A Look Back at Internet of Things’ Origin, Evolution

By Darryl K. Taft

In 1989, Tim Berners-Lee invents the World Wide Web.

In 1990, John Romkey and Simon Hackett create the first connected device—a toaster powered by the Internet.

In 1999, Kevin Ashton coins the term “Internet of things” and founds MIT’s Auto-ID Center, the leading global research network of academic laboratories in the field of Internet of things.

In 1999, MQTT (MQ Telemetry Transport)—the first machine-to-machine (M2M) standardization protocol designed for connected devices—is invented by Dr. Andy Stanford-Clark of IBM and Arlen Nipper of Arcom (now Eurotech).

In 2000, LG announces plans for the first Internet of things refrigerator. The fridge is programmed to sense what kinds of products are being stored inside it and keep a track of the stock through barcode or RFID scanning.

In 2002, the Ambient Orb, created by David Rose and others, launches to the public. The Orb monitors the Dow Jones, personal portfolios, weather and other data sources and changes its color based on the dynamic parameters.

In 2005, the United Nations first mentions IoT in a published International Telecommunications Union report.

In 2008, the first international conference for IoT is held in Zurich.

In 2010, Google kicks off the self-driving vehicle project, a major milestone in the future development of the connected car.

In 2010, originally launched under the name Wibree by Nokia in 2006, Bluetooth Low Energy, a wireless personal area network technology aimed at novel applications in the health care, fitness, security and home entertainment industries, is merged into the main Bluetooth standard.

In 2011, Nest Labs, a home automation company that designs and manufactures sensor-driven, WiFi-enabled, self-learning, programmable thermostats and smoke detectors, introduces its first product, the Nest Learning Thermostat.

In 2011, Qualcomm launches Alljoyn, a peer-to-peer technology framework that enables ad-hoc, proximity-based device-to-device communication without the use of an intermediary server.

In 2012, Lumoback, a well-known app sensor that helps fix posture, launches a Kickstarter—raising over $200,500—and begins to ship out its product.

In 2013, Google Glass, wearable technology controlled through voice recognition software and a touchpad built into the side, is released to developers.

In 2014, Google acquires Nest Labs for $3.2 billion.

In 2014, Apple announces HomeKit and HealthKit, two major developments in the health and home security space.