Scalable IoT Architecture for Monitoring IEQ Conditions in Public and Private Buildings

This paper presents a scalable IoT architecture based on the edge–fog–cloud paradigm for monitoring the Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) parameters in public buildings. Nowadays, IEQ monitoring systems are becoming important for several reasons: (1) to ensure that temperature and humidity conditions are adequate, improving the comfort and productivity of the occupants; (2) to introduce actions to reduce energy consumption, contributing to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG); and (3) to guarantee the quality of the air—a key concern due to the COVID-19 worldwide pandemic. Two kinds of nodes compose the proposed architecture; these are the so-called: (1) smart IEQ sensor nodes, responsible for acquiring indoor environmental measures locally, and (2) the IEQ concentrators, responsible for collecting the data from smart sensor nodes distributed along the facilities. The IEQ concentrators are also responsible for configuring the acquisition system locally, logging the acquired local data, analyzing the information, and connecting to cloud applications. The presented architecture has been designed using low-cost open-source hardware and software—specifically, single board computers and microcontrollers such as Raspberry Pis and Arduino boards. WiFi and TCP/IP communication technologies were selected, since they are typically available in corporative buildings, benefiting from already available communication infrastructures. The application layer was implemented with MQTT. A prototype was built and deployed at the Faculty of Engineering of Vitoria-Gasteiz, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), using the existing network infrastructure. This prototype allowed for collecting data within different academic scenarios. Finally, a smart sensor node was designed including low-cost sensors to measure temperature, humidity, eCO2, and VOC.The authors wish to express their gratitude, for supporting this work, to the Fundación Vital through project VITAL21/05 and the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), through the Campus Bizia Lab (CBL) program. Partial support has been also received from the Basque Government, through project EKOHEGAZ (ELKARTEK KK-2021/00092), the Diputación Foral de Álava (DFA) through the project CONAVANTER, and the UPV/EHU through the GIU20/063 grant

Wireless sensors and IoT platform for intelligent HVAC control

Energy consumption of buildings (residential and non-residential) represents approximately 40% of total world electricity consumption, with half of this energy consumed by HVAC systems. Model-Based Predictive Control (MBPC) is perhaps the technique most often proposed for HVAC control, since it offers an enormous potential for energy savings. Despite the large number of papers on this topic during the last few years, there are only a few reported applications of the use of MBPC for existing buildings, under normal occupancy conditions and, to the best of our knowledge, no commercial solution yet. A marketable solution has been recently presented by the authors, coined the IMBPC HVAC system. This paper describes the design, prototyping and validation of two components of this integrated system, the Self-Powered Wireless Sensors and the IOT platform developed. Results for the use of IMBPC in a real building under normal occupation demonstrate savings in the electricity bill while maintaining thermal comfort during the whole occupation schedule.QREN SIDT [38798]; Portuguese Foundation for Science & Technology, through IDMEC, under LAETA [ID/EMS/50022/2013

The Implications of IoT in the Modern Healthcare Industry post COVID-19

The healthcare industry has recently seen a massive surge in the use of the Internet of Things (IoT) during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. IoT’s main objective is to provide people with the necessities in these uncertain times. During the pandemic, the availability of IoT-based healthcare systems is crucial. Using IoT, healthcare systems are becoming more individualized, allowing for more precise patient diagnosis, treatment, and monitoring. Since the beginning of the epidemic, many researchers have worked tirelessly to find solutions to this global problem, and IoT technology has the potential to revamp the current system completely. Over 6 million people had lost their lives by the time this document was produced due to the ongoing COVID-19 epidemic. Many lives could have been saved. The problem today is that when people are too sick, they cannot call or contact an ambulance or get safely to the hospital. With new technology, perhaps a button or programming into a device, people in need can press a button on their phone or call out into a voice-enabled device to contact the ambulance or other emergency contacts that they might have. The research has found that if significant companies take this seriously, it could be a remarkable idea that could save many lives

Research on Building Layout Driven by Energy Flow in Humid Tropics: Take the living space of HALE KUAHINE Dormitory in Honolulu as a thermal comfort simulating object

Building, which can be defined as a “container of life”, should not only be analyzed for expressing visual beauty of architectural language, but special attention related to living quality indoor and outdoor also must be asserted. The desire of comfort is usually satisfied by some mechanical equipment with high energy consumption in modern architecture; however, facing the current crisis of environmental pollution and energy shortage, it is urgent to blaze a trail and to find an architectural approach that is energy-efficient to enhance the life quality. As a part of the Shanghai-Hawaii Global Track Project, this doctoral research has been launched in University of Hawaii at Manoa (UHM), by selecting the non-air-conditioned dormitories in East-West Center (EWC) as an object to study the relation between the comfort level of daily activities and the building programming, which is one of the main architectural design contents once linked too much to spatial accessibility but lacking of considerations from a performance perspective. In order to find appropriate strategies for building programming in such a climate of humid tropics, the paper will blend the lessons of architectural history with the future-oriented technological progress, presenting in two major research clues ---- one is “experience” and the other is “evidence”. Specifically, the clue of “experience” will commence in studying the ancient ingenious ideas from typical human dwellings and vernacular settlements in hot-humid areas and then move to those salient modern regional explorations sparked by their ancestors’ wisdom. Meanwhile, the clue of “evidence” will serve as an evaluation system to demonstrate the feasibility of certain sustainable design concepts, with the assistance of computational simulation data and new credible discoveries from relevant disciplines such as environmental psychology, thermodynamics, neuroscience and behavioral economics on man-environment interaction. By mixing these expertise, architects can take the role of traditional engineers to fabricate a well-tempered “living machine” and figure out some constructive design techniques, which, if applied to mold the campus dormitory, would create a sense of well-being and encourage more students to enjoy the space for a longer time