an exciting new future
You can almost sense it.
In a former cow pasture at a point almost
equidistant from both Launch Pad 14 at Cape
Canaveral where Americans first broke the
bonds of earth and the place where Walt Disney
created what would become the “happiest
place on earth,” work has begun on yet another
exciting new project that its founders say will
position Florida for global leadership in a far
different field ... integrated photonics and
advanced manufacturing.
commercialization and manufacturing in the rapidly growing field of smart
This one is as high tech as Disney’s playground
sensors.
is high-touch, and has roots that can be traced
to technologies we would never have known
By 2017, these sensors are expected to be the dominant product of
had not NASA begun launching into space
semiconductor manufacturing, driven by the Internet of Everything (IoE). So
from Brevard County. There are many unique
what, you might ask, is the IoE? According to networking giant Cisco:
similarities, not the least of which is that many
say this will be as transformative for the region’s
“IoE brings together people (humans), process (manages the way people, data
economy as was the Space Race and the
and things work together), data (rich information), and things (inanimate objects
magical world Walt Disney promised a half
and devices) to make networked connections more relevant and valuable
century ago.
than ever before – turning information into actions that create new capabilities,
richer experiences and unprecedented economic opportunity for businesses,
While the goal of the man who introduced the
individuals and countries.”
world to Steamboat Willie and Mickey Mouse
was to draw millions of visitors from around the
That’s a mouthful of a great big goal, but as the IoE comes of age, it will require
world to Central Florida, the aim of the team
new cutting-edge sensor products to interact with a vast array of applications
behind the Florida Advanced Manufacturing
and it has been projected that by 2020 more than 50 billion devices will be
Research Center (FAMRC) is to draw technology
connected by sensors. Market forecasting firm BCC Research estimated that the
leaders to participate in research, development,
market was valued at $79.5 billion in 2013 and will grow to $154.4 billion by 2020.
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florida.HIGH.TECH 2015