An Overview of Internet of Things (IoT) for Study Space Monitoring

Finding a seat in some of the study spaces around the university has become an important issue for students. A survey from Bilyard & Johnson (2017) has found that finding a seat in the library is classified as a major issue or very major issue for 69% of students at the University of Birmingham. The … Continue reading “An Overview of Internet of Things (IoT) for Study Space Monitoring”

Office Robot Prototype: Monitoring for Health Hazards

In the Office of the Future, robots will play a crucial part. Robots deployments in manufacturing factories, warehouses, care homes etc. are on the rise. Soon we will have a world with robots roaming offices freely. Currently one of the most widespread use of robots in the office is to provide telepresence, where a robot … Continue reading “Office Robot Prototype: Monitoring for Health Hazards”

Lapworth Allosaurus App

An educational virtual reality application from the Lapworth Museum of Geology, designed by James Bogart from Computer Science, to allow visitors to learn more about the Allosaurus, a predator from the late Jurassic era. This application will allow users to learn more about the Allosaurus specimen at the museum and also about the Tyrannosaurs Rex, … Continue reading “Lapworth Allosaurus App”

Apple ARKit Overview

In the 2017 Apple Worldwide Developers Conference, Apple announced a tool called ARKit, which provides advanced augmented reality capabilities on iOS. Augmented reality is creating the illusion that virtual objects are placed in a physical world. Unlike other augmented reality experience that virtual objects are just hovering over the real world scenario, ARKit allows for fast and … Continue reading “Apple ARKit Overview”

Oracle APEX RAD Tool Evaluation

RAD (Rapid Application Development) is a concept of software development that focuses on speed, prototyping & iterative development rather than a formalised, time-consuming methodology. The idea behind RAD is to deliver solutions which are more efficient & meet the user requirements in a more dynamic & accurate way. Working with delivery of prototypes &iterative releases … Continue reading “Oracle APEX RAD Tool Evaluation”

Biometric Authentication Overview

From the casual users of the home computer to the business, corporations and government, there is a great concern about the security of files, systems, and the ability of technology to protect us from unauthorised access. Computer software companies have put a great effort to meet the demand for better security of sensitive, confidential, and classified information. This … Continue reading “Biometric Authentication Overview”

Emerging Technology (eTech) Competition 2016-2017 Winners Announced

The Demos and Awards Ceremony for the Emerging Technology Competition (eTech)  was successfully carried on 22nd March 2017. Our finalists have inspired us with their app designs and prototypes, from mobile apps,  virtual learning assistant, drones, 3D printing to blockchain technology etc. This year we have a great variety of different technologies. External sponsors from Whitbread … Continue reading “Emerging Technology (eTech) Competition 2016-2017 Winners Announced”

Demo and Award Ceremony – eTech Competition 2016-2017 Final

Time: 22nd March 2017 Location: Aston Webb C Block G30  The Emerging Technologies Competition (eTech) is organised by the IT Innovation Centre (ITIC) in IT Services and builds on the success of the Student Mobile App Competition that we ran for the previous 5 years. In the demos and awards ceremony, finalists will present and demo … Continue reading “Demo and Award Ceremony – eTech Competition 2016-2017 Final”

LeanIX Evaluation

A key element to Enterprise Architecture (EA) is the capacity to create a component repository /application portfolio to centralise, manage & re-use components within an organisation and to define the IT landscape. Collating an organisation’s components and assets allows Enterprise Architects to understand the capabilities, define roadmaps & gap analysis and identify weaknesses & risks with … Continue reading “LeanIX Evaluation”

Monitoring Outdoor WIFI Coverage using Drones

IT Services always aims at providing a good WIFI signal coverage within the university for staff and students. With more and more mobile users, how to detect the WIFI signal strength and maintain a stable WIFI connection is one of the key challenges. More WIFI access points were planed and installed last year to help with the … Continue reading “Monitoring Outdoor WIFI Coverage using Drones”