IoT Starter Kit for the Retail Market
The self-powered, stamp-sized computers bring the IoT technology to supply chains of every brand, retailer and solution provider
Providing an exciting IoT experience with the help of self-powered, stamp-sized computers is the new Wiliot Starter Kit. Announced as a part of the “Open Release” program by the kit’s manufacturer Wiliot, it includes small Bluetooth bridge devices for reading IoT Pixel tags, which capture and transmit data to the Wiliot Cloud network and later received on digital devices, such as smartphones.
Aimed towards retailers, the Starter Kit will allow improved inventory management, consumption monitoring, anti-counterfeiting, product traceability and more. [1]
Figure 1. IoT Starter Kit for the Retail Market
Figure 1 shows the kit contains everything retailers need to experience the IoT transformation that Wiliot represents. It includes Wiliot's postage stamp-sized computers – the IoT Pixels – pre-mounted on both cardboard and a coffee cup.
The IoT Pixels can sense a range of physical and environment data, such as temperature, fill level, motion, location changes, humidity, and proximity.
The kit also includes small Bluetooth bridge devices that energize and read the IoT Pixel tags. The harvested data is relayed to the Wiliot Cloud using gateways, including smartphones, via the Wiliot mobile app – which is now compatible with iOS and Android devices. [2] Through the Starter Kit, retailers can explore projects that enable a host of new retail use cases – from enhanced inventory management, to consumption monitoring, anti-counterfeiting, product traceability, and more.
The Starter Kit’s “Open Release” enables any retailer or brand, of any size and with nearly any budget, to begin working with Wiliot; previously, the company’s controlled-release initiative was only open to a select group of the world’s largest retailers and brands. [3]
“This is a milestone in democratizing the Internet of Things,” said Tony Small, Wiliot’s Chief Business Officer. “We chose NRF because it represents a gathering of the entire ecosystem of industry leaders – partners, retailers, brands – who will appreciate the power of the Starter Kit and its ability to scale access to Wiliot’s vision of IoT. That vision – which is now a reality – is to transform the Internet of expensive Things to the Internet of everyday Things by adding intelligence and connectivity to everything from packaging to containers and clothing – for just pennies.”
Wiliot is already working with many of the world’s largest and most innovative retail brands across apparel, food and beverage, and healthcare. The launch of the Wiliot Starter Kit comes on the heels of a $200M venture capital round led by Softbank Vision Fund 2. [4]
References:
- https://www.electronicsforu.com/news/whats-new/iot-starter-kit-retail-market
- https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/wiliot-launches-its-open-release-starter-kit-bringing-the-internet-of-everyday-things-to-the-retail-market-replaces-controlled-release-model-301462102.html
- https://www.eenewseurope.com/news/wiliot-opens-its-technology-starter-kit
- https://salestechstar.com/sales-engagement/wiliot-launches-its-open-release-starter-kit-bringing-the-internet-of-everyday-things-to-the-retail-market-replaces-controlled-release-model/
Cite this article:
Thanusri swetha J (2022), IoT Starter Kit for the Retail Market, pp. 98