June 30, 2022

Two teams of computing and engineering students tied for first place in the second annual Student IoT Innovation Capacity Building Challenge, organized by the Center for the Development and Application of Internet of Things Technologies (CDAIT) and co-sponsored by the School of Public Policy and Georgia Tech’s Venture Lab.

The Intelligent Acoustic Monitoring at the Edge team took first place in commercialization for its low-cost, easy-to-implement application that uses machine learning to detect malfunctions in industrial equipment and alerts users when something might be wrong. The team consisted of Nathaniel DeVol, a graduate student in the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, and Elizabeth McGrath, a computer engineering student. Christopher Saldana, Ring Family Professor in the Woodruff School, was the team’s faculty advisor.

The Soft Stethoscope Patch for Multi-patient Pulmonary Diagnosis team won first place in technology development for its soft stethoscope patch that helps caregivers better monitor the hearts and lungs of patients. The team consisted of three Ph.D. students: team lead Sung Hoon (Josh) Lee, who is studying electrical engineering; Bryan Starbuck, a robotics student; and Maria Sattar, who is pursuing a degree in mechanical engineering. W. Hong Yeo, an associate professor in the Woodruff School, was the team’s faculty advisor.

“Both of these projects were creative, novel, and well-executed and represented two very different approaches to developing IoT systems,” said Jonathan Goldman, a CDAIT board member and a principal at Georgia Tech’s VentureLab. “The Intelligence Acoustics Team targeted a holy grail market for IoT: using acoustic signatures to monitor the health of manufacturing assets. The wearable patch team comes out of Hong Yeo’s lab and is an embodiment of his platform for stretchy flexible electronics with many applications. We look forward to seeing how these projects develop.”

CDAIT awarded each team $6,000 in scholarships to divide among participants. Each team’s faculty sponsor also received $2,000 in recognition of their support.

Presentation recordings and more information about the projects can be found on the challenge’s website.

CDAIT, a partner-funded center of IoT excellence, fosters the development of interdisciplinary Internet of Things research and education that bridges industry partners with Georgia Tech researchers, faculty, and others. It seeks to stimulate creativity, productivity gains, and revenue generation while addressing critical societal issues such as inclusivity, privacy, trust, ethics, regulation, and policy. It is a unit of the Center for Advanced Communications Policy.