31 October 2019

Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Underway Penn State Innovation Project A new Penn State innovation project is underway. Six Belgium Campus iTversity students have partnered with several Pennsylvania State University students to design and build an autonomous underwater vehicle that detects water pollution. “Our environment is deteriorating rapidly and I am happy to be part of a project that aims to help address this growing global concern,” comments Megan Venter, a 3rd year software engineering student. The six Belgium Campus iTversity students have been divided into two groups. One group is focussing on the autonomous navigation aspect of the vehicle using software engineering practice. They will be using visual input from cameras surrounding the vehicle to develop a code that allows it to recognise colours and shapes, helping it to avoid obstacles and reach its predetermined destinations. The other group is using data analytics for the water pollution detection aspect. They are creating a sensor which will monitor variables like PH, TDS and temperature in order to identify the areas in a body of water where pollution is present and where treatment is required. “A project like this is especially important in third world countries where water pollution is often an issue. These countries usually do not have adequate sewage systems or the necessary technology or capital to effectively identify and treat polluted water. This project aims to provide countries like these with an affordable, accessible solution,” shares Louis Van Zyl, a 3rd year software engineering student. The project fits seamlessly with the two specialisations offered as part of our Bachelor of Computing, allowing our students to apply what they have learned over the last 3 years in a new way. “This is the first time we will be coding hardware which is exciting and important. Everybody works off hardware, coding an app is one thing but making it communicate with hardware is a whole different challenge,” Ms Venter says. An international project like this gives our students a unique opportunity to approach a project from a multicultural, multidisciplinary perspective which ultimately enriches the process of ideation. “All of the Belgium Campus students are software engineers but the Pennsylvania State students include chemical engineers, electrical engineers and students specialising in business. It is great to see how people from different disciplines approach a problem and it allows us to showcase our unique skills and bring them together to strengthen the project,” Ms Venter shares. “Working with people from a different culture exposes you to a different way of viewing and attacking a problem. It is forcing us to overcome challenges like distance and time-zone while gaining vital time management and interpersonal skills that we can carry with us into the working world,” Mr Van Zyl adds. The project will run for 12 months with a new set of Belgium Campus iTversity students taking over at the 6 month mark. These students will be tasked to work with the Pennsylvania State University students to integrate each component into one feasible project. They will have the opportunity to travel to Pennsylvania State University to meet the students they have been working with and present their project in front of a panel of judges at the 2020 Capstone Design Project Showcase. Keep an eye on our social media to stay up to date as the project unfolds.

3rd-Year Innovation Projects 2019 Belgium Campus iTversity provides a unique learning environment that pushes beyond the barriers of theoretical knowledge and skills into real world application and understanding. We challenge our students to partake in projects that simulate the pressures and expectations of the industry while at the same time challenging and expanding their IT knowledge and allowing them to explore their potential as future innovators in the industry. This is one of the many things that sets us apart. Our third-year students are currently working on their final year innovation projects. They are tasked to come up with inventive technological solutions to a wide range of societal challenges. They will present these projects to their lecturers, who will be acting as the client, at the end of November. Read below for a sneak peak of some of the pioneering projects currently in progress. Pharmacy Drone Pharmacy Drone is a project that aims to assist individuals living in rural areas to order and receive medication from the comfort of their own homes, saving them from what is often a long commute to the nearest pharmacy. The idea is that these individuals will be able to place their order through an app and their medication will be delivered to them with the use of drones. This should solve the issues that come with pharmacy delivery vans, including petrol costs, the cost of the vans themselves, as well as the frequent vandalism and robbery of these vans. Revolution Medical Revolution Medical is a globally connected medical system that aims to address the challenge of international access to medical data. It will allow doctors to access a patient’s medical history from anywhere in the world. This will ensure that regardless of where in the world an individual finds themselves needing medical care, a doctor will have access to their medical records to give them the appropriate treatment. Traffic Prediction Using Data Mining Data mining allows for the discovery of patterns in large data sets which involve methods at the intersection of database systems, machine learning and statistics. Traffic Prediction Using Data Mining aims to provide motorists with an alternative traffic prediction system by collecting data on routes, and using this data to determine traffic flow and congestion. Smart Soil/ Smart Irrigation System Smart Soil/ Smart Irrigation System aims to provide a solution to the biggest threat to the countries food supply, infertile soil. It will assist farmers by monitoring soil levels and determining how ‘healthy’ the soil is, as well as determining the optimal amount of water required for each crop per square meter. This should not only assist farmers with knowing what nutrients are needed and what crops to plant next but it should also help conserve water and avoid wastage. The hope is that the system will eliminate crop losses and improve overall yield. Smart Trolley Tech We all know how frustrating standing in a long cue at the shops can be or how disappointing it is when you order something online and what arrives is nothing like what was advertised. Smart Trolley Tech is a Windows based application which aims to solve these issues by allowing customers to physically see and touch the items they would like to purchase, while being able to skip the process of cueing. It is designed to integrate with a new type of trolley that allows customers to add items to their trolley and checkout without having to go to the tills. The app will allow users to make shopping lists, see specials, locate items in store and should also assist with stock tracking.   Item Finder Item Finder allows users to locate a missing item using a trackable device attached to the item, avoiding hours of searching. The device will be recognised through a phone app and tracked using GPS coordinates. The device will also have a sound feature that will assist with finding missing items in smaller areas.