The document provides an introduction to the Internet of Things (IoT). It discusses why IoT is useful, including to receive more data, control devices, automate processes, and make things faster. It defines IoT as involving sensors that collect and send raw data, local processing and storage of that data, networking to transmit the data, and cloud processing and storage of large amounts of aggregated data. The document outlines the history of IoT beginning with microcontrollers and progressing to devices like Arduino, Raspberry Pi, and other hardware that support IoT applications through their ability to connect sensors, processing data, and connecting to networks and the internet.