Last updated: 11 April 2014
The inspiration of many a sci-fi film and also a recent blog post comes from the burning question: will machines replace humans? While the answer is uncertain to what degree, they’re already beginning to enter the job market. Machines are doing jobs once done by humans, mainly because machines are getting smarter.
M2M technology brings our machines to life, enabling communications and data exchange between them. But this is no sci-fi movie where the machines are out to get us. M2M applications can enhance our lives greatly in industries ranging from healthcare, retail services, smart energy, and transportation to logistics and automotive.
You would think that the technology that powers such big innovation would also be big, but the wireless technology that powers M2M is actually found in a very small package. Whoever said bigger is better? With M2M applications becoming increasingly more innovative, it’s necessary to go even smaller. Think about some possible applications that are constrained by space – a wearable medical device or a smart meter, for example.
Inspired by these ideas that “smaller is better,” Gemalto has introduced the world’s smallest (only 18.8 x 26.6 mm) 3G Java-enabled M2M module. It provides a platform for flexible, fast, economical, and future-proof applications. With the module’s processor, it also makes for a smarter machine, in essence, a machine that can make better decisions. Machines that make smarter decisions could lead to the driverless car as discussed by my colleague Axel Hansmann in a recent blog post. Many of the M2M ideas are still in developing stages, but the possibilities are endless as James Albaugh, the president and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airlines confirms in an IEEE Spectrum Magazine article, “a pilotless airliner is going to come; it’s just a question of when.”
Are smart machines something that interests you? Let us know, since our own M2M technology advancement is being recognized as a contender for the “Online Pick” in the CTIA Emerging Technology Awards, voted for online by mobile technology fans around the world. Voting ends on Monday, May 20 at 5:00 PM PT, so if you agree that “smaller is better” for M2M, head over to the CTIA E-Tech site and vote online. Don’t forget to follow us for all updates M2M at CTIA on @Gemalto_NA.
