Alumni set up IoT lab at NIT, allot three ‘smart’ projects

Members of ‘The 1981 Alumni Trust’ of the National Institute of Technology – Tiruchi have set up an ‘Internet of Things’ (IoT) Innovation Centre to the institute for taking up research.

The centre, essentially a research laboratory, has been set up at an expenditure of Rs. 20 lakh. The trust has not only donated the laboratory but also provided three projects to be taken up by students.

Three batches of students of the institute would take up research projects on developing “smart bus”, “smart house” and an Internet of Things (IoT)-assisted car.

Advantages

Explaining the advantages of the IoT centre at a function to mark its inauguration, S. Ramachandra, Managing Trustee of the Trust, said the ‘smart bus’ would give information, through a smart phone, to commuters on its exact arrival time. It could be used by the transport sector, buses attached to schools or colleges, so that the commuters or students would know the exact time of the arrival of the bus. They could get information on delays due to traffic snarls or other unforeseen situations.

The smart house would be useful in getting real-time information and operation of household appliances such as lights, refrigerator, and electric fans. The IoT-assisted car would enable a user to ascertain data about the vehicle such as temperature of vital components, speed of the vehicle and direction.

B. V. Ramanan, member of the trust, explained the objective of the laboratory. Many more projects would be taken up at the laboratory in course of time.

S. Sundarrajan, Director of NIT-T, emphasised the need to promote innovation among students. He described the laboratory as the foundation and trendsetter for evolving innovation on the campus.

N. Venkataraman, trustee of the trust, and Raja Sanklecha, president of Students Association, spoke.

Later, Dr. Sundarrajan gave away the orders to three groups of students identified for taking up the projects.

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