What is IoT?
The Internet of Things (IoT) refers to the concept of connecting everyday objects to the internet and enabling them to communicate and share data with each other. In simple terms, it's like giving "smart" capabilities to objects that were traditionally not connected to the internet, such as household appliances, vehicles, or even wearable devices like fitness trackers.
Y-HUB Opticool is an innovative new Internet of Things (IOT)-based system that utilizes Artificial Intelligence (AI) to control room temperature and help optimize electrical expenses, developed by Dr. Mohd Yazed Ahmad at the Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Malaya. The demand for such a solution has been validated by Ms. Normazlianita Alias via systematic market surveys conducted under the UM-DEEP-TECH Program.
Air-conditioning is well-established as a major cause of our country’s electricity problem, contributing approximately 40% to the total energy usage. This fact is rather unfortunate given that in a hot, tropical country like Malaysia, air-conditioners are practically a must-have for our comfort and productivity. Furthermore, studies indicate that a significant percentage of human populations are not keen or care to conserve electricity usage. It is, therefore, important that we create an autonomous, artificially intelligent (AI) system to seamlessly control our appliances especially something as power-hungry as an air-conditioner. Such technology will not only lower our electricity bills, but also indirectly contribute to a greener environment and lower carbon dioxide Emissions.
Y-HUB Opticool is one of our innovations that addresses the above-mentioned problems utilizing Industrial Revolution 4.0, Internet of Things and Big Data. The Opticool system is equipped with sensors, low-energy embedded processors and cloud connectivity, and is capable of sensing the environment, searching for any human presence, capturing the temperature and humidity of the room, and observing the device’s (in this case, air-conditioning) usage pattern. With this information, our embedded algorithm decides for the best operating sequence of air-conditioning, provides convenience to the user, optimizes energy usage, and stores information in the cloud for data analysis.
Our systematic study has revealed that this technology is able to save up to 30% in energy usage. It offers the anticipated solution demanded by home-users and unit-owners, a device that automatically shuts-down thus avoiding the finger-pointing that usually comes with the responsibility of turning the air-con off. It is also extremely useful for homestay and Air-bnb owners as it allows them to monitor their guests’ electricity usage and with the smart algorithm’s ability to detect and inform of early abnormalities, owners will be able to better organize for a proper maintenance. All of these can lead to significant reductions in operating costs and thus increase maximization of profits. Finally, this technology can be implemented in other areas such as government buildings, leading to major savings in the respective sectors.
Author and researcher featured:
Dr. Mohd Yazed Ahmad is a Senior Lecturer from the Department of Biomedical Engineering, Universiti Malaya. He received his doctorate degree from the university Of Technology, Sydney. He is also a member of the Board of Engineers Malaysia (BEM). Hisresearch area of interest involve Microwave Sn: Including Manufacturing of Machinery and Equipment System-On-Chip (Soc) Embedded System Instrumentation and Control Rehabilitation Engineering.'
Email: myaz@um.edu.my
Copyedit: Michael Hoe Guang Jian (michaelhoe.hoe@gmail.com)
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