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following gauntlet to app developers: “If we give you the
interface, what apps would you create to benefit us?” The
winners, iBeaconfi, received €15,000 in prize money to be
used for joint prototyping with KONE.
Instead of repeating the API Challenge this year, At
Slush 2015, KONE is inviting start-ups and others to join
the KONE Ecosystem, and become part of a partnership
community. The idea would be to create the Best People
Flow Experience within buildings and cities around the
world. “This was the logical next step. We want to attract a
larger pool of partners into the KONE ecosystem. The Open
Call goes beyond a tech focus and helps startups produce
commercially viable products.”
SECURE WITH INDOOR NINJA
A KONE-mentored pilot is currently taking shape in Estonia,
one of the world’s most digitally agile societies. A new
visitor management app developed by local startup Indoor
Ninja is being prototyped at Navigator, a futuristic office
complex in Tallinn. The app was designed wholly by Indoor
Ninja with integration support from KONE.
Whereas most access control systems leave visitors locked
out of elevators and stuck in the lobby, Indoor Ninja’s app
enables the building’s tenants to manage their guest flow via
their personal smartphones. After the host accepts the guest,
an elevator automatically takes the visitor to the desired floor.
“The elevators can be used only by people authorized
by the tenant. This improves security and reduces costs,
as it eliminates the need for reception staff. To top it all,
this solution takes us one step closer to the smart city era,”
says
Marko Kull
of Capital Mill, owner of the Navigator
building.
The fit between small and big was perfect in this pilot,
says
Peep Paum
, founder of Indoor Ninja and CEO at
Mobile Digital OÜ.
“A start-up might have a good idea, but without financial
traction, it can easily become worthless. Nowadays speed
is of high importance in every business. We believe big
corporations can gain in agility, and efficiency in prototype
development via set-ups like ours.”
MAKING THE MAGIC HAPPEN
Chemistry is also a big issue in getting the synergy flowing,
adds Paum. “We established a really good dialogue with
KONE and found our cooperation truly inspiring. All our
questions were answered fast and our ideas were discussed
thoroughly.”
Paum’s praises are echoed by KONE: “Working with
Indoor Ninja was a great learning opportunity. Their agility
and responsiveness was inspirational.”
Salmikuukka adds that Indoor Ninja offers a foretaste of
bigger things to come. “Soon we’ll see navigation systems
that think for themselves, automatically doing everything
from calling elevators to turning on lights and guiding you
to your destination. This is what People Flow integration is
all about – a service experience that feels like magic.” /
“Working with Indoor
Ninja was a great
learning opportunity.
Their agility and
responsiveness was
inspirational.”
PHOTO
TIIT VEERMAE
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