Arrow Electronics is to expand its Arrow Open Lab in Hong Kong, in a bid to bolster IoT and smart city innovations among Hong Kong start-ups and technology companies.
Arrow Electronics, which builds hardware and software for IoT environments, said that the lab will support a ‘sensor-to-cloud-to-analytics’ IoT platform for Sensor Hub, a project led by Hong Kong Science and Technology Park (HKSTP) to accelerate innovation in IoT.
Using open data-sharing, as well as Arrow’s design engineering expertise, engineers and developers will be able to gather sensory information in real time, and create ready-to-deploy IoT devices and necessary applications.
Arrow will offer engineering expertise, hands-on training and workshops at the Sensor Hub, as well as free sensor samples and tools designed to help start-ups expedite product design, optimise system-level integration, and achieve rapid-prototyping for their IoT concepts.
IoT developers and makers can tap into Arrow’s sensor product portfolio of more than 14,000 components available for measuring everything from air, water, soil, motion, movement and chemical composition.
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Sensor Hub
“Sensing technology is at the heart of IoT innovation today. The Sensor Hub initiative is yet another example of our technology collaboration with HKSTP, signifying our ongoing commitment to guiding today’s innovators to a smarter and more connected tomorrow,” said Simon Yu, president of Arrow’s components business in the Asia-Pacific region.
“We are proud to work at the forefront of IoT innovation and play a key role in building a robust technology framework and infrastructure with our sensor-to-sunset IoT product lifecycle capabilities that enable start-ups to bring IoT and sensory solutions to market quickly and cost effectively.”
The Hong Kong government has urged industries to expedite their adoption of so-called internet of things (IoT) solutions, which could push forward more digital business initiatives in the city, according to a recent report in the South China Morning Post. Speaking at an IoT conference in the city, Secretary for Innovation and Technology Nicholas Yang Wei-hsiung told attendees: “What the government is most interested in is putting IoT applications to popular use by the community, and stimulating further development of industries and our economy.”
In recent years, the government has been using IoT sensors to improve public services, he noted. “For example, we deploy sensors at strategic routes to collect real-time traffic data, in manholes of city storm drains to detect water levels, and inside the slopes to detect impending landslides.”
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Arrow/Indiegogo tie-up
As part of its Open Lab expansion, Arrow also announced the launch of a joint lab with Indiegogo. Here, Hong Kong-based tech start-ups will have access to design-for-manufacturing support and marketing resources from Arrow and Indiegogo, including engineering design reviews, professional technical advice on connectivity, and access to big data platforms and tools for device management and data analysis.
“We’re thrilled to collaborate with Arrow on the Open Lab to help entrepreneurs in Asia successfully export their products,” said Sandy Diao, Indiegogo’s director of strategic programs for China. “Indiegogo’s Asia-based entrepreneurs, who are building a global supply chain for the first time, have expressed a need for the type of manufacturing and product expertise that Arrow will be offering.”
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