French gadget-makers pour into the 'internet of things'

by Jonathan Margolis - Financial Times, Jul. 15, 2015 – 

Last month in Angers, 300km from Paris, President François Hollande opened Europe's biggest centre dedicated to "internet of things" (IoT) technology -- the gadgetry that enables objects to communicate with other objects.

Innovations from this emerging sector include heating thermostats that talk to your mobile phone, litter bins that connect remotely to refuse trucks and hives that communicate with beekeepers. By 2020, forecasters predict between 26bn and 50bn IoT units being connected to the internet.

The mission of Angers' new 10,000 sq m Cité de l'Objet Connecté is to support France as a leader in IoT, converting innovative ideas quickly into French-made, smart, connected devices.

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