For a long time, the Internet of Things initiative was driven by academics-developing embedded hardware, sensing algorithms, network protocols, software frameworks, applications, business scenarios, and interaction paradigms. Only recently industrial stakeholders realized the unparalleled potential of these technologies, instigating a paradigm shift that we refer to as the fourth industrial revolution. However, as this shift starts entering the mainstream and disrupting a multitude of business dynamics, it also uncovered myriads of challenges-some are technical, some are political, and some are ethical. In this special issue, together with our guest authors, we focus our attention on some of the daunting system development challenges in bringing bleeding-edge Internet of Things (IoTs) technologies to the real world. Each of the five articles featured in this issue tackles unique challenges associated with the deployment of real-world IoT systems.@en

The development of Smart-Its for building smart environments is discussed. Smart-Its are small, self-contained, stick-on computers that attach to everyday objects. These augmented objects become soft media, enabling dynamic digital relationships with users and each other. A Smart-Its consists of a core board with a wireless transceiver to let the device communicate with other Smart-Its, plus a sensor board that gives the Smart-Its data about its sorroundings. The major advantage of the system is that it allows designers and researchers to construct responsive or intelligent environments.@en