Introduction and Historical Background

This chapter presents a general overview and characteristics of Internet of Things (IoT) and wearable technology, provides a historical background, and discusses challenges that face these technologies. IoT and wearable devices have managed to swiftly gain a notable position in the consumer electronics market and are now making their way to become the new go‐to technologies to address the needs of many industries. IoT and wearable technology are all about enabling connectivity among humans and objects and unobtrusively delivering information and services to the right person at the right time. While the IoT and wearable technology continue to transform our lives in the twenty‐first century, significant challenges that could stand in the way of realizing its full potential are coming to light. The chapter presents the major challenges that require full attention: security, privacy, standards and regulations, energy and power issues, and connectivity.