The energy crisis has seen many IoT applications move from desirable to essential, according to Benno Kirschenhofer, product communications manager for Panasonic, speaking at last week’s Embedded World show in Nuremberg.

“In the wake of the energy crisis we are seeing smart meaning energy efficient,” he said. “It was once comfortable to have the system automatically turn the lights off when you left the room. Now it is essential.”

Other areas too are seeing the idea bloom to consume only the energy that is essential, and IoT technology can help, he said.

“We are seeing a shift away from just collecting information and making things more comfortable,” he said. “It is now more about making better uses of resources such as energy. We are seeing that happen in all areas where ‘smart’ is being done. I am seeing it in smart industry and smart homes.”

Thermal management is also an issue, he said.

“As devices are getting more electrified, we are getting more heat and we need a new approach to thermal management,” he said. “Thermal grease is being replaced with materials that dissipate the heat more efficiently and assure less energy waste.”

During the show, visitors to the Panasonic stand experienced he technologies at the core of IoT, building automation, sustainable agriculture and HVAC. The company’s product portfolio encompasses electronic component types such as passives, electromechanical, batteries and other energy products, sensors, wireless connectivity modules, and thermal management materials.

“We have to offer almost everything that is needed,” said Kirschenhofer. “We remain a component company but we have to look at where our products are used.”

The company also has development kits but he said these were not offered on a commercial basis but as a way of staying in touch with a younger generation of engineers.

“It is open source so people can do whatever they want with it,” he said.