The IoTLab was born in 2006 as RFID Solution Center, a joint initiative of Politecnico di Milano School of Management and Department of Electronics, Information and Bioengineering, with original focus on RFID technologies and applications. Over the time, the acquired know-how led to expand the scopes of the laboratory, resulting in a broader vision over the new paradigm of Internet of Things (IoT).
The RFID Solution Center has been converted into IoTLab in 2013, with targets on applied and basic research on IoT-related topics. The mission was to assist companies in the development of new products, services and processes by exploiting the IoT. The activity of the IoTLab starts from the technological scouting until the development of ad-hoc vertical solutions, integrating IoT technologies into business processes, also assisting the companies in the development of new business models that leverage on the IoT transformation. The competences of the IoTLab allow to independently provide feasibility studies and the development of prototypes that meet the specific needs of the company, aiming at demonstrating the technological feasibility and economic value of the conceived innovative idea. The IoTLab was an example of a complete center in Italy: the combination of management and technical skills, university research and business consulting, enables the application of IoT in the various application areas and sectors. The IoTLab expertise focus its efforts on four strategical verticals: Smart Home, Smart Connected Product, Industrial IoT and Smart Retail. Dozens of projects have been carried out for different industries such as food, automotive, oil&gas, pharmaceuticals, logistics, and healthcare.
Recently (2020) the IoTLab has extended its scopes to meet the increasing demand of smart and connected IoT solutions in key sectors such as Industry 4.0 and Smart & Connected Mobility. To keep up with technology innovation and digital transformation, the IoTLab has begun to participate in consortium projects as well as to be proactive for international fundings. It emerges a new vision on IoTLab interests and goals, with a twofold interest in combining practical solutions (close to products) with innovation (close to scientific research). These two trends represent the current ongoing activities in the IoTLab, where people from different background and expertise fruitfully interact in a dynamic fresh environment willing to share knowledge and realize competitive solutions.