SL to open ‘Advanced Electronics Design Centre’ : University of Moratuwa don
View(s):Sri Lanka is on the verge of starting its first “Advanced Electronics Design Centre”, according to Dr. Ajith Pasqual, Head of the Department of Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering at the University of Moratuwa.
In a statement he was quoted as saying that, “Electronic manufacturing facilities at factories we have in Sri Lanka are at international standards with lots of spare capacity. As such, we need designs that can use this spare capacity so that (the Lankan) ‘Internet of Things (IoT)’ could start off… The Government has accepted the creation of an ‘Advanced Electronics Design Centre’ aimed at moving towards electronic design and manufacturing industry as well as future plans for said centre, including funding start-ups. Low power IoT devices, digital design, automotive electronics, hardware acceleration, real-time analytics, board level solutions are potential IoT avenues for Sri Lanka”.
The Internet of Things (IoT) is an area of IT in which multiple products are connected via an IT network. These can go beyond just electronics, even encompassing home appliances, cars, etc., to be used to create smart offices, smart homes, smart cars, and similar concepts, which have only recently become commercially viable.
Dr. Pasqual’s comments were quoted as part of a statement highlighting a recent ‘Internet of Things’ forum, said to be Sri Lanka’s first, which was organised by the country’s Export Development Board, where Dr. Pasqual was a panellist. He was joined in the panel by IT industry experts including Mano Sekaram, the Chief Executive of 99x Technologies; Harsha Purasinghe, the Founder/Chief Executive of Microimage; Sankalpa Gamwarige, the General Manager and Vice President of Engineering at Zone 24×7; Vipula Liyanaarachchi, Sri Lanka Manager at Motorola Solutions Engineering; Dr. Srinath Perera, Director of Research at WSO2; and Nihal Kularatne, a Senior Lecturer from the University of Wakaito in New Zealand.
Additionally, the statement also noted; “Global IoT market value and stake is estimated to surpass US$ 14 trillion (CISCO Corp estimates, 2013) in the next decade and Sri Lanka’s ICT services, software exports and BPO/KPO sectors are well poised to cater to this highly promising sector, considered as the ‘next big thing’”.
Further, the statement also highlighted the following comment made by Mr. Purasinghe at the forum; “Cloud computing and big data are now emerging. In the near future, things such as an auditorium’s projector and chairs, even vases of plants would all be connected to the Internet and will be transmitting vast amounts of data, like my wristband which is practical application in wearable technology, and is monitoring my health and transmitting the data to a cloud service”. At the same time, panellist Dr. Gamwarige also revealed “Sri Lanka already has some IoT applications such as remote cheque deposit systems, and an air conditioning system”. (JH)