A Solar-Powered Fleet Tracking System for Rural IoT Applications; The IoT and the Environment: A Paradigm Shift in Sustainable Development

The world is on the brink of a new technological revolution, one that will transform a society dominated by manufacturing and human-controlled electronic devices to one centered on computer-controlled systems continually collecting data and controlling the environment around them. This new technology space is broadly known as the Internet of Things (IoT), a domain encompassing all network-connected objects from fitness trackers to smart home sensors. Over the last twenty years, the number of IoT devices has grown exponentially. Such technology has the potential to solve many sociotechnical problems, by allowing sensors and communications to exist in the background of our daily lives as well as reach the remotest locations. Meanwhile, the ubiquitous nature of the IoT means its effects will impact the entire world, regardless of whether individuals choose to purchase and install such devices. Both the technical project and STS research in this portfolio are focused on exploring and pushing the boundary and limits of the IoT. In the capstone project, a solar-powered GPS tracking device was developed to test whether novel energy harvesting techniques may be combined with low-power circuit design to create a “self-powered” IoT system. In the STS paper, the environmental implications of the IoT were analyzed through the paradigm shift lens, to determine how society would use the IoT to mitigate the effects of climate change.

School of Engineering and Applied Science
Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering
Technical Advisor: Joanne Dugan
STS Advisor: Bryn Seabrook
Technical Team Members: Jesse Dugan, Vivian Lin, Malcolm Miller, Nojan Sheybani