Bear & Co is a novel new concept that was launched with the purpose of keeping IoT products on the up and up. Bear & Co’s mission is to help IoT innovators think more deeply about the decisions that are being made during the development of an IoT product. Their premise is that it is easy to think that these decisions are purely technical, but often times there can be underlying repercussions which may conflict with the original values of the developers. The article that follows provides more insight on the genesis of the project, and how it actually helps keep development aligned with core values.
With the rapid growth of IoT products and solutions, coupled with the massive amount of money one can make should a solution be introduced before a competitor, little (if any) time is spent by the actual developer in considering whether or not the technology in development is actually good for humanity.
A new project seeks to change the modern-day IoT developer’s way of thinking. Referred to as the VIRTeu project, this new initiative is designed to help create tools and activities that help IoT developers bring ethics into their own conversations. Coordinated by Irina Shklovski of the IT University of Copenhagen, the group’s latest product is “Bear & Co.”, an immersive experience that plunges participants into the world of a fictitious IoT start-up.
