Internet of Things prevents shark attacks down under

Electronic tags trigger warning tweets when sharks come too close to shore

Internet of Things (IoT) technology has taken an unusual form in Australia as sharks swimming dangerously close to the shore will automatically trigger warning messages on Twitter.

In Western Australia, 320 sharks, including infamous Great Whites, have been electronically tagged so that when they swim within a certain distance of some popular beaches, a tweet is automatically generated to inform beach-goers.

The message is sent from the Twitter page of the Surf Life Saving Western Australia (SLSWA) and includes details such as its approximate location, breed and time of sighting.

Chris Peck from SLSWA told Sky News that the real-time nature of the technology was a big step forward.

"You might not have got some of [the] information until the following day [via radio or newspaper reports] in which case the hazard has long gone and the information might not be relevant," he said.

"Now it's instant information and really people don't have an excuse to say we're not getting the information."

The IoT, a concept which has been hugely popular among top vendors such as Cisco, refers to the growing number of objects - or ‘things' - which are internet-enabled.

Appliances such as TVs and washing machines with internet functionality are already on the market but plants and even people have been suggested as the next likely things to be linked up online.

Analyst Gartner reckons the IoT trend will explode in the coming years, predicting that 26 billion units not including PCs, tablets and smartphones will be connected to the internet by 2020.

HP is so convinced by the technology that it co-created a degree in the subject with Staffordshire University, although the channel remained divided on its relevance.