About IoT

Internet of Things (IoT) is an ever expanding area of information technology and electronic engineering. It covers the interconnectivity of machines, cloud data, data collection, reporting and analysis. By 2025 it's anticipated there will be more than 21 billion IoT devices.

This fusion of physical (machines and computers), digital (interconnectivity) and biological (the world around us, including ourselves) has infinite potential to expand, changing the world forever. For this reason it is also referred to as the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

IoT is not just smartphones and apps. The technology is having a significant and growing impact on whole areas of our lives. For example, in healthcare IoT is used to improve health and aid diagnosis, from drones delivering life-saving medical supplies to remote locations faster than ever before, to pacemakers sending alerts to a person’s smartphone and GP instantly. Even surgery performed using technology is now commonplace, improving visuals with internal cameras, and enabling remote surgery with the surgeon able to operate from vast distances away.

JCU's Electronic Systems and Internet of Things engineering degree is the first of its kind in Australia. It combines Information Technology, electronic engineering and data analytics in a degree dedicated to providing graduates with the skills and knowledge required for a career in IoT. Students also benefit from access to the first Narrowband IoT research facility in Australia, established through a partnership between JCU and HUAWEI. Located at JCU Cairns, the facility consists of research labs and workshop spaces enabling students to develop innovative and practical solutions to real-world problems using the world-class NB-IoT standard.

Find out more about JCU's Internet of Things on our news page.