PDT an Astronics Company: Product Design and Development Firm in Chicago, IL

PDT Joins Chicago Tech Community "Array of Things"

Product Development Technologies joins a working collaboration, including many Chicago tech community members, to help bring the urban data sensor project, “Array of Things,” to life.

 

LAKE ZURICH, IL – Nov. 18, 2015 – PDT is proud to join the Chicago tech community in advancing the open data sensor project, “Array of Things,” that aims to install 500 sensor nodes on Chicago’s city streets by the end of 2017. This sensor platform will collect and analyze important data about Chicago’s environment and infrastructure, including temperature, barometric pressure, vibration, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, ozone, ambient sound intensity, pedestrian and vehicle traffic. Researchers, software developers and government officials can then use this rich, real-time source of information to improve Chicago's health, environment, and quality of life.

 

The working collaboration of University of Chicago and Argonne National Laboratory asked PDT to join the team to help design and manufacture the enclosure system – originally created by the designers at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago -- that will protect the nodes from the harsh Chicago environment.

 

“The Array of Things' potential for improving the built environment is enormous, and the fact that it is open source means innovation can come from anyone and anywhere," said David Carhart, Director of Prototyping. “At PDT, we’re excited to be part of a project that has a lot of immediate benefits, and will probably yield some revolutionary breakthrough that is impossible to predict now.”

 

After a year spent securing the appropriate funding, “Array of Things” is now stronger than ever due to a recent $3.1 million grant from National Science Foundation, in addition to $150,000 received from the University of Chicago’s Chicago Innovation Exchange’s (CIE) Innovation Fund Competition, which was matched by Argonne National Laboratory.

 

The nodes will provide open source real-time data that will be collected and researched to better understand the city and investigate solutions to urban problems.

 

 

About Product Development Technologies (PDT)

Product Development Technologies (PDT) is a global, full-service product design and development firm with 120 employees worldwide. Team members have expertise in a wide range of product development disciplines, including strategy, scouting, design research, industrial design, user experience development, mechanical and electrical engineering, software development, and sourcing. PDT’s award winning product designs have been recognized with more than 70 awards from authorities such as BusinessWeek, Fast Company, the Industrial Designers Society of America and The Consumer Electronics Association.

 

Contact

PDT an Astronics Company

(847) 821-3000

askpdt@pdt.com

 

 

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Array of Things (AoT) Chicago Tech Community Project

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