Computers, Networks Need Precise-Timing Capabilities For IoT To Succeed, Says NIST Report

A “lack of effective methods to marry computers and networks with timing systems” could have a negative impact on a future filled with Internet of Things (IoT) devices such as driverless cars and “smart” electrical grids that depend on split-second precision to prevent highway collisions and power outages, said a new report by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Computers and networks were designed to operate optimally without precise timing, not to make safety-related timed decisions such as required based on whether an item in front of a driverless car is a plastic bag or a child running, the NIST report said. “Imagine writing a letter to your friend saying it is now 2:30 p.m., and then sending it by snail mail so he can synchronize his watch with yours,” report author Marc Weiss of NIST said in a news release. “That’s the equivalent of how accurate the timing of messages are in computers and systems right now,” he said. “The transfer delay must be accounted for to do the things that are expected of the IoT” or IoT growth will be “severely hampered.”