The First 'Smart' Connected Device Was a Coke Machine Networked by Lazy Grad Students

Coca-Cola Machine at CMU

Carnegie Mellon University students • Priceless (but Coke cost 35¢)

Origin Technology (1982)

ARPANET networking + microcontroller tinkering

Future Angle

From lazy grad students to 50 billion IoT devices — the desire to avoid wasted trips remains the same.

Key Takeaways

• •1982: CMU students connect Coke machine to ARPANET
• •The machine reported temperature and whether drinks were available
• •Motivation: avoid walking to an empty or warm machine
• •50+ billion IoT devices worldwide in 2026 — all from this humble root

Timeline

The Internet of Things — the network of billions of connected devices that surrounds us — had a humble beginning. It started with a Coke machine, some lazy grad students, and the world's first IoT hack.

In 1982, at Carnegie Mellon University, a group of computer science students had a problem. The nearest Coca-Cola machine was in the basement of the Wean Hall building. Walking there was inconvenient. Worse, sometimes the machine was empty, or the drinks weren't cold.

The first IoT device wasn't built for efficiency or profit. It was built because grad students were lazy — and that's the best kind of innovation.

The students had access to ARPANET — the precursor to the modern internet. They also had microcontrollers and a sense of mischief.

So they hacked the Coke machine.

Every smart thermostat, every connected fridge, every wearable device owes its existence to students who didn't want to walk to an empty Coke machine.

They connected it to ARPANET and programmed it to report two crucial pieces of information: whether drinks were available, and whether they were cold. Now, before making the trip to the basement, students could check the machine's status from their terminals.

This was the world's first internet-connected appliance — the first IoT device.

The CMU Coke machine wasn't built for profit or efficiency. It was built because students wanted to avoid wasted trips. But it proved a concept: you could connect everyday objects to the internet, and people would find it useful.

In 1990, John Romkey connected a toaster to the internet — the second IoT device. In 1999, Kevin Ashton coined the term 'Internet of Things' while working at Procter & Gamble.

Today, there are over 50 billion IoT devices worldwide. Smart thermostats, connected cars, wearable fitness trackers, industrial sensors — all part of a global network.

But the root is still there: a Coke machine in a university basement, connected to the internet by students who didn't want to walk to an empty machine.

Sometimes the most revolutionary innovations start with the simplest motivations. In this case: laziness and the desire for a cold drink.

How did this make you feel?

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