The UpTake: This industry, dubbed by techies as the “Internet of Things,” is on a major upswing, and the Greater Boston area is a nationwide leader in the fray. So why are connected devices companies choosing Bean Town?
Y ou’ve heard of the smart home. Now, imagine a world where almost everything in it is smart — from milk cartons that signal when they’re empty to trash cans that signal when they’re full and toothbrushes that monitor your dental hygiene habits.
This industry, dubbed by techies as the “Internet of Things,” is on a major upswing, and the Greater Boston area is a nationwide leader in the fray. With its rich history of hardware and software companies, its breadth of talent from renowned universities, and its culture of collaboration, the city has become home to dozens of companies working to make things smarter through wireless connections, transmitting data over the Internet.
“The ‘Internet of Things’ is a big movement, and Boston is right front in center,” said Jon Karlen, a partner at Cambridge’s Atlas Venture, the venture firm that recently funded Boston-based automation startup Robin.
For more news from the Boston Business Journal, check out Sara Castellanos’ work.
Boston’s roots in the industry go back about 15 years to the days of the Auto-ID Center, a partnership with nearly 100 global companies and seven research universities. Leading the way was the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, which helped research how microchips could be used as tracking devices for virtually any object.
Massachusetts is home to a number of established tech companies — such as Skyworks Solutions and LogMeIn — that are trying to cash in on the potential windfall. For example, Skyworks, a Woburn wireless handset chip supplier, saw revenue hit $587 million for the quarter ending in June, up by 35 percent from the same period a year ago, driven in large part by the proliferation of wirelessly connected devices.