What is common among activity trackers, automated homes and smart cities? All these concepts were born out of a technological advancement called Internet of Things (IoT) — embedding physical devices with electronic devices and internet network which enables these objects to connect and exchange data. While engineers are still exploring the potential of IoT, it has also attracted the attention of students from engineering colleges in the city. It has been termed as ‘ the next big thing ‘
EMBRACING INNOVATION
Many students, especially those pursuing computer science and electronics engineering, are coming up with innovative ideas to put this still technology — still in nascent stage — to use. Industries are collaborating with the colleges, hoping to use the potential of IoT to improve their facilities.
THE IOT PROJECT
For example, Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute (VJTI), Matunga, is working with L&T InfoTech on a three-year ‘industrial IoT solution’ project. As part of the project, the institute has designed a system to avoid damage and breakdown of turbines at wind farms. It took three years to develop an entire ecosystem around the idea of IoT. While the industrial IoT project is much larger in scale, students at various engineering institutes are trying their hands at smaller applications of IoT.
A group of students at Vivekananda Education Society’s Institute of Technology (VESIT), Chembur, recently designed an IoT-based system that disconnects power supply of defaulters. Using the system, data from an electricity metre is fed into a computer. When the unpaid bill exceeds a particular value, the consumer is issued a warning. After recurring non-payment, the supply is discontinued automatically.
Similarly, a team from MH Saboo Siddik College of Engineering is working on a project to replace traditional switchboards with digital boards. These boards have a touchscreen and can be controlled through a mobile phone.
