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Mouser Electronics teams with engineer on ‘Shaping Smarter Cities’ project

July 7, 2017

Mouser Electronics Inc., a distributor of semiconductors and electronic components, is teaming up with engineer Grant Imahara for the "Shaping Smarter Cities" project, the newest series in the Empowering Innovation Together program, according to a press release.

Wayfinding and Wi-Fi kiosks have played an important role in many "smart cities" projects.

The "Shaping Smarter Cities" series features five videos that showcase engineers and companies from around the world that are working to make cities more intelligent and resourceful through smart technologies. The series is supported by Mouser's suppliers Analog Devices, Intel, Microchip Technology and Molex.

In the first Shaping Smarter Cities video, Imahara meets with WIRED Brand Lab host Michael Copeland in San Francisco to kick off the series. Together, they explore the challenges facing today's growing cities and set the stage for how the series will unfold.

"Innovation is the true source for creating solutions to existing problems," Glenn Smith, president and CEO of Mouser Electronics, said in the press release. "We look forward to seeing how engineers around the world are crafting solutions to problems that are unique to their locations, and then learning how these solutions can be applied to other cities as well."

"It's always exciting to be at the forefront of this type of critical discussion on what the cities of tomorrow will be like," said Imahara. "Engineers, by nature, are problem solvers, so I am excited to see what these engineers around the globe are doing to shape the smart cities of the future."

The series will take viewers to cities in Portugal, Japan and Southern California, covering regional challenges and the new technologies developed to address them. Mouser and Imahara will explore how buses and city vehicles with connected access points and sensors are forming a mesh network that provides free Wi-Fi and massive amounts of data to help a city run more efficiently.