The Fourth Industrial Revolution describes a dramatic step change in all of our lives. The confluence of high internet speeds, big data, the Internet of Things (IoT), analytics and artificial intelligence (AI) will fundamentally alter the way we live and work, intelligently connecting virtually every device, making our cities smarter and our lives easier and more productive
The increasing miniaturization of electronics has enabled miniaturized sensors, processors and communications functionalities to be integrated into everyday objects, making them ‘‘smart’’ , such as smart watches, fitness monitoring products, food items, home appliances, plant control systems, equipment monitoring and maintenance sensors and industrial robots. By means of wireless and wired connections, they are able to interact and cooperate with each other to create new applications/services in order to reach common goals.
IoT is transforming a wide range of civilian activities by improving their productivity, efficiency, and profitability. The potential applications range from management of power and water resources; effective monitoring and coordination of manufacturing, supply chains and transportation systems; monitoring the performance of jet engines, and improved patient monitoring and disease diagnosis.
China is providing broader push to gain a lead in the race toward the era of IoT, with the global market value of such subsystems－in equipment and internet-connected things－projected to surpass $100 billion in 2018, according to Luo Wen, vice-minister of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the top industry regulator in China. “Developing the internet of things is a strategic move to nurture a new momentum in China’s economy,” Luo told the 2017 World Internet of Things Wuxi Summit.
China has made strides in building the IoT’s infrastructure, commercial applications and technology advancements such as the narrow-band IoT, a radio technology which can connect billions of devices in a smarter way than WiFi and Bluetooth. Favorable government policies and fierce market competition inside the world’s largest manufacturing powerhouse of electronics have already placed China in the driver’s seat in IoT adoption, according to Charlie Dai, principal analyst at consultancy Forrester.
The thrust in IOT shall also enable PLA to leverage such technologies in their operations and achieve cost efficiency and battlespace advantages. Analogous to IoT, Military internet of things (MIOT) comprising multitude of platforms, ranging from ships to aircraft to ground vehicles to weapon systems, is expected to be developed. MIoT offers high potential for the military to achieve significant efficiencies, improve safety and delivery of services, and produce major cost savings.
Commanders make decisions based on real-time analysis generated by integrating Sensors data from unmanned sensors and reports from the field. These commanders shall benefit from a wide range of information supplied by sensors and cameras mounted on the ground, and manned or unmanned vehicles or soldiers.
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