{"id":6986,"date":"2017-08-17T11:22:42","date_gmt":"2017-08-17T15:22:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsroom.carleton.ca\/?post_type=cu_story&p=6986"},"modified":"2025-10-17T17:53:39","modified_gmt":"2025-10-17T21:53:39","slug":"sensors-5g-wireless","status":"publish","type":"cu_story","link":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/story\/sensors-5g-wireless\/","title":{"rendered":"Life-Saving Sensors and 5G Wireless"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\n Life-Saving Sensors and 5G Wireless\n <\/h1>\n \n <\/header>\n <\/div>\n\n \n <\/path>\n <\/path>\n <\/svg>\n <\/div>\n\n \n\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n

The Internet of Things (IoT) \u2014 a term which describes physical devices, buildings and everyday items that connect to the Internet in order to integrate and communicate with one another \u2014 will transform our lives. Imagine a refrigerator that tells you when you\u2019re running low on milk, or home security systems that can unlock a door from a mobile phone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Prof. Mohamed Ibnkahla in Carleton University\u2019s Department of Systems and Computer Engineering<\/a>, as the university\u2019s CISCO-funded Research Chair in Sensor Technology for the IoT, is working to develop sensor network technologies that will help facilitate the IoT\u2019s deployment and upkeep.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With expertise in sensor integration, signal processing and wireless communications, and support from CISCO<\/a> valued at $1.8 million over nine years, Ibnkahla\u2019s research looks to apply the IoT in many areas, including smart grids, intelligent transportation systems, smart homes and cities, and even food traceability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With such widespread potential for the IoT, Ibnkahla stresses the significance of supporting the backend infrastructure of networks that will be in high demand.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\u201cWe\u2019re evolving to consume more and more data as a society,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s important that there be dialogue between 5G, information systems and sensor networks in order to accommodate this increase in volume and to improve data processing and transmission.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

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Sensor Networks are Gateways<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

With additional applications for industries such as health care, agriculture and energy, Ibnkahla believes that sensor networks will serve as a gateway to improved practices and future discovery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a bit like using a telescope or microscope,\u201d he explains.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\u201cWe can of course see the world around us with the naked eye, but these tools help to provide us with clarity and detailed information that we otherwise would have missed.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Ibnkahla also believes that providing individuals with access to even basic information can serve as a powerful tool for change, enabling them to make informed decisions regarding issues such as energy and water consumption.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHaving access to real-time information will allow people to easily identify their usage levels and patterns,\u201d he says. \u201cWe would certainly begin to see an adjustment in consumption behaviour as a result.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Ibnkahla, outfitting homes with sensor technology could soon help families shift as much of their energy usage as possible to off-peak times, helping homeowners to reduce their utility costs while also decreasing the demand on our infrastructure and power grids. While it is simpler to incorporate these smart technologies into new construction projects, Ibnkahla explains that existing homes that are equipped with wireless technology are relatively easy to retrofit as well.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\u201cThe sensor nodes are very light and have become very inexpensive,\u201d he says. \u201cThey can be integrated into even an old home quite easily.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Whether we choose to make use of sensor networks to monitor our homes or enhance transportation, Ibnkahla emphasizes that the key to developing truly intelligent infrastructure lies in our ability to deploy systems that can be interfaced with emerging technologies and adapted for the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRight now, we\u2019re trying to build a platform that can host any technology in a seamless way,\u201d he says. \u201cWhether we are looking at smart buildings or smart health care, the true challenge will be to bridge all of these gaps and make it easy to manage a city through different technologies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

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Superior Data Collection<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Prof. Sreeraman Rajan, Canada Research Chair in Sensor Systems (Tier II) and a professor in Carleton\u2019s Department of Systems and Computer Engineering, also recognizes the overlaps that exist between communication networks, sensor data and the IoT. While Rajan understands that the physical sensors themselves lay at the heart of data collection, he believes their ability to communicate between both one another and the cloud is what makes them exceedingly valuable.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\u201cSince almost all sensors are able to connect to Internet, it is possible to monitor and interact with them at all times from anywhere,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

\u201cThat connectedness enables us to enhance the potential of sensor technologies, hopefully in ways that were never imagined before.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Earlier this year, Rajan was awarded $150,000 in funding from the Canadian Foundation for Innovation<\/a> to support his research in Carleton\u2019s Advanced Sensor Signal Processing Laboratory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By focusing on techniques such as standoff sensing, which can detect, identify and quantify anomalies and abnormalities, his research holds many applications within the fields of biomedical engineering and health monitoring, such as remote sensing of vital signs and continuous monitoring for patients with acute conditions, as well as detection of falls to help improve the welfare of seniors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to improving health care practices and efficiency, Rajan\u2019s research in smart sensing includes promising applications for the IoT, connected homes and vehicles, and even security and defense, such as uninhabited aerial vehicle (UAV) detection and the ability to \u201csee\u201d through walls with radar imaging.<\/p>\n\n\n

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The Potential of Integrated Sensors<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Having seen the potential of integrated sensor technology firsthand, Rajan believes these systems will continue to rely heavily upon high speed wireless networks, as the majority of the data they collect today is already being sent offsite for processing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen we expand our sensing capability by using multiple distributed sensors, it can require an enormous amount of processing power,\u201d he explains.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\u201cSometimes sensors do not have the necessary capability to compute information on their own and require help in analyzing the data they\u2019ve collected in order to react in the appropriate manner.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

With the volume of information being collected and transmitted set to increase dramatically in the near future, Rajan feels that security, privacy and data ownership will become ongoing challenges as smart infrastructure continues to evolve and integrate into our everyday lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe need to be responsible in how we manage the data of individuals that fuels these interconnected systems,\u201d he says. \u201cPolicy and regulation will ultimately need to be developed to ensure that we are not trading our privacy for the advantages offered by enhanced infrastructure.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rajan also understands that quantity doesn\u2019t necessarily equate to quality when it comes to data collection, suggesting that we should be selective in what, when and how we monitor information.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\u201cBeing inundated with datasets that aren\u2019t essential to the task at hand can actually be counter-productive,\u201d he explains.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

\u201cTo reduce the risk of information overload, we need to make sure we are collecting data intelligently and sensibly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Internet of Things (IoT) \u2014 a term which describes physical devices, buildings and everyday items that connect to the Internet in order to integrate and communicate with one another \u2014 will transform our lives. Imagine a refrigerator that tells you when you\u2019re running low on milk, or home security systems that can unlock a door […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":410,"featured_media":0,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"cu_story_type":[13,19],"cu_story_tag":[1918,1925],"class_list":["post-6986","cu_story","type-cu_story","status-publish","hentry","cu_story_type-research-discovery","cu_story_type-technology-innovation","cu_story_tag-faculty-of-engineering-and-design","cu_story_tag-research"],"acf":{"cu_post_thumbnail":false},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story\/6986","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/cu_story"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/410"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story\/6986\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":97213,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story\/6986\/revisions\/97213"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6986"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"cu_story_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story_type?post=6986"},{"taxonomy":"cu_story_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story_tag?post=6986"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}