How IoT helps keep it simple
One year before it celebrates a century of innovation, Panasonic is already mapping out its next 100 years — and they’re starting it off by making things simpler for everyone.
The Japanese conglomerate says there’s nothing to be worried about the Internet of Things (IoT) because, complicated as it may seem and sound, it’s all just a matter of deploying the right technologies to keep it user-friendly and hassle-free.
Not only that: it’ll also allow companies to save up on costs.
“We will use IoT to make operations more simple and cost-effective,” Hiroki Soejima, managing director of Panasonic Marketing Middle East and Africa, told Khaleej Times at Gitex Technology Week 2017.
And connectivity is just half of it: he added that “things themselves have to be cutting-edge” in order to produce a seamless experience for businesses and users in general.
Soejima was speaking alongside other top Panasonic officials after a press conference held at Gitex, in which the company unveiled its new products and services for the Middle East.
These include stadium mapping, based on the ‘Osaka Derby Projection Night’ held earlier this year in Japan’s Suita football stadium; dome mapping using the latest high-resolution fisheye lens; visual and communication solutions, which include projectors and its Toughpad and ToughPad mobile PCs; and transparent screens, in which videos can be placed onto glass windows and doors on demand.
Research by Gartner says that 8.4 billion connected ‘things’ will be in use this year, up 31 per cent from 2016, with businesses alone on pace to deploy 3.1 billion connected things this year.
Which means that with all those devices, the technologies that are needed to run them need to be straightforward and will pose no additional complications to users and organisations.
And good news for the UAE and the rest of the region: Panasonic, Soejima says, has something planned related to IoT, though he declined to give further details. “It’s currently on the drawing board,” he quipped.
Panasonic has continued to push hard into visual technologies — just like the recent light show it produced at Dubai Festival City.
And when it comes to security — a common issue in today’s connected world — Panasonic assures that several specific products have ‘special chips’ to ensure privacy, and that it is working to expand this into its other line-ups.
“We remain committed to delivering key technologies,” Soejima added, “to really help consumers in their experience.”
— alvin@khaleejtimes.com