When you hear “automation” the first thing that springs to mind is that people will lose their jobs because machines will perform the tasks they used to receive a paycheck for. Things change and everything makes sense when we look at it from another perspective: automation changes the way we work for the better, because “machines get to do the dirty work,” says Székelyudvarhely/Odorheiu Secuiesc born Róbert Geréb, founder of smart home start-up UponSmart.
The ‘Smart’ Approach
After realizing that achieving success isn’t tought at university, Geréb decided to walk his own path and didn’t get his diploma in IT. Still, he remained connected to the industry and quickly realized the opportunities provided by Raspberry Pi, the small single-board computers developed in the United Kingdom, so he laid down the basis of a start-up that transformed his life. As a person highly interested in the smart home concept, he developed a smart thermostat which allowed him to control the home’s heating system from a smartphone. The funds received through a start-up program gave another boost to his project, so by the end of 2015 he presented the UponSmart Thermostat, which made waves in the area.
But the real challenge came when he realized that the Transylvanian market isn’t ready for these products, because the benefits of installing a smart thermostat are outweighed by the costs for regular users. The next logical step was to scale up UponSmart to an industrial level.
“We got a request to check the heating system of a factory and solve an acute problem related to it. A lot of people had access to it, which means lots of personal settings that didn’t match everyone’s heating needs. Without transparency it was impossible to check the efficiency of the heating system as a whole. We solved the problem by developing a completely customized heating system built on our smart thermostat concept,” Róbert says, looking back at how he changed direction from consumer to industrial products along the road toward building smart home technology.
“I see our strength in having a strong technology background and, at the same time, a human approach. People are constantly afraid of losing their jobs because of automation. I can proudly say that no one has lost their job because of our technology, because we are keen to communicate our belief to our clients , that machines should perform the tasks unsuitable to human beings. We also pay attention and listen to the person who’s job is at risk due to our automation solution and transmit it to the business owner,” Róbert proudly says.
Sharing the Knowledge
Geréb entered this industry as a rookie, without a diploma in IT, but his passion for learning new technologies and willingness to spend time (and money) on experimenting with (the internet of) things captured his attention and resulted in his building knowledge backed by hard experiences. “After two hard years of learning, I think we’ve reached a level where we create knowledge, not just consume it,” he says.
He started working on his own alternative education method and his own IT courses, which allows the people to learn about IT and IoT (the Internet of Things) at their own pace. Through his IT sources he shares his knowledge that is backed by hands-on experience.
Now, as a new project unfolds involving a technology that’s new to him, near-field communication (NFC), Róbert has managed to gather a team of professionals who all contribute their knowledge to the success of this ambitious automation effort.
Sharing the knowledge is essential for the success of all involved parties, and this is deeply integrated into the training courses UponSmart has organized. After more than 200 people trained during the past two years, Geréb is positive about the output of the course and UponSmart’s ecological footprint in the area in which they operate.
