This will give developers on Indiegogo a chance to see if Watson, IBM’s artificial intelligence platform, can help their product.
“The short version is basically all of the Indiegogo companies now get access to all of the R&D of IBM that had gone into Watson IoT,” said Arrow’s chief digital officer, Matt Anderson, who was in Munich, Germany, Thursday to announce the deal with IBM.
Developers will get access to Watson’s , the cloud technology that lets developers connect a gadget to the IBM cloud to more easily manage and secure the data the device collects. The partnership with IBM gives developers free access to IBM’s cloud.
Other Watson features can enhance product design, Anderson said.
“For instance, facial and photo recognition is a standard capability of Watson IoT,” he said. “If your new company needs image recognition to make your new idea a reality you don’t have to develop that, you just turn it on in IBM Bluemix for your devices and send Watson photos to train Watson on how to recognize the kinds of things you are interested in it knowing (animals, food, faces, etc).”
Watson also will beef up for internet-connected products.
“Security is really important in IoT and now when these small companies get going on making the next IoT smart air conditioner they are going to be able to do it on an incredibly strong security foundation from IBM without having to have the expertise or team to do the coding themselves.” he added.
Last May, electronics distributor Arrow community offering no-cost advice and resources to help get technology developed. Arrow employees, who know how much it costs to build technology, offered realistic reviews of production costs, access to research, and tips on bringing a product to market.
A few months later, Arrow said it would also the company deemed fit for manufacturing. Arrow didn’t ask for equity or repayment.
In return, Arrow offers an altruistic explanation: It hopes for loyalty and that the young successful companies will buy components and continue doing business with Arrow.
Arrow said it has already worked with several startups, including the , a plate with sensors to analyze and track what you eat; and that lets pet owners remotely play with their dogs or cats.
