The article discusses the concept of smart objects as building blocks for the Internet of Things (IoT). Smart objects are physical or digital objects enhanced with sensing, processing, and networking capabilities, enabling them to understand and react to their environment. The authors introduce a hierarchy of architectures for smart objects, including activity-aware, policy-aware, and process-aware objects, which represent fundamental design principles. These objects can cooperate to form an "Internet of smart objects." The vision of an IoT built from smart objects raises important research questions, such as the balance of functionality between smart objects and infrastructure, modeling smart object intelligence, and appropriate programming models. The authors argue that these questions are interrelated and should not be addressed in isolation. Through practical experimentation and prototyping, the authors identified three canonical smart-object types: activity-aware, policy-aware, and process-aware. These types represent specific combinations of three design dimensions: awareness, representation, and interaction. The article also explores the application of smart objects in industrial settings, particularly in petrochemical and road construction industries. The authors developed smart objects for chemical storage and road patching, using embedded sensors and wireless capabilities to enable autonomous interpretation of sensor data and decision-making. They also developed wearable devices for user interaction with smart objects. The authors highlight the importance of designing smart objects with awareness, representation, and interaction in mind. Policy-aware objects, for example, can interpret events and activities in relation to predefined organizational policies, providing context-sensitive information and issuing warnings when policies are violated. These objects can help minimize health risks, such as vibration white finger, by monitoring workers' exposure to dangerous vibrations.The article discusses the concept of smart objects as building blocks for the Internet of Things (IoT). Smart objects are physical or digital objects enhanced with sensing, processing, and networking capabilities, enabling them to understand and react to their environment. The authors introduce a hierarchy of architectures for smart objects, including activity-aware, policy-aware, and process-aware objects, which represent fundamental design principles. These objects can cooperate to form an "Internet of smart objects." The vision of an IoT built from smart objects raises important research questions, such as the balance of functionality between smart objects and infrastructure, modeling smart object intelligence, and appropriate programming models. The authors argue that these questions are interrelated and should not be addressed in isolation. Through practical experimentation and prototyping, the authors identified three canonical smart-object types: activity-aware, policy-aware, and process-aware. These types represent specific combinations of three design dimensions: awareness, representation, and interaction. The article also explores the application of smart objects in industrial settings, particularly in petrochemical and road construction industries. The authors developed smart objects for chemical storage and road patching, using embedded sensors and wireless capabilities to enable autonomous interpretation of sensor data and decision-making. They also developed wearable devices for user interaction with smart objects. The authors highlight the importance of designing smart objects with awareness, representation, and interaction in mind. Policy-aware objects, for example, can interpret events and activities in relation to predefined organizational policies, providing context-sensitive information and issuing warnings when policies are violated. These objects can help minimize health risks, such as vibration white finger, by monitoring workers' exposure to dangerous vibrations.