Wireless Sensor Networking, Automation Technologies and Machine to Machine Developments on the Path to the Internet of Things

The Internet of Things (IoT) has been heralded as the next major development to be realized throughout the Internet portfolio of technologies. IoT is understood to bring along multiple technological challenges. These should not be considered in isolation, since IoT is characterized by the introduction of machine to machine applications with no or minimal human involvement, and the high pervasiveness of the technological artefacts realizing it. The technological developments shaping the IoT vision are manifesting in multiple economic sectors, including computing, telecommunications, construction and logistics---to name a few. Among the various technological developments supporting the IoT, wireless networking, embedded computing and scalable computation through virtualization are considered the key driving forces for transforming the IoT vision into reality. Herein we present the IoT vision and elaborate on key technological developments in these pivotal thematic areas. We conclude the paper with insights drawn from this survey of technological developments and sketch out directions for future research.