What does it take to make something? What tools do you need to take an original idea from the design board to actual physical production? These are the questions Autodesk wanted to answer when it launched its first-ever Forge Development Conference. The Forge Platform is a set of cloud services and resources for developers to quickly create data-centric apps, experiences, and services. Forge gives users direct access to their application program interfaces (APIs). They provide users direct access to their code so they can create programs and interfaces for their designs.
As an engineer at the event, I wondered how this applies to my field. The Forge Dev Con gave me the answer with its Internet of Things (IoT) panels and conferences. IoT in its basic definition is the connection of sensors and machines with useful information and data to the end user.
Jim Quanci, senior director of Autodesk Forge Partner Development, told us that hardware startups are up 76%, sensors are more affordable than ever, and there is plenty of cheap and accessible bandwidth for connected devices. The Forge platform wants to be the service to analyze and provide the access to the data collected off of IoT devices. Helping its customers analyze the data is one part of the IoT puzzle that Autodesk looks to fill. In speaking with several of the Autodesk speakers, they are upfront and honest when they say that they only help solve one part of the IoT puzzle. The warning they give attendees is that if anyone approaches you with an entire IoT solution, they are lying. Autodesk pairs up with Verizon for the connectivity and a variety of boutique system integrators for sensor implementation.
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