HEREFlorence · Pee Dee Edition

Technology

Technology You Can Actually Use Not Silicon Valley hype. The gear, apps, AI tools, robots, and classes showing up in Florence — and what’s coming next for Pee Dee.

Hot Gear Apps AI Tools Robots Classes What’s Next

Presenting Sponsor Presented by Your Brand Here — reach Florence’s tech-forward audience every week.

Updated Weekly · Florence, SC · Pee Dee Region

Florence County has become one of the Pee Dee’s fastest-rising technology investment destinations, anchored by headline employers including McLeod Regional Medical Center, MUSC Health Florence Medical Center, Honda of South Carolina Manufacturing. The region’s core strengths in Healthcare & medical services, Distribution & logistics, and Advanced manufacturing are increasingly layered with digital infrastructure investment, workforce automation, and data-driven operations. Florence is no longer only defined by its legacy industries — it is becoming a measurable node in the broader technology economy.

The institutions anchoring Florence’s technology ecosystem span broadband infrastructure, factory floors, and university campuses. McLeod Regional Medical Center</strong>, <strong>MUSC Health Florence Medical Center sustain consistent demand for automation engineers, IT specialists, and data scientists in the region. Francis Marion University and Florence-Darlington Technical College supply engineering and computing graduates directly to Pee Dee employers.

The day-to-day reality of Florence’s tech sector depends on workforce pipelines, startup infrastructure, and code-education resources embedded in the region. Florence County Economic Development Partnership (FCEDP) coordinates technology talent recruitment, matching open positions with skilled candidates and making Florence’s cost-of-living case to professionals from higher-cost markets. The Array and Array corridors draw on regional university connections and shared co-working infrastructure to support early ventures with mentorship and capital.

HEREFlorence covers the Pee Dee tech beat in full: data-center and AI campus milestones in Florence County, broadband expansion coverage, grid investments tied to data-center load, McLeod Regional Medical Center and MUSC Health Florence Medical Center Industry 4.0 and automation developments, Francis Marion University and Florence-Darlington Technical College STEM and research news, and Florence startup funding rounds. If it computes, connects, automates, or launches in Florence County — it’s HERE.

Hot New Gear

What Florence Is Buzzing About

Where to get it, what it costs, whether it’s worth it — reviewed with a Pee Dee lens.

Phone

Foldable Phones Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 Florence tech fans are lining up. The crease is nearly gone, battery lasts a full day, and it unfolds to tablet size. Genuinely useful — not just a flex.

$1,799 Buy in Florence: Best Buy · Online Pre-Order Open

Ring

Wearables Samsung Galaxy Ring 2 Tracks sleep, heart rate, and activity with no charging breaks for 9 days. Spotted on wrists at local weekend markets.

$399 Buy in Florence: Best Buy · Online In Stock

Backpack

Smart Gear Voltaic Solar Backpack SC sunshine powers your phone and tablet all day. A smart alternative to hunting for outlets on campus or at co-working spaces.

$299 Buy in Florence: Campus shops · Online In Stock

Suggest a Gadget Spotted something new in Florence — or want to see it covered? Drop your tip and we’ll look into featuring it. Submit a Gadget Tip

Apps & Software

Apps That Feel Like Tomorrow

Futuristic apps, local-history AR, community AI — what Florence creators are actually building and using.

Productivity Reclaim.ai AI planner that syncs with Google Calendar and blocks time for habits, focus, and breaks automatically. Florence professionals are connecting it to local event feeds so community happenings never get buried under meetings. Try It

AR History AR Explorer — Florence Point your phone at any corner of Florence — the Downtown Florence district, for instance, and see what stood there decades ago. Local heritage layers right onto the present — a walk downtown becomes a time machine. Suggest a Feature

3D Creation Luma AI Local creators are using Luma AI to build 3D models of Florence venues, murals, and neighborhoods from iPhone video. Pee Dee real estate and construction firms are exploring commercial uses. Try It

Navigation AI Waze AI Traffic Updated Waze uses ML to predict backups up to 30 minutes before they happen. Florence commuters heading toward McLeod Regional Medical Center and other major employers are saving real time during peak rush hours. Try It

AI Tools Ranked

AI Tools Worth Your Time

Practical helpers ranked by ease — free vs. pro — tuned for SC life in the Pee Dee.

01

Claude (Anthropic) The all-rounder. Write cover letters for McLeod Regional Medical Center or other Pee Dee employers, draft business emails, plan meals with local ingredients, or just ask a smart question and get a straight answer. Free tier handles most daily use. Florence angle: Local continuing education workshops are including Claude basics for workforce applicants. Ideal for Pee Dee’s growing job market.

5/5 Ease Free Tier

02

ChatGPT (OpenAI) Build a resume tailored for SC’s healthcare or advanced manufacturing job market, get recipe ideas using local produce, or prep for interviews at Florence’s leading employers like McLeod Regional Medical Center. Florence angle: Free workshops at local library branches teach ChatGPT basics for job seekers — check your branch calendar for current sessions.

5/5 Ease Free Tier

03

Google NotebookLM Upload any document — your HOA rules, a lease, a local school district calendar — and ask it questions in plain English. Saves enormous time for parents and renters navigating local paperwork in Florence. Florence angle: Francis Marion University educators are using it to make long policy documents navigable for students and parents in the Pee Dee.

4/5 Ease Free

04

Waze AI Traffic Predictor Already covered in Apps, but worth ranking here too: the ML commute predictor is genuinely useful and completely passive. Just use Waze and it does the rest. Florence angle: Particularly useful for McLeod Regional Medical Center shift traffic and peak commute windows in the Pee Dee.

5/5 Ease Free

05

IBM Watson Assistant More advanced — for small business owners wanting to add AI chat to their website or automate customer service. Several Florence retail and service businesses are piloting it with help from regional AI consultancies. Florence angle: Francis Marion University’s data science program is exploring Watson for McLeod Regional Medical Center supply chain analytics projects in the Pee Dee corridor.

3/5 Ease Pro

Robots & Automation

Robots Working in the Pee Dee

Home bots, yard bots, campus drones, makerspaces — what’s actually working in SC.

Lawn Automation · SC Climate Tested Husqvarna Automower 450X Maps your yard via GPS, mows on its own schedule, and handles SC’s fast-growing summer Bermuda grass without complaint — tested in Florence’s Downtown Florence neighborhood. SC heat and humidity don’t slow it down. Available at local home improvement retailers. Night mowing in summer keeps it cooler.

Home Automation · Advanced Mapping iRobot Roomba Combo j9+ Mops and vacuums in the same pass, learns your floor plan over time, and keeps rugs dry by raising the mop pad automatically. Strong performer on the hardwood floors common in Florence’s older neighborhoods like Downtown Florence and West Florence. Available at Best Buy and major retailers. Florence’s spring pollen makes the HEPA filter worth the upgrade.

Innovation · Campus Research Francis Marion University Robotics Lab Francis Marion University’s engineering program is developing autonomous robotics applications with direct industry ties to McLeod Regional Medical Center and other employers in the Pee Dee corridor. Students are building systems with real manufacturing applications — not just academic exercises. Francis Marion University, Florence. Open demos each semester — check the engineering department calendar.

Community · DIY Robotics Florence Makerspace Local makerspaces host regular meetups for robotics builders, automation hackers, and DIY electronics hobbyists. Beginners are absolutely welcome. Workforce development ties mean you might meet your next employer at a build night. Florence area. Community access available — contact your local Fab Lab or library makerspace coordinator.

Future-Focused Classes

Classes That Actually Prepare You

Francis Marion University, Florence-Darlington Technical College programs, free library workshops, and community courses — what actually prepares you for SC’s growing tech scene in the Pee Dee.

FRAN Fall 2026

AI Bootcamp for SC Workforce Francis Marion University · 8-week intensive · Practical AI tools, prompt engineering, job market applications · Designed for Pee Dee’s McLeod Regional Medical Center and supply chain workforce

Contact FRAN

FLOR Spring 2026

Data Science Certificate Program Florence-Darlington Technical College · Interdisciplinary · Python, R, data visualization, applied statistics · Integrates with Pee Dee business analytics partnerships

Tuition Applies

FLOR Fall 2026

Cybersecurity Fundamentals Florence-Darlington Technical College · 3 credit hours · Network security, ethical hacking basics, SC industry applications · Aligns with McLeod Regional Medical Center digital security internship pathways

Tuition Applies

LIB Monthly

Google Career Certificate: IT Support Florence County Library · 2-hour workshop · Bring your laptop · No experience needed · Enrollment via library website

FREE

LIB Bi-Monthly

Python for Absolute Beginners Florence County Library · 3-hour intro workshop · Variables, loops, your first working script · All skill levels welcome · Evening sessions available

FREE

Online Self-Paced

Deep Learning Specialization (Andrew Ng) Coursera · 5-course series · SC-based learners can apply for Coursera financial aid · Francis Marion University and Florence-Darlington Technical College students may have institutional access

$49/mo or Free Audit

What’s Coming Next

Florence’s Speculative Future

Speculative vibes, SC-specific angles, and your vote on what future you’d actually want.

Wild Card Brain-Computer Interfaces Enter the Consumer Market Neuralink’s non-surgical BCI device is rumored for 2027. Francis Marion University’s biomedical engineering program is watching closely — and building curriculum now to be ready. Florence’s growing healthcare corridor makes the Pee Dee a logical early-adoption market.

Likely Within 3 Years Auto-Pilot E-Bikes on Local Trails GPS-guided e-bikes that follow local trail networks without constant steering input are in commercial development. Florence’s growing trail infrastructure — and urban trail investment — makes it a natural pilot city.

SC-Specific Angle Smart Manufacturing in Pee Dee McLeod Regional Medical Center — already one of the most automated operations in its sector — is expanding its AI-driven quality control and logistics systems. Pee Dee is becoming a national model for smart manufacturing, and the supplier ecosystem is hiring for tech roles now.

Coming to Florence Innovation District in the Downtown Core Early-stage plans supported by SC Dept. of Commerce and Florence’s urban revitalization efforts would anchor a startup and innovation district in the downtown core. Venture capital interest from Charlotte and Atlanta is reportedly growing.

What Future Would You Actually Want? Vote on the Florence tech future you’d snap up tomorrow if it existed. Results update as Pee Dee readers weigh in.

E-Bike Trail Network McLeod Regional Medical Center Factory Tours Innovation District Downtown Brain-Computer Interface Clinic Drone Delivery Pee Dee