Connected boxes Twine and Ninja Blocks, card-like Electric Imp, and stand-alone sensor hub Knut all use sensors to communicate information about objects or the environment around them to the Internet — a concept known as “The Internet of Things.”

The Internet of Things has been around for a while. It includes gadgets like connected scales and the Nike+ shoe, as well as identifying technologies as simple as Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags. Over the last few years, however, the hardware involved in putting objects online has become more accessible — and The Internet of Things has made a beeline toward the mainstream.

“Trying to determine the market size of the Internet of Things is like trying to calculate the market for plastics, circa 1940,” Nelson explained in a report by consulting firm the Hammersmith Group. “At that time, it was difficult to imagine that plastics could be in everything.

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