Daily Illini Focuses on Internet of Things Pygmalion Panel

Last Thursday, the top tech minds in Champaign-Urbana gathered in Research Park for the Pygmalion Tech Festival. There were several panels were held throughout the day, with topics ranging from design to employment to STEM education, but it was the discussion on the ‘Internet of Things’ that was a standout to many.

Jed Taylor, director of operations at the Technology Entrepreneur Center, led the panel. He was joined by Geoff Westphal, director of intellectual property at W.W. Grainger, Owen Doyle, Ameren site director, and a representative from EnterpriseWorks tenant company Petronics. 

Writes The Daily Illini: “Thursday’s lecture on the Internet of Things at Research Park during The Pygmalion Festival discussed how putting sensors in more devices has revolutionized the way companies interact with customers and get product feedback.

“The more sensor-equipped products that are available, the more customer data that is available to companies. In a way, it seems that the Internet of Things has almost made the customer a middle-man in the modern market. This has allowed for companies to get better product feedback and improve quality of service with little effort on the consumer’s part.”