The term Internet of things (often abbreviated to IoT) is used to describe everyday objects that are connected to the Internet and are able to collect and transfer data automatically, without the need for human interaction. The Internet of things encompasses any physical object (not just traditional computers) that can be assigned an IP address and can transfer data: this includes household appliances, electricity (or other) meters, cars, CCTV cameras and even people (e.g. heart implants).