Our research team uses hundreds of small discreet sensors that attach to objects and furnishings in the home to provide a quantitative record of the objects a person interacts with on a daily basis. We are currently looking for a part-time hacker generalist interested in home automation who can help us create a new low-cost object usage sensing system to be used in a variety of research projects. Our goal is to update the custom system we currently for use detecting whether objects have been moved with a version that can send data to an Android mobile phone (by way of a network of GuruPlugs). Your responsibility would be to help us implement and test such a system.
This is a great opportunity to work in a dynamic research lab, with potential to get involved with other related projects in the future.
Specific responsibilities include:
- Master using the GuruPlug wall-mounted computer or find a better device for our purposes.
- Write or modify drivers for the GuruPlug computer or alternative so that a SHIMMER USB radio receiver can collect data from the SHIMMER wireless sensor.
- Write code for the GuruPlug that permits multiple GuruPlugs (located one per room in a house) to pass data to each other, ultimately sending all data received from the wireless sensors located on one end of a large house to a single computer on the opposite end.
- Write code for the GuruPlug and an Android phone that permits GuruPlugs scattered throughout a house to seamlessly communicate with the mobile phone, sending data about which Shimmer’s moved to the phone in real time.
- Test a modified version of the SHIMMER hardware with the system,
possibly modifying the firmware on the device.
Requirements:
- Ability to work independently and complete this project quickly
- Able to meet with researchers at MIT and/or Northeastern University on a regular basis
- U.S. citizen or green card holder
To apply:
Respond privately to this message with your resume and a cover letter. In your cover letter, please indicate experience level, if any, with (1) java programming, (2) android development, (3) driver-level programming, (4) firmware programming, (5) wireless sensors and networking, (6) TinyOS and/or SHIMMER sensors, and (7) user interface design.