Wk2 - Intro

Question 1

What is IoT?

Answer 1

IoT stands for Internet of Things. It refers to small, programmable devices with networking capabilities that interact with the physical world and send/receive data.

Question 2

What are some common IoT applications in Smart Homes?

Answer 2

Examples include controlling appliances, light fixtures, security systems, and cameras, often through a smartphone interface.

Question 3

How is IoT used in healthcare?

Answer 3

IoT is used for remote monitoring of vital signs like blood pressure and heart rate, as well as in smart beds that detect patient movement.

Question 4

What are the key characteristics of an IoT device?

Answer 4

• Limited or no user interface (UI)
• Inexpensive
• Limited resources (RAM, CPU, etc.)
• Networking capability

Question 5

What are the two broad aspects of IoT programming?

Answer 5

• Device Programming: Interacting with physical sensors and transferring data.
• Storage and Visualization Programming: Storing data in the cloud and creating dashboards for data visualization.

Question 6

What is the development platform used in IoT programming?

Answer 6

IoT devices are too resource-constrained to host an IDE, so development is done on a PC using cross-compilers, similar to mobile development, but with fewer resources.

Question 7

What is the purpose of IoT frameworks?

Answer 7

Frameworks abstract the hardware interface and provide basic access to device hardware without adding bloat, allowing easier IoT device programming.

Question 8

What are some examples of IoT frameworks used in this course?

Answer 8

MicroPython: A small subset of Python, useful for larger IoT devices.
Espressif SDK: APIs for device programming, often used with FreeRTOS.
Arduino: Based on C/C++, popular and used for very resource-constrained devices.

Question 9

What is PlatformIO?

Answer 9

A cross-platform IDE that consolidates support for many processors, frameworks, and hardware, available as a VSCode extension.