The Internet of Things and Scientific Research

the last few years have seen a number of interesting applications of internet of things technologies.  there are obvious advantages in areas such as manufacturing, where projects have emerged to detect wear and tear in machinery before things get too critical.

another interesting avenue, however, is with scientific research, and a company called elemental machines are at the forefront of moves in this field.

they have developed a system that they’ve named the elemental machines sensory network, which aims to both monitor and then improve processes in scientific research.

sense and respond

the system consists of an array of intelligent sensors and smart software to make sense of the data it's receiving.  the aim is to capture what might otherwise be hidden data and turn it into actionable insights.

“from academic research to commercial drug development, science-based work can be slow and expensive, involving substantial investments of time and money, but often without achieving the desired results,” said sridhar iyengar, phd, ceo and founder of elemental machines. “the sensory network is optimized to provide a valuable window into the contextual variables that often affect scientific processes, removing friction across the entire development lifecycle, from research through manufacturing.”

the system consists of a number of features, including:

• small, wireless intelligent devices that have embedded sensors to stream real-time data from instruments and the environment.
• sensors to monitor the temperature of critical equipment, with operational effectiveness in temperatures ranging from -200c to +250c.
• sensors equipped to monitor the ambient conditions in a lab, including humidity and air pressure.
• an analytics dashboard to provide visual insights on the data captured by the network above.

it’s a further example of the potential for using technology to bring greater insights into crucial processes.