CODE_n delves 'Into the Internet of Things'

Robotic Media Installation at CeBIT makes manifest Industry 4.0

Stuttgart/Munich, July 31, 2014 – The theme of this year’s CODE_n Contest is the Internet of Things (IoT), a nascent, future-facing development of the Internet wherein objects and systems are embedded with computing power and are able to communicate with each other. The contest seeks the most exciting founders and companies whose endeavors are leading the charge of this global, technological phenomenon. The 50 finalists will exhibit their leading-edge business cases in the 5,000 square meter space of Hall 16 during the CeBIT fair in Hanover, Germany.

The Internet of Things describes the ever-increasing networking capabilities of machines of all scales – from quotidian objects and wearable devices to vehicles, entire factories and cityscapes. Organized around the respective sub-themes DIGITAL LIFE, SMART CITY, FUTURE MOBILITY and INDUSTRY 4.0, both the CODE_n competition and subsequent exhibition at the CeBIT Fair will address this widespread digitalization of the physical world. While recent data suggests that 17% of the world’s software developers are working on IoT projects, the competition is set to showcase the most exciting and important proposals for maximizing the potential of the Internet of Things.

“We pick up where Big Data left off: with a globally relevant theme that is massively shifting the fields of economics and science,” proclaims Ulrich Dietz, initiator of CODE_n and CEO of the GFT Group. “The Internet of Things is pushing companies to fundamentally rethink the way they do business. Groundbreaking ideas from the highly energetic startup scene are essential to take this vast, interconnected network to the next level and unlock possibilities yet unseen in the Internet of Things.”

Internationally renowned designers Clemens Weisshaar and Reed Kram have been commissioned to design the CODE_n exhibition, housed in the monumental space of CeBIT’s Hall 16. For the Hall’s design, the Internet of Things will be materialized as a series of interconnected objects and booths suspended in a web of scaffolding. Visitors will be able to traverse floating hallways and platforms populated with the latest and most innovative developments in the IoT.

The exhibition space will be anchored with an interactive robotic media installation entitled ROBOCHOP which invites internet users from across the world as well as fair attendees to design and fabricate a piece of furniture in real time. Weisshaar and Kram will develop an app that allows the global community to engage with the giant robotic arms sculpt material in situ.

“With ROBOCHOP, we are actualizing and personalizing the Industrial Internet. The often intangible web of technology becomes a concrete, interactive experience that nonetheless remains a taste of a not-so-distant future,” proclaims Weisshaar. “The exhibition architecture parallels this condition by galvanizing the dialogue between new-guard company founders and industry titans.”

This very approach finds its digital counterpart in form of CODE_n CONNECT, a platform dedicated to creating a sustainable exchange between entrepreneurs, SMEs, established industrial powerhouses and investors.

Oliver Frese, Head of CeBIT at Deutsche Messe AG, says, “the home of CODE_n, Hall 16, will once again be the center of fresh, exciting business cases at CeBIT.”

Call for Entries for the Innovation Contest starts in September

Startups that want to participate in the CODE_n Contest can register via www.code-n.org as of early September 2014. Eligibility standards include: companies founded in 2010 or later and whose business model leverages the Internet of Things. Deadline is November 30, 2014.

The 50 finalists will receive a free exhibition space in Hall 16 as well as a permanent presence on the digital platform CODE_n CONNECT. The winner will receive the CODE_n Award and a grand prize of €30,000.

About CODE_n:
CODE_n is an international initiative for digital pioneers, innovators and groundbreaking startups. Initiated in 2011 by the GFT Group, the goal of this network is to support outstanding business talents and their exceptional business ideas, provide them with a platform for dialog, and therefore stimulate and accelerate innovation in the field. CODE_n stands for “Code of the New”, the DNA of innovation.

This year, CODE_n will bestow the fourth annual CODE_n Award under the motto: “Into the Internet of Things”. For more information, please visit: www.code-n.org.

About the GFT Group:
The GFT Group is a global technology partner for future digital issues – covering everything from discovering innovation to developing and implementing sustainable business models.
Within the GFT Group, GFT stands for competent consulting and reliable development, implementation and maintenance of customised IT solutions. The company is one of the world’s leading IT solutions providers in the banking sector.

emagine offers companies the opportunity to staff their strategic technology projects both quickly and flexibly with capable experts. To achieve this, emagine has an international network of highly qualified IT and engineering specialists at its disposal.

CODE_n, the GFT Group’s innovation platform, offers international startups, technology pioneers and established companies access to a global network. It’s where ideas become business.
Headquartered in Germany, the GFT Group has stood for technological expertise, innovative strength and outstanding quality for over 25 years. Founded in 1987, the GFT Group is represented in eleven countries with a global team spanning 3,000 employees. The GFT Group is listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (Prime Standard).
www.gft.com

Contact:
Felix Jansen, Head of External Communications
GFT Technologies AG
Filderhauptstr. 142
70599 Stuttgart, Germany
T +49 711 62042-115
F +49 711 62042-301
felix.jansen@gft.com
www.gft.com

Press Contact
Rose Ross
Omarketing (for CODE_n/GFT UK & Ireland)
+44(0) 208 255 5225
gftteam@omarketing.com
@Rose_at_O

Source: RealWire