Trinity has become the first Irish university to join the LoRa Alliance, an international organisation that promotes the development and growth of the Internet of Things, joining an array of international universities and technology companies that work together to develop the wireless network.
In a press statement the Director of Trinity’s Connect, the research centre that will join the organisation, Prof Linda Doyle, said: “Our membership of the LoRa Alliance places us alongside world leading companies such as IBM, Cisco and Orange.”
The Trinity-based Connect is funded by Science Foundation Ireland (SFI), and links together 10 Irish universities and research institutions, aims to develop and design new methods of telecommunication. The centre already works with numerous international companies, including Google ands IBM.
She added that it was a “fantastic opportunity” for Connect to shape the future of the Internet of Things. The Internet of Things is a wireless network that connects appliances and devices across a regional, national or international network, allowing them to share and exchange data.
Doyle also mentioned the work of the centre’s “Pervasive Nation” programme, which is “currently building a nationwide Internet of Things testbed to facilitate extensive pre-commercial research”.
Ultimately it is hoped that devices connected to the Internet of Things will be able to have widespread industrial applications, including being able to create sensors that can respond to and manage the lighting, heating and security of whole buildings or environments.
In a press statement, Chair of the LoRa Alliance, Geof Mulligan, said he was “delighted” to have Trinity as a member of the organisation. Emphasising the potential use of the Internet of Things in the development of smart cities and across numerous industries, Mulligan said the new partnership will help Ireland “keep pace with, and shape, the rapidly evolving Internet of Things scene”.
