<div><strong>Mala Bhargava</strong><br><br> </div><div>This week I heard a doctor describe how he believes all this technology is going to kill us all. Mobiles and now Internet of Things (IoT) devices are going to make doing everything so effortless, that we’re really in for some trouble.</div><div> </div><div>We don’t even have to wait for the full gamut of IoT solutions to arrive before we see what the good doctor meant. Nishith Chandra, of Fortis Escorts was speaking at an IoT event, IOTIndia2020 organised by tech site BGR, and remarked that he was seeing more and more patients who were taking the easy way out and ending up doing very little. Even getting up to answer the door will not be necessary now that there are connected security systems that can let you see, on your phone, for example, who’s at the door and unlock it using an app.</div><div> </div><div>I’m increasingly finding this is exactly where we are headed. These days, with the explosion of concierge services available, I’m not even bothering to lift a finger to get chores done. All I have to do is tap into the app, use the voice input on my keyboard and just say what I need – someone will take care of it. Where once I would have gone across to a nearby restaurant to pick up something for dinner if I felt like it, I need to open an app and tap on a favorite saved order and just go through the quick steps of paying for the meal. In a short while, the food arrives, and that’s that. Luckily, I still have to take the trouble to eat it.</div><div> </div><div>The less trouble we take to do things, the less we’re going to be able to do them and the less we’ll get any exercise, not bothering to move a muscle. It’s certainly true that technology is also enabling better exercise, counting steps and forcing us to pay attention to meeting daily goals of movement, but some people who are worried enough about their state of fitness will benefit, while others could just get lazier. Dr Chandra claims he is actually seeing more cases of heart attacks from sheer inactivity – and that’s a frightening thing.</div>
