[IoT동향자료_국외기관발행] Internet of Things in 2020(EPoSS, 2008)

Executive summary
This report outlines the results of the workshop “Beyond RFID – The Internet
of Things”. The workshop was initiated and jointly organised by the
Commission and EPoSS and more than 80 invited experts with expertise in
different fields of related technologies and research attended the event. This
report is not confined to summarising the discussions and conclusions of the
workshop, but also elaborates on themes identified at the workshop to
substantiate what the Internet of Things might become in the future.
Radio Frequency Identification techniques (RFID) and related identification
technologies will be the cornerstone of the upcoming Internet of Things (IoT).
While RFID was initially developed with retail and logistics applications in
mind in order to replace the bar code, developments of active components will
make this technology much more than a simple identification scheme. In the
not too distant future, it can be expected that a single numbering scheme, such
as IPv6, will make every single object identifiable and addressable. Smart
components will be able to execute different set of actions, according to their
surroundings and the tasks they are designed for. There will be no limit to the
actions and operations these smart “things” will be able to perform: for
instance, devices will be able to direct their transport, adapt to their respective
environments, self-configure, self-maintain, self-repair, and eventually even
play an active role in their own disposal.
To reach such a level of ambient intelligence, however, major technological
innovations and developments will need to take place. Governance,
standardisation and interoperability are absolute necessities on the path
towards the vision of things able to communicate with each other. In this
respect, new power efficient, security centred and fully global communication
protocols and sustainable standards must be developed, allowing vast amount
of information to be shared amongst things and people. The ability of the
smart devices to withstand any kind of harsh environment and harvest energy
from their surroundings becomes crucial. Furthermore, a major research issue
will be to enable device adaptation, autonomous behaviour, intelligence,
robustness, and reliability. The general organisational architecture of
intelligent “things” will be of fundamental importance: whether it should be
centralised or totally distributed.
Another central issue of the Internet of Things will be related to trust, privacy
and security, not only for what concerns the technological aspects, but also for
the education of the people at large. The growing data demand and higher data
transfer rates will require stronger security models employing context related
security, which in return will help the citizens to build trust and confidence in
these novel technologies rather than increasing fears of total surveillance
scenarios. The dissemination of the benefits that these technologies can bring
to the general public will also be essential for the success of this technology on
the market. The real advantages of the IoT have to be shown convincingly, all
citizens’ concerns must be addressed and taken into account when developing
innovative solutions and proposals.
It is therefore expected that the Internet of Things will become a reality over
the next 20 years; with omnipresent smart devices wirelessly communicating
over hybrid and ad-hoc networks of devices, sensors and actuators working in
synergy to improve the quality of our lives and consistently reducing the
ecological impact of mankind on the planet.