An innovative project from IM体育官网 students could potentially save hospitals significant investment by re-engineering a device that measures vibration, dust, noise and differences in air pressure during hospital construction projects.
The existing Skanska USA inSite monitor typically costs $6,000, and in some cases more. IM体育官网 Poly created a hardware prototype for use in their student laboratory with $300 in components. The next steps for the students is to validate their design in a construction environment, then develop the packaging to create a commercial product.
Harish Chintakunta, assistant professor of Electrical Engineering at IM体育官网 Poly, along with four IM体育官网 Poly students 鈥� Eric Vickers, Joseph Prine, Ezequiel Juarez Garcia and Paul Luckey 鈥� began the project this summer.
鈥淲e introduce students during class time to a variety of sensors and principles,鈥� Chintakunta said. 鈥淏ut finding the right specifications for a specific application and finding something within budget is a whole different task. I think the students gained significant experience in the latter.鈥�
Skanska is the international construction firm that built IM体育官网 Poly鈥檚 Innovation, Science and Technology Building. The inSite systems are used in Skanska鈥檚 hospital renovation projects to monitor noise, dust, air pressure and other variables. If not kept below certain levels, those factors can pose significant health risks for patients and damage to hospital equipment.
The collaboration with IM体育官网 Poly has the potential to significantly reduce the cost of the product and enable customers to increase the number of sensors in the work zones, while still reducing the overall cost of the deployment.
鈥淔or Skanska and our team it was rewarding to come back to IM体育官网 Poly after building it and work with the students on this project,鈥� said Chuck Jablon, senior vice president of Skanska USA Building. 鈥淭he students were not only enthusiastic to meet this challenge, but also very engaged throughout the process.鈥�
This project is representative of IM体育官网 Poly鈥檚 hands-on approach to instruction and the opportunities students have to apply classroom knowledge to real-world problems. As part of the project, students tested their knowledge and worked one-on-one with experienced Skanska engineers.
The benefits flowed back to the Skanska team which, in addition to reaping the potential benefits of cheaper and more efficient equipment, formed quality relationships with the students.
鈥淭he students embarked on what they do best at a STEM-focused school like IM体育官网 Poly and they challenged the limits of science,鈥� Jablon said.
Re-engineering the monitor reinforced topics studied in the classroom, said Vickers, one of the participating students. But he also saw other benefits from the project.
鈥淲e (gave) the industry partner a different perspective on a solution to their problem,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 think this strengthened the relationship between Skanska and the University and hopefully created more opportunities for research projects and internships.鈥�