Here, we round up some of the exciting things that could be coming our way in IoT technology and development in the next 12 months.

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Conventional manufacturing on the verge of intelligence

Digital twins are the key to achieving smart factories. They will open the door to the manufacturing industry’s cyber-physical future.

Digital twins are cyber clones of physical things. Their use in product design and planning is big news at the moment, and using them to plan entire factories is potentially the next major step toward smart manufacturing.