GE's Minds + Machines event is about software, but one reason to come is the hardware. We're talking about the Internet of Things where the "things" aren't table-top gadgets and wristwatches. They're towering wind turbines and massive oil-rig drills.
I happen to think that's fun, and it's refreshing to dip into this industrial world once in a while.
But the conference, held by GE Digital last week in San Francisco, is really about developers. Predix is a platform for building cloud-based applications that use data from machines and sensors to make decisions about the things. Does an aging turbine need routine maintenance? Is that 1% performance drop a sign of deeper problems?
So, the story here is a lot like what's happening in networking. Applications are moving to the cloud, and separately, the feedback loop of telemetry and analytics is creating new possibilities for automation.
Click the photo above for a slideshow from Minds + Machines, featuring an appathon, a smattering of smart city work, and an honest-to-goodness payphone (not a GE Digital product). You can also click here for thumbnail views.
Related posts:
- GE Digital Will Seek Carrier Partnerships for Predix
- GE's Predix Platform Finds New Home on Microsoft Azure
- GE Keeps the Lights on With IoT
- Workers Bracing for Sweeping Automation Changes
— Craig Matsumoto, Editor-in-Chief, Light Reading
I have seen this movie before, and it does not end happily.