Wi6Labs wins the Breizh Amerika startup contest
Four startups won their tickets to New York at the third edition of the Breizh Amerika startup contest. This event has taken place last Friday at the Oceanopolis of Brest. It rewarded the ambition and creativity of young Breton companies.
| An opportunity to discover the U.S. market
Since its creation, in 2016, this contest has received nearly a hundred applications. After a selection done by a jury, composed of professionals, experts and CEO’s of Brittany-American companies, four startups were rewarded, including Wi6Labs, finishing on the top step of the podium.
Thanks to this award, Wi6Labs will have the opportunity to follow an intensive program at the New York incubator of Venture Out. The agenda : develop partnerships and analyze the US market, in addition to meeting some potential investors.
After its participation to the CES of Las Vegas last January, a new opportunity rise for Wi6Labs to explore this promising market.
This event is organized by the Breizh Amerika association which aims to promote economic, innovative, cultural and collaborative projects. Also strengthen and encourage relations and cooperation between the United States and Brittany.
Thanks to Breizh America Startup Contest partners: le Crédit Mutuel de Bretagne, la métropole de Brest, Venture Out, Klaxoon and RN165.
Wi6Labs and Keolis change mobility thanks to the Internet of Things
Wi6Labs will be at the InOut first edition with Keolis, which will take place from March 14 to 18 in Rennes. This international event dedicated to mobility and digital will bring together, professionals and users, to imagine the transport and lifestyles of tomorrow. The opportunity for the start-up to exhibit its projects about mobility.
| Smart sensors to optimize urban mobility
The start-up, expert in communication networks has joined forces with Keolis group, key player in public passenger transport, to develop new services and use cases with the Internet of Things.
How ? By connecting smart sensors to Keolis Rennes equipment and infrastructure. Then, these sensors send relevant data about passengers comfort, the proper functioning of the services or the network maintenance. For example a “smart bus” will give the following data :
- Geo-tracking
- Occupancy rate
- Doors condition
- Temperature, humidity and air quality
In total there are five experiments underway on Rennes Métropole.
| A single network for many use cases
These new services are made possible thanks to the Internet of things and more particularly the LoRaWAN technology, which allows to connect hundred of sensors with a single network. To work on these experiments, Wi6Labs and Keolis use Wiotys, a private LoRa network solution already deployed in the city of Rennes. This IoT network solution, easy to set up, inexpensive and secure, allows to create a lot of new use cases for smart city.
| A life-size experience
It is at InOut, the place of mobility innovations, that Wi6Labs and Keolis will showcase their smart transportation solutions for the first time. Meet us on Keolis booth, in le village InOut on esplanade Charles de Gaulles : admission is free !
In addition, Ulrich Rousseau, CEO of Wi6Labs, will pitch on the workshop “sensors & data”, on Thursday, March 15 at 2:30 PM, at le couvent des Jacobins.
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How the Internet of Things provides access to running water worldwide
Nowadays one in ten people do not have access to drinking water. Not surprisingly, African continent is the one most affected by this inequality. But even if Africa has more than 5.000 billion cubic meters of water in its groundwater, 320 million inhabitants still do not benefit from safe water.
To deal with this problem CityTaps, a French start-up, has designed a clever solution to prepay water with a phone. How ? With a smart water meter, a prepayment service and a billing software.
| A simple solution adapted to developing countries
Thanks to the prepayment service, users of this new kind of meter can have an access to the quantity of water desired at any time, according to their financial means so they can better manage their budgets. Water utilities also take benefits from this solution : assured of the payments, they can invest in new infrastructures. Because of the generalization of mobile payments, this innovation is particularly suitable for developing countries. That is why the startup chose Africa to experiment its solution.
| But how to install smart meters in remote towns of Africa ?
CityTaps smart meters do not have to be connected to the power grid or the internet. This is possible thanks to the IoT and more specifically to the LoRaWAN technology. Indeed this technology is low power and long range: it means a single gateway can cover several hundred of smart meters running on battery.
Wi6Labs, designer and integrator of solutions dedicated to the Internet of Things, participated to this project by bringing its network expertise: CityTaps smart meters are connected with Wiotys, a LoRaWAN private network solution.
| From experimentation to mass deployment
After several month of experimentation, the solution is effective in Niamey, Niger, where CityTaps is expanding the project with the installation of 1.325 CTMeters. Five other African countries interested in this concept should be fitted. Then, this promising company expects to install 10 millions smart meters worldwide.
Find out more about this project : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rQiLMUp-AM
Discover CityTaps website : http://www.citytaps.org/