University of Advancing Technology's Official Technology Blog

UAT students create a holiday tree... with MIND control!

Just kidding. But almost as cool, the students stepped up the light display in the UAT Commons with a variety of IoT designs! According to Professor Jill Coddington, the designs feature relay-controlled lights, servo motor branches, and a particle photon at its heart. “The photon has a web-based IDE that can be used to program the photon and create displays of lights and motion,” said Dr. Coddington. So, in less techy terms, it kind of looks like the tree is dancing. 😁✨🎄

Students who participated received extra course credit and showed off their designs through a live Teams channel with Matthew Prater, Professor of Robotics and Embedded Systems, as he uploaded and played the music and lights for all to see.

“I liked this contest because the students were able to obtain all the knowledge needed in the first semester programming class and use this knowledge to develop something artistic,” said Professor Prater. “It really drew several different pieces together into a neat package. And yes, everyone got extra credit.”

A particle photon is a small IoT microprocessor that

uses Web based IDE used to control its functions.

Watch the displays:

To fully complete the project, participants were required to choose music, record time for different lighting schemes, set tree lighting points in time to the music, create a function and use set timeout functions to define light settings, and finally, add a button to run the function. The Application Programming Interfaces (API) created by the students allows CRUD (Create, Read, Update, Delete) with a remote system.

API diagram: Students controlled the display by accessing APIs.

Virtual view of the Holiday Teams channel. 

UAT courses and competitions result in some pretty fun ways to test students’ skills!

Read on about how these interactive tree ornaments promote sustainability at https://www.uattech.com/interactive-tree-promotes-sustainability.

Plus, see some of the latest tech on campus in the 12 Days of Techmas! Click https://www.uattech.com/12-days-of-tech-mas.

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The University of Advancing Technology’s Bachelor of Advancing Computer Science degree is designed to help students conceive, program, and deploy applications with the most modern software engineering frameworks and environments across emerging platforms. UAT’s goal is to develop elite enterprise-level professionals with mastery over new programming languages, architectures and software engineering systems.

https://www.uat.edu/advancing-computer-science-degree

Building upon the foundation of software engineering, a degree in Robotics and Embedded Systems can span mechanical design, digital logic design, embedded programming, machine vision and adaptive algorithm development and design of autonomous robotic systems. Students will implement microprocessors and learn to optimize robotics technology using digital hardware design, software programming, and digital and analog circuit design analysis. Students will also apply knowledge of transducers, actuators, and advanced software development to mechanically design and engineer as well as analyze advanced robotics technology and embedded systems.

https://www.uat.edu/robotics-and-embedded-systems-degree

Digital fabrication is revolutionizing how we invent and create, changing for all time the way we design and bring new technology products to market. The digital maker movement is opening doors of opportunity for University of Advancing Technology students earning an accredited Bachelor of Science degree in Digital Maker and Fabrication. As the recognized leader in advancing computer technology education, UAT unveiled the nation’s first fully-accredited Bachelor of Science degree in Digital Maker and Fabrication in 2014.

https://www.uat.edu/digital-maker-and-fabrication-degree

Get started today! Apply at https://uatfastapp.com/.