Something new was emerging from all those rides: perhaps the world’s largest and most useful internet-of-things (IoT) networks. The IoT refers to collections of real-world, internet-connected devices that can convey data from the world around them to other devices in the network. Most Mobikes are equipped with solar-powered GPS, accelerators, Bluetooth, and near-field communications capabilities that can be activated by a smartphone. Together, those sensors generate twenty terabytes of data per day and feed it all back into Mobike’s cloud servers.
