The proliferation of Internet of Things (IoT) allows more sensors to be used for monitoring, detection and security purposes. However, this also introduces new problems to the user: Short sensor's lifespan (due to reliance on battery as the main power source) affecting the service operation, Cost and hassle associated with frequent maintenance and

An urban heat island (UHI) is a high-density urban area that is significantly warmer than its surrounding low density or rural areas. This phenomenon is a result of surface modification of its surroundings, i.e. use of highly absorptive urban materials, increased building density etc. The effect of UHI has been reported to cause an increase in air

A European start-up company has developed the world's smallest gas flow sensor. The tiny 3.5 mm x 3.5 mm CMOS MEMS sensor is small enough to fit into virtually any product and can be positioned where measurements matter. Examples of use cases include: active filter monitoring in vacuum cleaners, air-conditioning units and other consumer appliances;

Living Plant Installations is an integrally unique way of interacting with the vegetal environment. By converting plants into biological switches, we can activate lights, sounds, music, videos, and a myriad of other devices by touching plant leaves. Applications in smart cities, architecture, domotics, experiential marketing, events, and city space

Every day, the use of sensors in agriculture b e c o m e s m o r e widespread . Sensors are used to measure climate conditions and soil parameters (such as humidity and pH), t o predict crop yields and to identify potential dangers . Chemical batteries are the most common solution for the storage of energy in smart agriculture systems. They exhibit

This heat reflecting coating is based on a different operating principle as compared to other well-known insulating materials such as polystyrene, mineral wool or fibreglass. As a result, the coating has several advantageous features to provide even heat distribution, improve personal thermal comfort, increase energy savings, reduce moisture conden

Data centres and telecommunications sites require reliable and cost-effective cooling solutions as they need to be cooled 24/7 and to operate optimally at 24-28°C. Typically, these sites are cooled using centralised chiller plant systems. With growing concerns on increasing energy costs by facility owners, there is a need to seek alternative means

This technology offers a novel model-predictive distributed control method and a flexible and cost effective IoT implementation architecture for energy saving in building HVAC systems. It is scalable and real-time optimally responsive to changes in a large building that has more than 500 zones via a patented token-based HVAC scheduling strategy. Th

Typically, buildings with centralised air-conditioning have one or more air filters in each of the air handling units. While air filtration plays an important role to improve indoor air quality, it requires a significant amount of energy consumption to achieve high filtration efficiency, which is the extent to which filters remove airborne particle

About two decades after its first proof-of-concept, 3D concrete printing is on the threshold to become more matured. It provides new opportunities such as higher degree of architectural freedom, lower costs due to a lack of scaffold, less labour intensive manpower and less material required. To achieve these, the print processes need to be more rob

It is highly desirable to keep various types of surfaces clean and easy to maintain to retain their aesthetic appearance and/or functional performance. This can be achieved through self-cleaning coatings, that work by breaking down organic materials and by creating a water-loving surface to allow rain or other water sources to easily wash them off

Photocatalytic effect is a crucial element for achieving self-cleaning surfaces in an indoor environment. Self-cleaning surfaces minimise the need for labour intensive and costly cleaning and maintenance services. However, commercially available self-cleaning solutions are typically in the form of coatings that wear off with time and require re-app

Aerogel is the world's lightest solid material and exhibits the lowest thermal conductivity. Aerogel has more than twice the insulating performance of still air. It also has an open structure that allows vapour to readily diffuse through its matrix. Incorporating aerogel into existing or new insulation materials can displace air and replace it with

This technology presents a 'materials by design' approach to develop tunable coatings utilising functionalised nanoparticles. Coatings that incorporate these nanoparticles can be designed to impart optimised efficiency, optimised functionality, reduced corrosion, retention of appearance, improved fuel efficiency and improved airflow, and are applic

This optical fibre sensor has been developed in cooperation with an industrial collaborator that has an application requiring a sensor capable of measuring humidity in a harsh waste water treatment environment. The sensor employs a Fibre Bragg Grating (FBG) which acts as the basis of the Relative Humidity (RH) sensor design and the humidity sensing

In recent years, rapid development of state-of-the-art equipment in offices, hospitals, shopping malls, food-courts, residential apartments, modern buildings, transportations and other manufacturing industries lead to serious noise pollution, which has significant adverse effects on the personal health, environment, productivity, reliability of ele

Existing electric air purifiers applied to closed, indoor environments have to be closely monitored and controlled due to potential hazardous ozone emissions. Alternatively filter based purifiers have an issue of power losses owing to the raised pressure drop of filters as well as a difficulty in filter management. Existing filter-based air purifie

The technology provider has developed an innovative process for the chemical-free disinfection of open cooling water from climate control systems. The technology aims to replace conventional water disinfection with the addition of chemicals through an green technology using open electrolysis with ceramic electrodes. This new technology can be appli