£50k IoT technology prize on offer for ‘smart tech superheroes’

The Pathfindr Challenge has been set up to get companies thinking about how they could use industrial IoT technologies to improve their own operations, efficiencies, and environmental purpose.

The best idea will win a year’s free access to the company’s award-winning real time asset intelligence (RTAI) technology, including installation and setup.

Pathfindr to offer £50,000 industrial IoT solution to the company with the most innovative plan to implement it. Credit: Shutterstock

Ben Sturgess, founder and chief technology officer at Pathfindr, said: “More often than not, the most game-changing applications of a new technology are found by those who use it in real life. We’re looking to unearth smart tech superheroes who’ll discover the next revolutionary application for industrial IoT. These new ideas could seek to save money, time, or even the planet – and we want to inspire and enable those who might just be on to the next big thing.”

RTAI helps companies gather and analyse four different kinds of data for key assets: their location, environment, activity, and performance. The technology is already used in sectors including energy, automotive, manufacturing, aerospace and defence. It helps answer questions such as: where is an asset? How and how often is it being used? What temperature or level of humidity is it experiencing? How can a company improve how efficiently the asset is used?

An ‘asset’ can include tools, machines, works in progress, parts, chemicals, or documents – any physical object that companies use in logistics and manufacturing activities. Information provided by Pathfindr’s industrial IoT solutions gives companies detailed insight on what’s working well, what’s not, and what needs to be done to improve operations.

Companies looking for inspiration on the next big industrial IoT innovation need look no further than how the technology is already being harnessed in other sectors:

• In manufacturing, aerospace and defence, companies are using Pathfindr’s tech to track ground support equipment around hangars and airports to ensure the smooth running of operations; keep tabs on parts and tools when they’re sent off-site for maintenance or calibration; use insights from collected data to improve the flow of maintenance tasks and maximise efficiency.
• In the energy sector, companies are using the technology to monitor performance to ensure the health of wind turbines and carry out predictive maintenance when needed; establish geofences in areas with restricted access to keep workers safe from harm; monitor temperature, humidity and other environmental metrics.

Ben Sturgess added: “Whatever sector you’re working in, there is always scope to make a process more efficient, or to gain value by seeing what’s going on in real-time. We want to hear about the challenges that need solving and how having real-time operational visibility would achieve this. Idea submissions don’t need to be long; they just need to show a spark of innovation, and push the boundaries of what the tech is capable of.

“As well as a year’s free access to our technology for the company with the winning idea, we’ll also take care of the installation. We really can’t wait to see what new ideas people come up with.”

For more information about the Pathfindr challenge, the prize valued at £50,000, and to submit your idea, visit: www.pathfindr.io/challenge