From the Inside Flap
50 billion products will be sharing information over the Internet by 2020--will yours?
Our online interactions form the backbone of companies like Facebook and Twitter and have redefined how we communicate. But what if machines like vehicles, health monitors, and appliances could all become members of your social network and share important information with you about what's happening in your automobile, your home, and your body? Well, the future is already here.
Social machines use everything from tiny, low-cost sensors to powerful embedded computers to securely gather valuable data from a growing collection of connected devices--cars, fitness trackers, irrigation systems, power meters, hospital beds, and many more. These machines communicate this data over the Internet to social networks of people and machines who can respond to a problem, deliver a service, or sell a solution. Nike, Ford, Procter & Gamble, and others are already using this technology to develop the next generation of Internet-enabled products and services that will drive the next wave of worldwide product innovation. Consider what's already out there:
- Nike's Nike+ shoe sensors can communicate with a smartphone app, which becomes your fitness guru, motivator, and record keeper
- P&G and Walmart collaborated on a "social vending machine" that instantly distributes free samples of Cascade dish soap when customers use their smartphones to "like" the Cascade page on Facebook
- A Dutch start-up uses wireless sensors on cattle that send a message to farmers when an animal is sick or pregnant
- A wireless heart monitor from Corventis can text a physician when a patient's heart palpitates
Social machines are the next big thing. Experts predict that an estimated 50 billion products will be sharing data over the Internet by 2020. Social Machines is the first book to explain the benefits and the process of connecting machines to a social network and bringing these products to a mass market. It shares step-by-step guidance on how to learn from existing implementations and customize them for your own use.
Who says only humans can be social? "Social" creates a compelling new business model for the Internet of Things. With cutting-edge advice from the forefront of the field, Social Machines will help you leverage this power to enormous advantage for your organization.
PETER SEMMELHACK is the founder and CEO of Bug Labs, developer of an award-winning open source consumer electronics and web services platform, recently featured in MoMA's "Talk to Me" exhibit. As a founding member of the rapidly growing open hardware movement, Peter is a frequent speaker at events around the world. He is also founder, board member, and former CEO of Antenna Software, one of the country's largest mobile enterprise software companies. His work has been covered and discussed by the international media including the New York Times, the Economist, the Hindu, Fortune, CNN, Nikkei Business, and Forbes. Peter holds a BA in economics from Brown University.
