Internet pioneer sets out to prevent digital Dark Age

IN the future, your alarm clock will be able to wake you up, alert your coffeemaker to start making a fresh brew and even turn on the lights so that you do not have to stumble around in the dark.

Your self-driving car will also be able to download weather and traffic information from the Internet to calculate the fastest route to your destination, and communicate with other vehicles and traffic lights to avoid accidents.

These seemingly fantastical scenarios could well become reality, as companies, universities and government agencies work to realise the full potential of the emerging Internet of Things (IoT), where everyday objects have network connectivity and can "talk" to one another.

One key issue, however, will be to develop standard protocols so that devices from different suppliers can interwork, says Vinton Cerf, who is regarded as one of the fathers of the Internet it…