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ONWARD AND UPWARD: HUMBER COLLEGE RESEARCHERS SOLVE INDUSTRY PARTNER CHALLENGES THROUGH INNOVATIVE APPLIED RESEARCH PROJECTS
ONWARD AND UPWARD: HUMBER COLLEGE RESEARCHERS SOLVE INDUSTRY PARTNER CHALLENGES THROUGH INNOVATIVE APPLIED RESEARCH PROJECTS
By Saran Davaajargal
IN AN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL landscape of constant change, Humber College faculty members and researchers continue to positively impact the community through applied research projects. As the No. 2 research college in Canada, Humber is home to five Centres of Innovation, state-of-the-art technology infrastructure, as well as skills and expertise of leading researchers and faculty members. At the heart of this research and innovation ecosystem is collaboration— between faculty members and students, researchers and staff, as well as Humber and the wider network of industry and community partners.
With research interests in areas ranging from social innovation to system integration to sustainable architecture and energy-efficient construction, Humber researchers, scholars and students continuously collaborate with industry partners on applied research projects. The collaboration yields many fruitful results: the industry partners solve the challenges they are facing; students master new skills that make them competitive in the job market and the community benefits from the positive value that ripples throughout the Canadian economy.
In some ways, the Humber research and innovation ecosystem is like a highway. Just as no two cars are the same, no two projects are alike. Yet, all of them move forward with a shared purpose of making progress and exploring new horizons. Rain or shine, the Humber research and innovation community keeps going—dedicated to solving challenges and making a difference in their respective fields.
In this article, we invite you to drive down the research and innovation highway: From creating robotic painting arms to optimizing rainwater harvesting systems to improving the digital transformation of Ontario’s alternative dispute resolution sector, Humber researchers and scholars demonstrate that the sky is the limit when it comes to innovative applied research projects.
LET’S HEAR FROM HUMBER COLLEGE RESEARCHERS!
We asked Humber faculty members and researchers what research means to them as well as its benefits and importance. Watch the videos to find out what they had to say.
We asked Seyed- Youns (Younes) Sadat-Nejad, professor in the Faculty of Applied Sciences & Technology, to define research in his own words. He responded:
` https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6FQBjhMVuY&list=PLianAeazToWlcH1DvyG0E6ofglzcu4yTC&index=6
` https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6FQBjhMVuY&list=PLianAeazToWlcH1DvyG0E6ofglzcu4yTC&index=6
Here is what Daryoush Mortazavi, PhD., professor in the Faculty of Applied Sciences & Technology, said about the benefits of applied research:
` https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vt1Whkqxcsw&list=PLianAeazToWlcH1DvyG0E6ofglzcu4yTC&index=1
` https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vt1Whkqxcsw&list=PLianAeazToWlcH1DvyG0E6ofglzcu4yTC&index=1
Hamid Dehkordi, PhD., professor in the Faculty of Applied Sciences & Technology, recognizes the importance of soft skills in the success of applied research projects. This is what Hamid had to say about soft skills:
` https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lb3DBLEgOgU&list=PLianAeazToWlcH1DvyG0E6ofglzcu4yTC&index=2
` https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lb3DBLEgOgU&list=PLianAeazToWlcH1DvyG0E6ofglzcu4yTC&index=2
Asked to define “research” in his own words, this is how Sherif Hanna, PhD., professor in the Faculty of Applied Sciences & Technology, responded:
` https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lb3DBLEgOgU&list=PLianAeazToWlcH1DvyG0E6ofglzcu4yTC&index=2
` https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3OtmTFxus0o&list=PLianAeazToWlcH1DvyG0E6ofglzcu4yTC&index=4
ROBOTIC PAINTING ARM DEVELOPMENT
CHALLENGE AND OPPORTUNITY
The industry partner is challenged in finding expert painters and reducing the health hazards for its existing painters. The research project aims to develop an automated painting robotic system that is installable in the painting booth.
INDUSTRY PARTNER
Mechatronic Diagnostics is a for-profit automotive diagnostic and repair centre. The proposed solution will allow the industry partner to perform the operation of vehicle painting in their repair shop booth in an automatic manner, which will optimize the workflow and provide increased safety for employees.
— NIMA POURMOSTAGHIMI, CEO AND FOUNDER OF MECHATRONIC DIAGNOSTICS
HUMBER RESEARCHER(S)
Seyed-Youns (Younes) Sadat-Nejad is a professor in the Faculty of Applied Sciences & Technology, Humber College, a PhD. Candidate at the University of Toronto, and CTO and co-founder of Veebar Tech, an IoT and AI-focused technology start-up. Younes has more than four years of teaching/research experience and two years of academic and industrial experience in the field of AI. His extensive experience in the development of technological systems, algorithm development, mathematics and data analysis will ensure the robustness of the project and development of the 3D to a path-plan algorithm.
Dr. Mehrdad Iravani-Tabrizipour is the Co-Investigator of the project. Dr. Mehrdad has more than eight years of teaching/research experience and two years of industrial experience in the field of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering. His experience in the development of robotic arm applications and algorithm development will ensure the functionality of the prototype and the design of the robotic system.
RESEARCH GRANT
The research project was awarded the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Engage grant ($25K).
Learn more about the project Robotic Painting Arm Development. https://humber.ca/research/news/robotic-painting-arm-development
INDOOR NAVIGATION SYSTEM-WAYFINDING
CHALLENGE AND OPPORTUNITY
Research studies have shown that shoppers or office visitors searching for an item or an office in large buildings cause frustration and contribute to people traffic congestion, which leads to a potential increase in disease spread. In addition, the impact resulting from inefficient indoor navigation has also been shown to lead to additional greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. By developing a mobile application that can help users with indoor wayfinding, the research team hopes to reduce the amount of interaction people have in crowded places, thereby reducing the likelihood of transmission of the highly contagious COVID-19.
INDUSTRY PARTNER
Humber College research team is partnering with Circuit Plus, a Canadian engineering firm incorporated in 1999. Circuit Plus has more than 20 years of experience designing, developing, manufacturing, and testing electronic devices in the industrial, commercial and healthcare fields.
HUMBER RESEARCHER(S)
Daryoush Mortazavi, PhD., P.Eng., Principal Investigator, has experience in all aspects of the Research and Development process and project management in Industry 4.0 projects. Daryoush completed his PhD. in Electrical Engineering at Deakin University in Australia, where he conducted research in nanotechnology and image processing. Daryoush has over 15 years of practical industry experience in various industries in Iran, Australia and Canada. As a professor at Humber College, he applies his vast expertise in both classrooms and applied research projects.
Daryoush notes that he conducts applied research because the experience benefits both students and industry partners; he shares:
—DARYOUSH MORTAZAVI, PROFESSOR, FAST
RESEARCH GRANT
The research project was awarded the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Engage grant ($25K).
Learn more about the project Indoor Navigation System-Wayfinding. https://humber.ca/research/news/indoor-navigation-system-wayfinding
DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION OF ONTARIO’S ALTERNATIVE DISPUTE RESOLUTION (ADR) SECTOR
CHALLENGE AND OPPORTUNITY
ADR Institute of Ontario (ADRIO) seeks to develop more insights about the ADR sector in Ontario. ADRIO’s current database management system (DMS) has limited functionality to provide client relationship management and related client-practitioner engagement identification. The technical challenge experienced by ADRIO is their limited resources and expertise to change the existing DMS into a more intuitive and accessible customer interface.
The project will identify new and evolving opportunities and practices in the ADR sector and promote a better understanding of the needs and challenges experienced by all ADR practitioners. It will also enable research, identification, and pilot testing of an online digital tool for data management, which will make ADRIO’s processes more efficient, while addressing the emerging needs of Ontario’s ADR sector.
INDUSTRY PARTNER
ADRIO is a revenue-generating non-profit industry association for practicing and aspiring practitioners of ADR. With a membership of over 900-strong across Ontario, ADRIO strives to enhance the quality and standards of practice in the provincial ADR sector by supporting accreditation and professional development of practitioners, including Mediators, Arbitrators, Adjudicators, Facilitators, and ADR students.
—PRAMILA JAVAHERI, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, ADRIO
HUMBER RESEARCHER(S)
Mary Lee is the Program Coordinator and Professor in the Longo Faculty of Business at Humber College, where she is responsible for the Alternative Dispute Resolution Graduate Certificate Program. She holds the position of Chair with the Toronto Licensing Tribunal. Mary also has a long and distinguished career in the administrative justice sector and the Ontario Public Service, where she held numerous roles in her career working for the provincial government ministries, boards and tribunals.
Rameen Sabet is a Professor in the Longo Faculty of Business at Humber College, teaching in both the ADR Graduate Certificate Program and Paralegal Diploma Program. Rameen spent nearly ten years working in Tribunals Ontario, as a Mediator and Program Advisor. He holds a Master of Public Policy, Administration, and Law from York University, where he focused his major research on evaluating the effectiveness of Ontario adjudicative tribunals.
RESEARCH GRANT
The research project was awarded the Natural Sciences, and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Engage grant ($25K).
Learn more about the project Digital Transformation of Ontario’s Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Sector. https://humber.ca/research/news/digital-transformation-ontarios-alternative-dispute-resolution-adr-sector
DESIGN AND SIMULATE LEAF GUARD TO IMPROVE DRAINAGE CAPABILITY
CHALLENGE AND OPPORTUNITY
NEEB Engineering has developed a rainwater harvesting system (RWH) to address the growing water scarcity challenge and to contribute to the increasing trend for sustainable technologies in the building construction sector. Before the RWH can be sold commercially, NEEB Engineering needs to complete the development of an accessory eavestrough leaf guard product intended to provide pre-storage filtration of rainwater prior to entering a rainwater harvesting storage tank. The leaf guard is an important component of the RWH technology in ensuring optimum water quality when distributed in buildings for toilet, laundry and manufacturing processes.
The project's main challenges are to design a new leaf guard profile to optimize water capture and drainage capability for NEEB Engineering’s RWH. The project will help NEEB Engineering determine how to optimize the water capture and drainage capability of the leaf guard by means of computer modelling.
Hamid gratefully acknowledges that the support from Humber’s Office of Research & Innovation has been valuable for his receiving the NSERC Engage Award for the research project. Hamid states:
—HAMID DEHKORDI, PROFESSOR, FAST
INDUSTRY PARTNER
NEEB Engineering is a Guelph, Ontario-based consulting firm in the building construction industry, providing sustainable engineering design services and the development of innovative technology solutions in water conservation and management. NEEB Engineering specializes in rainwater harvesting system design, construction and maintenance and focuses on developing clean technologies to address domestic and global water conservation, security and supply challenges.
HUMBER RESEARCHER(S)
Hamid Dehkordi, PhD., P.Eng., Principal Investigator, is a professor in the Faculty of Applied Sciences & Technology at Humber College. Hamid completed his PhD. in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Québec at Chicoutimi, where he conducted research for four years. Hamid has over seven years of experience teaching at the post-secondary level. Hamid will apply his expertise in fluid mechanics and computational fluid dynamics for this project.
RESEARCH GRANT
The research project was awarded the Natural Sciences, and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Engage grant ($25K).
Learn more about the project Design and Simulate Leaf Guard to Improve Drainage Capability. https://humber.ca/research/news/design-and-simulate-leaf-guard-improve-drainage-capability
DESIGN ENHANCEMENTS OF MOBILE AIR MONITORING SYSTEM
CHALLENGE AND OPPORTUNITY
The industry partner’s main technical challenge in developing the enclosed measurement system is the turbulence associated with the airflow into the system, as well as the presence of dust, water vapour and contaminants that are entrained with the airflow into the system. The Humber research team will provide technical leadership in modelling the airflow inside the engineering system and reducing contaminant interference with measurements through design modifications and in-situ testing.
Reflecting on the main benefits of the project, Sherif Hanna—the project’s Principal Investigator—says:
—SHERIF HANNA, PROFESSOR, FAST
INDUSTRY PARTNER
Ecosystem Informatics Inc. (ESI) is a company incorporated in 2019 in the field of environmental engineering. ESI is developing patent-pending, realtime and mobile environmental measurement tools to overcome the sample collection and location-specific measurement limitations.
HUMBER RESEARCHER(S)
Principal Investigator Sherif Hanna is a professor of Mechanical Engineering Technology in the Faculty of Applied Sciences & Technology at Humber. Sherif holds a PhD., M.Sc and B.Sc in Mechanical Engineering and specializes in engineering design, advanced manufacturing and environmental engineering. His graduate research focused on the development of environmental sensors. Sherif has more than ten years of industrial experience in the design and operation of environmental systems in the heavy industrial and energy sectors. Sherif teaches design and manufacturing courses at Humber and leads Capstone projects that deal with the development of environmental systems.
Co-Investigator Shaun Ghafari is the Associate Dean for the Advanced Manufacturing Cluster at Humber. Shaun holds a B.Sc., M.S. and PhD. in Mechanical Engineering. With a research interest in Mechatronics application areas, Shaun has successfully led over 15 projects as a principal investigator for system development and integration. As a Co-Investigator, Shaun will add valuable insight to the design and modelling of the system.
RESEARCH GRANT
The research project was awarded the Natural Sciences, and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Engage grant ($25K).
Learn more about the project Design Enhancements of Mobile Air Monitoring System. https://humber.ca/research/news/design-enhancements-mobile-air-monitoring-system
PHOTO BY VISHNU MOHANAN ON UNSPLASH
MICROCONTROLLER BASED SELF-CONTAINED MATERIAL LOADER
CHALLENGE AND OPPORTUNITY
The circuit boards in the industry partner’s equipment for the operation of their Integral Vacuum Loaders, which have discreet digital components, were designed 50 years ago. They had a very short lifecycle and required frequent rewiring and maintenance, leading to numerous service calls from their clients, the leading cause of downtime and costs for their customers’ production.
Hamilton Plastic Systems Ltd. (HPSL) collaborated with Humber College to design, optimize, and develop a costefficient circuit board solution that can be reprogrammed based on the need. The urgent requirement for this solution to meet the increasing demands of technicians for service calls and lost revenue from HPSL clients was met through intelligent design, research, and collaboration.
INDUSTRY PARTNER
Hamilton Plastic Systems Ltd. (HPSL) is a small Canadian company that has been a leading supplier of auxiliary and capital machinery to the plastics industry since 1965. HPSL operates from a modern manufacturing facility providing a wide section of equipment that efficiently moves and stores raw materials and conveys and conditions them on their way to processing. They are recognized as a leading manufacturer and supplier to the plastic industry by concentrating their resources in innovative ways to automate material flow, serve customers promptly and maintain large, finished units and spare parts inventory.
HUMBER RESEARCHER(S)
The research project was led by Savdulla Kazazi, PhD. P.Eng., Professor and Program Coordinator, Faculty of Applied Sciences & Technology (FAST) as the Principal investigator, assisted by Javeed Khan, PhD., P.Eng., former Professor at FAST, as the Co-Investigator.
Savdulla Kazazi has 32 years of experience in academia, industry, and research and development with consultation projects. His expertise in Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs) and extensive experience in industry settings effectively contributed to the development of the product to meet the rigorous demand in HPSL’s setting/industry environment. He assumed supervision of the students and overall technical lead for the project working in liaison with Humber Research & Innovation.
Javeed Khan’s expertise in microcontroller-based design projects and digital signal processor projects played an essential role in designing and developing this project. He was responsible for literature review, research and selection of microcontroller and interface (humanmachine interface or HMI), design of physical inputs and outputs interfaced to the board, listing, and procurement of materials, programming of Microcontroller and HMI, fabrication of PCB board along with interfaces for the physical inputs and outputs, and working with the research team to meet the project deliverables.
—SAVDULLA KAZAZI, PROFESSOR, FAST
RESEARCH GRANT
Learn more about the project Microcontroller Based Self-Contained Material Loader. https://humber.ca/research/news/research-success-story-microcontroller-based-self-contained-material-loader-industry-partner
The research project was awarded the Natural Sciences, and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Engage grant ($25K).
HOUSE RENDERINGS COURTESY OF ELIZABETH FENUTA AND BUILDING INFORMATION MODELING
BUILDING INFORMATION MODELING (BIM) WORKFLOW FOR AFFORDABLE SINGLE- FAMILY HOUSING
CHALLENGE AND OPPORTUNITY
The challenge the industry partner faced is the lack of highly-skilled personnel that understand both design, building and construction along with computer programming. The outcomes of this research will increase speed, accuracy and efficiency when creating singlefamily dwellings along with creating the possibility of automation in a controlled facility. This will impact the construction industry by providing a consistent and safer work environment. Humber students working on the project will gain valuable technical skills.
The research project utilized the Building Information Modeling (BIM) workflow developed by BIM Studio to test how standard builder’s houses can be redesigned in a
modular way that is easily interchangeable while having minimum inefficiencies between options. Utilizing BIM software workflows allows for the management of many data inputs and increased efficiency with less error.
INDUSTRY PARTNER
The BIM Studio team is a fast-growing, multi-skilled group of BIM professionals. BIM Studio's primary business is to provide BIM services to the Canadian building and construction industry, which reduces costly errors, material waste, and low-quality, high-priced housing.
HUMBER RESEARCHER(S)
Elizabeth Fenuta is a Professor of Architectural Technology in the Faculty of Applied Sciences & Technology at Humber College. She received her Master of Architecture and Honors Bachelor of Architectural Studies from the University of Waterloo.
Through studying architecture in Italy and working at various prestigious architecture and design firms in Toronto, she provides a unique interdisciplinary approach to spatial practice. Elizabeth has taught at the University of Waterloo and researched with Dr. Elizabeth English on Amphibious Architectures. She has also taught Architecture at Ryerson University and Interior Design at Yorkville University.
—ELIZABETH FENUTA, PROFESSOR, FAST
RESEARCH GRANT
The research project was awarded the Natural Sciences, and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Engage grant ($25K).
Learn more about the project Building Information Modeling (BIM) Workflow for Affordable Single-Family Housing. https://humber.ca/research/news/project-success-story-building-information-modeling-bim-workflow-affordable-single-family
DATA VISUALIZATION: DEEPER INSIGHTS AS A RESULT OF BETTER VISUALS!
CHALLENGE AND OPPORTUNITY
Complete Wind Corporation has long-term contracts with customers. They receive customers’ turbine data and analyze the data. Third-party companies, like Complete Wind Corp., that perform these inspections will assess their findings, compile results into reports and provide recommendations to the owner/operator on what actions are required. Close evaluation of the OEM’s responses is necessary to ensure that the rationale for acceptance of the defects/anomalies discovered during the inspections is sufficient to mitigate their future risk to the blade.
Through the report findings, the owner/operator gains information on the overall quality of their blades, and the wear and replacement characteristics of the blade and blade components, such as LE protection and aerodynamic elements. Additionally, and quite commonly the most significant benefit to the owner/operator, if manufacturing defects which were not discovered by the quality department of the OEM during initial manufacture are found, the EOW inspections will ensure that their repair cost does not come upon the owner/operator themselves.
The Humber research team addressed “data visualization” and provided suggestions to Complete Wind Corporation. This was done with the aim of enabling Complete Wind Corporation to derive deeper insights into the turbine data to, in turn, provide valuable recommendations to their customers for service or maintenance.
INDUSTRY PARTNER
Complete Wind Corporation works with Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) and owners/operators to meet their specific wind turbine rotor blade needs. With a core management team having greater than 15 years’ experience in the Wind Turbine Industry, they have the experience required to meet specific needs and services like rotor blade inspection & repair, End of Warranty (EOW) rotor blade inspections and turbine performance trouble shooting.
—JEREMIE LACHANCE, DATA ANALYTICS SUPERVISOR, COMPLETE WIND CORPORATION
HUMBER RESEARCHER(S)
The Humber research team was led by a professor at Humber’s Faculty of Applied Sciences & Technology (FAST). The research team included research assistant Apaarjas Narang, a 2021 Humber graduate from FAST, who tapped into the data visualization features and dashboard performance tools provided by Tableau. The team approached Barath Roy Michel, Senior Project Manager at Humber’s Office of Research & Innovation, who supported the team and provided valuable Tableau training.
Learn more about the project by reading Data Visualization: Deeper Insights as a result of Better Visuals. https://humber.ca/research/news/data-visualization-deeper-insights-result-better-visuals
PROCESS INNOVATION
CHALLENGE AND OPPORTUNITY
The main challenge faced by the industry partner was finding methods of optimizing the current process of pairing Internet of Things (IoT) devices to backend data collection and analytics.
1. Pre-deployment preparation
2. On-site deployment
3. Post-deployment validation process
After careful testing, it was found that the optimized process reduced the duration of the deployment process by 60%. Through repeated testing, this new process was confirmed to be viable and practical in an actual deployment setting.
The research team concludes that this process innovation, in effect, will generate significant savings in efficiency and labour costs for the industry partner.
HUMBER RESEARCHER(S)
A Humber research team, led by professor Timothy Wong, PhD., Faculty of Applied Sciences & Technology, was recruited on the project with one of Humber’s valued industry partners.
—CHLOE CHAI, RESEARCH ASSISTANT
Learn more about the project Process Innovation.
PHOTO BY SARA KURFESS ON UNSPLASH
IMPROVING BLUETOOTH SENSOR PERFORMANCE
CHALLENGE AND OPPORTUNITY
In a recent applied research project, the Humber research team led by professor Timothy Wong, PhD., Faculty of Applied Sciences & Technology, successfully proposed and implemented a measurement solution that they developed during their collaboration with an industry partner. The industry partner is a technology innovator and a solution provider in the Internet of Things (IoT) space. The research team has found that since the IoT sensors are ubiquitous, they must meet or exceed their required Bluetooth performance. If they do not, it becomes challenging to troubleshoot problems a human eye cannot see. To prevent such challenges from occurring, Humber research team proposed looking into the performance of the industry partner’s current set of Bluetooth-enabled IoT modules.
When their proposal was accepted, the Humber research team tested the Bluetooth sensors provided by the industry partner. The team conducted Bluetooth range tests on various real-life environments with real-life obstructions, generating comprehensive range of performance data. They also analyzed the data to fit into range models, which gave insight into what to expect when deploying these sensors into different physical environments.
Measuring the performance of a sample of massmanufactured Bluetooth IoT modules against the required performance benchmark serves an important purpose.
The project team observes that before beginning the measurement, it’s important to know what the required performance benchmark is. The team notes that the solution provider should have multiple reference samples in-house (not-for-sale) that were well built and gone through vigorous testing. These samples would go through a number of required tests, and their performance would be recorded as benchmarks.
Subsequently, when a new manufacturing contract comes up for renewal or bidding, the solution provider can supply reference sample data and benchmarks for the bidders to assess their products against. Better still, upon receiving the finished products, the solution provider can select a sample of these finished products, run reference tests on them and compare the output to the reference data. The solution provider can also come up with an acceptable percentage to help them decide on whether the finished products are within the allowable range of performance.
HUMBER RESEARCHER(S)
A Humber research team, led by Professor Timothy Wong, PhD., Faculty of Applied Sciences & Technology, was recruited on the project with one of Humber’s valued industry partners.
PHOTO BY WARREN WONG ON UNSPLASH
SENSE WEATHER STATION
CHALLENGE AND OPPORTUNITY
When Alexandra Urzola Mendoza and Victor Teske, students in the Computer Systems Technician diploma program at Humber, started collaborating with professor Timothy Wong, PhD., Faculty of Applied Sciences & Technology, they were inspired to build a temperature and humidity sensor for monitoring studios and equipment storage. With guidance from professor Timothy, the students successfully built the Sense Weather Station, which is described as follows:
—SENSE WEATHER STATION PROJECT TEAM
The project idea was born out of the observation that studios and equipment storage is usually located in fully enclosed spaces with no windows. Humidity and temperature changes can have a negative impact on music instruments and sensitive studio quality electronics, such as fine-tuned speakers. The ideal temperature for studio and music equipment storage is around 21ºC with a relative humidity between 40% to 60%. However, the environmental changes created by air conditioning and heating make it challenging to keep the instruments in tune since the climate control and the onoff cycles have been designed to fit the human schedule. The daily swings in the environment are likely to affect the longevity of equipment over time.
The project team has found that, due to humid summers and freezing winters in Toronto, it is important to have the ability to monitor the equipment environment, store the information in the cloud as history and generate alerts when environmental variables go out of range.
When the project team created the sensor, they connected with Humber’s TV Studios (figure 2), overseen by Michael Gilman, Manager, Technical Services, and installed the device (figure 3) in order to test temperature and humidity. As a result, the team was able to acquire the readings from inside the room (figure 1), analyze the impact and visualize the data on the Cloud web domain.
FIGURE 1. DEMONSTRATION CHIP’S DEVICE RECEIVING DATA FROM THE STATE ENVIRONMENT OF THE ROOM, AND THE LOGOTYPE OF REPRESENTATION “SENSE WEATHER STATION” ON THE CLOUD RECEIVING DATA.
PHOTO COURTESY OF PROFESSOR TIMOTHY WONG.
FIGURE 2. HUMBER’S TV STUDIOS
PHOTO COURTESY OF PROFESSOR TIMOTHY WONG.
Aasim Manji, who maintains the Humber TV studio and utilizes the application, shared positive feedback about the ease of use and information about the humidity and temperature within the space. Aasim stated:
—AASIM MANJI, DIGITAL MEDIA TECHNICIAN, HUMBER COLLEGE
Upon testing the sensor, the project team completed the capstone project and showcased it as part of the ICT Capstone Project Expo 2022. The project is yet another example of inspiring collaboration between faculty members and students.
HUMBER RESEARCHER(S)
As part of the project, Alexandra Urzola Mendoza and Victor Teske, students in the Computer Systems Technician diploma program at Humber, collaborated with professor Timothy Wong, PhD., Faculty of Applied Sciences & Technology.
FIGURE 3. DEVICE SENSE WEATHER STATION INSTALLED ON HUMBER’S TV STUDIOS.
PHOTO COURTESY OF PROFESSOR TIMOTHY WONG.
We acknowledge the support of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC). Nous remercions le Conseil de recherches en sciences naturelles et en génie du Canada (CRSNG) de son soutien.
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