Page 8 - OIT Progress Report: 2023 Edition

Internet of Things Initiatives
Research requires intense specialization. Specialization of expertise, methods, and equipment are essential to unlocking the world’s mysteries. Discovering unseen aspects of our world sometimes requires the creation of objects never imagined.
When faculty members approach OIT with a need for a solution for their research hardware needs, the Internet of Things (IoT) Lab and their imaginative staff play an essential part in bringing the theoretical out of
the ether and into the lab. No matter the academic discipline, the IoT lab strives to develop innovative yet user-friendly
technology for
researchers
and their
subjects. The
advancements
we have
experienced
in the past year
for academic
technologies have
paid dividends in
their profound effect in
the classroom, the research labs, and even the dance studio.
With recent enhancements in IoT lab equipment, even more possibilities have opened for developing new solutions to research challenges. This year, OIT obtained a desktop Printed Circuit Board (PCB) printer that provides the ability to quickly print circuitry onto many different surfaces, including flexible materials that can be attached to a research subject, like lab mice. This new printer is currently being used to produce miniscule vital
sign trackers for this exact purpose, essentially creating a fitness tracker (like human Fitbit and Apple watches) for mice to make collecting important data easier for researchers with less
physical intervention. Where researchers needed to check mouse vital signs
manually once an hour, the same checks are done
automatically and transmitted to a
central database. Other possibilities
for this printing platform in
tandem with our existing
3D printing capabilities
include faster mockups of
conceptual circuitry for an assortment of
applications. Conversations with faculty and researchers
across campus have brought up opportunities from tracking missing
Alzheimer’s and Dementia patients to detecting vital sign changes during classroom conversations.
The IoT lab also harnesses the power of small single-board computers to develop a detection system for the Physics department, enabling the detection and counting of muon particles – fundamental building blocks of our universe. This system enhances advanced Physics
6 OIT PROGRESS REPORT 2023