By Ashley Steeb
TheStatehouseFile.com
INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana is preparing for the future of flying cars and self-operating washing machines by investing in what tech gurus call “the Internet of Things.”
Gov. Eric Holcomb and Bill Stephan, vice president for engagement, supports the creation of the Indiana IoT Lab-Fishers. Photo by Ashley Steeb, TheStatehouseFile.com
The goal behind the Internet of Things is applying the Internet to everyday devices from wearable fitness bands to farm tractors. Devices that connect to the web are placed in the product, which allows the devices to send and receive data.
Gov. Eric Holcomb and technology leaders unveiled a plan Tuesday for a more than 24,000 square foot lab in Fishers for companies to start investing in the Internet of Things.
“You know a lot of people think IN you know standing for Indiana,” Holcomb said. “I want them to think way, way beyond that. I want them to think that IN also stands for innovation and invention and ingenuity.”
The Indiana IoT Labs-Fishers is expected to bring every aspect of the new Internet of Things technological sector into one space for innovation.
Companies can buy an annual membership that starts at $1,000 to have multiple skilled people work on their products. Businesses can work on products as small as a circuit board to as large as vehicles.
Non-member businesses also have the opportunity to ask lab members to work on their Internet of Things related questions.
John McDonald, CEO of ClearObject, said companies from sectors such as agriculture are starting to use technology to make their work more efficient.
“We have the chance to create the next several generations of jobs in this state by helping those companies do that work,” McDonald said.
Machina Research anticipates the Internet of Things will be a $3 trillion industry by 2025. The lab is expected to be open by the summer.
Ashley Steeb is a reporter for TheStatehouseFile.com, a news website powered by Franklin College journalism students.
