orrow it may be cost-effective to install sensors in every pallet or even every package," Miller said.
The arrival of 5G, he added, will eventually make it easier to work with a large number of sensors, even in environments where data latency causes problems today.
Also of note is the increased use of edge computing. As more analytics, including the use of machine learning and artificial intelligence, is run at the point of data collection, organizations -- or the sensors themselves or the IoT edge gateways the sensors connect to -- will be able to make decisions faster and more effectively.
Chandler noted that the continued miniaturization of sensors will change the future sensor landscape.
"Sensors will continue to get smaller over time and more capable in terms of computational capability," he said.
Sensors will also offer more functions in the same platform, serving different sensing categories from the same devices.
"Sensors will be installed in more and more devices, with everything from wearables to special-purpose sensors linking observations from our environment to a computing platform," Chandler said. "Estimates from pundits in the industry expect that the total number of IoT devices -- and, thus, possible sensors -- will triple in the next six years, with roughly 25 billion devices today, growing to 75 billion devices in 2025."
Additional reporting by Jim O'Donnell.
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