Zero-Power Sensors for Smart Homes

Sensors are used in many applications from capturing the biomedical signals to monitoring oil pipelines in harsh environment. Sensors have been traditionally used in industrial environment for improving safety, stochastic data acquisition, monitoring and controlling the environment. Nowadays, there is a huge demand for low-cost wireless sensors as a part of Internet-of-Things (IoT) for smart homes, smart cities, and industries. According to the latest market research report IoT sensors market is expected to be valued at USD 22.48 billion by 2023. In most of RF sensors, the characteristics of the parameter under test (PUT) affect the frequency response of the circuit. Most RF sensors are not practically usable as a final industrial product because it is required to have a frequency monitoring device such as a Network Analyzer or Spectrum analyzer to observe the frequency shift and then post processing the results to characterize PUT. These devices are bulky, expensive and not appropriate for ordinary users. The objective of this project is to develop a novel technique to read environmental parameters required for smart homes without having battery assisted or plugged in nodes and used the observed values to intelligently control the environment.

Faculty Supervisor:

Pedram Mousavi

Student:

Hossein Saghlatoon

Partner:

Landmark Homes

Discipline:

Engineering - mechanical

Sector:

Construction and infrastructure

University:

University of Alberta