Connected Buildings — The Next Wave of Disruption

Nowadays, technology has become an integral part of our daily lives to an extent that without it we feel helpless. Smart technologies are omnipresent. Artificial Intelligence (AI), Robotics, Blockchain, Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), Drones, AgriTech, and Nanotechnology are disrupting the entire world.

Welcome to the new world where technological innovation is touching lives. Thanks to advanced technologies, today we see a smarter way of building management systems integrated to Internet of Things (IoT) that monitor and control premises i.e. Connected Buildings.

Modern buildings are complex structures with multiple systems controlling lighting, heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC), waste disposal, and security controlled by a single operating system. The seamless connection between different platforms enables system-wide decision making, execution, and optimization. System integration within smart buildings also increase sustainability, safety, and productivity, while improving the quality of life for occupants of the building.

With Connected Buildings, teams can remotely troubleshoot a problem through a website. Mangers are no more expected to search multiple excel spreadsheets to understand the functioning of a building. Architecture and construction teams can now use data to include new energy systems without needing to make wild assumptions. Thus, improving energy cost efficiency and increasing productivity of operational functions.

Connected Buildings radically transform the entire gamut of building management systems by collecting data from various devices to analyze, check, and take immediate action. This is just the beginning.

There are many organizations that offer the Connected Building Management Solution, and one company that is leading in this space is United Technologies with their OTIS division. Together with T-Hub, OTIS has announced ‘OTIS Innovation Challenge’. Its an acceleration program for startups to showcase their solutions in various segments such as Elevators, Escalators, and Travelators (Moving walkways). Startups applying for this challenge should offer solutions in one or more of the following areas.

• Crowd Density Management
• Detection/Counting/Estimation of people
• Personal tracking & activity detection without affecting privacy
• Object classification & uncovering intent
• Improving energy efficiency & reducing impact on the environment
• Ease of configuration during installation & deployment

Global startups who are working in the above areas/verticals, do check out this link for more information.

Authored by Aditya Patro, Program Manager - Corporate Innovation, T-Hub