Assistive Technology Based on IoT in Building Automation: A Multidisciplinary Engineering Project

Nowadays, most of our daily activities can be performed indoors; according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), on average, an American spends 90 percent of their life indoors. Although multiple efforts have been made to improve the various aspects of sustainability in living spaces, indoor comfort and efficiency nonetheless require improvement. Therefore, more studies and advancements in efficient building design are vital to improve user comfort, while also addressing the aspects of sustainability. This will help achieve the principles of sustainability without altering user activities and avoiding a resulting negative impact on the environment. The green building evaluation and certification rating system, Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design, LEED ® , developed by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC), has been working to change the way that professionals design buildings, develop construction methods, and apply different technologies to positively affect how users perceive and interact with the built environment. This paper presents the importance of exposing undergraduate engineering students to assistive technologies. This has been achieved through the implementation of a project-based learning environment with technology development and the integration of multidisciplinary learning experiences. Engineering technology students collaborate with computer systems engineering students to solve real problems in building automation and assistive technology based on the Internet of Things.