Abstract
Pickleball is a booming new sport. It appeals to many different demographics due to its ease of play, social nature, and health benefits. As many enter the sport, there is a need for a tool that can help serious players improve their game, while integrating seamlessly into match play. My capstone project addresses this need for a capable technology through the creation of the Paddle Integrated Kemper Logic (PIKL). PIKL is a smart pickleball paddle packed with sensors that tracks swing speed, impact force/location, and stroke type in real-time and transmits these metrics over Bluetooth to help players understand and improve their game. The human dimension is important as the PIKL connects to and communicates with the player's device. Thus, it is critical our technology doesn't have poor security or somehow harm the personal device of the user. Additionally, pickleball is a human-centered activity, so we want the PIKL to be useful and frictionless for the people who use it or have to play someone using it. As the PIKL is a low-power device that uses wireless communication, it could be classified as an Internet of Things (IoT) device. As such, an STS theory that would readily apply is Susan Leigh Star's infrastructure framework. IoT products like PIKL are not isolated and offline devices, but connected entities that can be analyzed as part of a larger system of IoT infrastructure. The STS research consists of using this infrastructure framework to understand how current norms and practices associated with building IoT systems contribute to security vulnerabilities. To explore this, interviews with several IoT and security experts are conducted. The questions focus on topics such as the development process of IoT devices, engineering practices related to security, and the role and effect of standards. In addition, studies of IoT security breaches or applications of IoT systems in different industries are analyzed. These studies are used to support interview data and highlight the real-world implications of security failures. The research shows that the security of IoT systems is deeply influenced by the practices and norms of their creators. The widespread use of standards, particularly in wireless communication, generally enhances security by providing well-vetted protocols for development. However, several common industry practices introduce vulnerabilities, including reliance on familiar but insecure libraries, the use of unverified code from online forums, and pressures to prioritize speed-to-market over security. The findings from the STS research directly inform the potential security implications of a product like PIKL. Developers can use the positive and negative norms identified in the research to ensure they follow best practices and create a PIKL device that is functional, but also secure.
