The Internet of Things is expected to grow from 10 billion devices in 2016 to more than 50 billion by 2020. The majority of these will be wireless, of which about 80% will operate on low power wide-area networks (LPWAN) like Sigfox. With such immense growth, it is critical to ensure today’s university students are learning about IoT and the technologies emerging around it.

We want to work with third level institutions to help students to get familiar with these new technologies.

Through the Connected Campus program, VT and our partners provide universities with free connectivity, support and guest lectures from experts in cloud computing, LPWAN connectivity, Smart Cities, IoT hardware and software. VT will also install Sigfox base stations to create a connected campus and ensure excellent coverage freely for all research activity.

Already this year working closely with PhD researchers in Trinity College Dublin and Dublin City Council to deploy a flood sensor network around Dublin. The importance of this kind of information is critical for ensuring the performance of preventative flood measures. The data flowing from these devices is being used to inform decisions on how critical infrastructure management is being done and how this can be improved. Read more on our flood sensor case study here.

Research in Smart Cities and Industry 4.0 has led to a rapid increase in the number of IoT sensors being deployed around Ireland. The impact of this technology will be felt beyond the engineering department and will be essential for students from business, to architecture, to law and the sciences. We are eager to work with faculty to provide information on these growing areas to all students.

We run guest lectures which range from topic overviews to in-depth technical presentations depending on the audience. We discuss the module topic at length with the lecturer beforehand and review available lectures before aligning our material to suit the needs of the students.