In the past few years, consumer demand for fitness apps has led to an explosion of new health-monitoring applications. Smartphones, smart watches and hand-held gadgets can now measure everything from blood oxygen level and respiratory rate to heart rate and rhythm, sleep quality and wrist temperature. Nearly 30% of U.S. adults are now using some type of wearable medical device, according to the National Institutes of Health.

Miniaturization has become a constant companion of engineers in virtually any type of product that incorporates electronics. Automobiles, mobile devices, medical equipment, defense systems, consumer electronics, appliances – every last one of these categories have one thing in common: the requirement to shrink with shifting market demands.

With the strong and reliable foundation of cloud computing, the Internet of Things is bringing substantial value to numerous vertical sectors. The fast, interconnected system of edge devices that collects and distributes data via the cloud to servers in data centers around the world is driving everything from personal and business security, manufacturing, transportation, health care, retail and many others that touch our lives directly.