Term Project - Residential Sensors

If you aren’t aware already, I am working with Mike Sawin and Jalpesh Patel on this term project.  Mike did a very nice job summing up our project.  We initially wanted to research the different methods of saving money in a household, like installing a Nest thermostat, but in the advice of Professor Mitchell we narrowed our research to how installing sensors into a residential household can make a home more efficient and could essentially make life easier. 

What sparked my interest in this project is how sensors can make life easier.  There has been little advancement since the dishwasher that makes our everyday lives easier.  Don’t get me wrong; there have been great advancement in technology that adds fun or convenience on an everyday basis, but they don’t necessarily make life easier.  I believe that is about to change with the use of sensors and it is a topic that we are going to discuss in our project. 

Just like Mike states, we will be looking into sensors that could be used in new and existing buildings that can be easily installed and have a payback time of less than 5 years.  I do not think that our expectation of payback will be an issue with the rapid decrease in cost of sensors. 

Finally, we want to discuss how the possible systems that can be installed in a residence can function together.  It is believed that these sensors should be able to communicate with each other wirelessly because working as a team goes a lot further than working individually. 

Looking at other people’s projects, I am really interested in Elda’s.  She is going to discuss robotics in construction, which is a topic of great debate (in my mind anyway).  I really like the fact that her and her team will be discussing the social and economic impacts because I always hear that the advancement in technology won’t increase unemployment but rather create jobs.  However, I always thought that it would create jobs in fields that the people that are being replaced aren’t qualified for.  Therefore, it has a negative social impact for the industry.  Again, I really look forward to seeing what research they come up with.  

Sources:

http://www.nest.com/

http://www.sensortech.ca/site/index.cfm