The free OpenChirp, developed on LoRa Technology and LoRaWAN network, is available for students and scientists to develop groundbreaking Internet of Things (IoT) solutions

The LoRaWAN Academy, a comprehensive university program connecting next-generation engineers with LoRaWAN-based low power wide area network (LPWAN) technology for applied learning and advanced research, announced the participation of the College of Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) in the LoRaWAN Academy curriculum, intended to drive and support universities and their students in learning more about Semtech’s LoRa® devices and wireless RF technology (LoRa Technology) and the global LoRaWAN™ open standard. By leveraging LoRa Technology and LoRaWAN open protocol, CMU developed its own network, OpenChirp, to educate its students in adopting cutting-edge technology to develop innovative Internet of Things (IoT) solutions.

CMU’s OpenChirp, an LPWAN network, is an open-source, completely free and crowd-sourced ecosystem for students, researchers and citizen scientists where they can collect and share LoRaWAN-based sensor data. Users can link in their own gateways to expand the network and easily register their LoRaWAN-based devices. OpenChirp enables users to explore different types of architectures and applications that can impact society. CMU is collaborating with other U.S. universities to host their own LoRaWAN-based services and share devices seamlessly across universities.

“Connecting sensors is often the most expensive and challenging part of a deployment especially when they are located in remote areas where data needs to travel long distances. By implementing battery-operated, low-powered LoRaWAN-based devices and the LoRaWAN protocol, OpenChirp demonstrates that it is feasible to scale low-powered sensing devices for use across large areas, like campuses, manufacturing plants or even cities,” said Anthony Rowe, an associate professor of electrical and computer engineering, who leads the OpenChirp project at CMU. “At Carnegie Mellon, students are using OpenChirp to develop IoT applications including smart grid demand / response, air quality sensing, and a campus asset-tracking system.”

“The LoRaWAN Academy will help develop a new generation of engineers prepared to tackle the world’s toughest challenges with IoT technology,” said Jaap Groot, acting director of the LoRaWAN Academy. “As IoT becomes more prevalent and LoRa Technology is the defacto IoT platform, it will be important for universities to educate their students with technology that will help with their careers as well as develop new solutions for today’s challenges. Carnegie Mellon’s work is a prime example of the LoRaWAN-based projects that students can develop with LoRa Technology and the LoRaWAN open protocol.”

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About the College of Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University

The College of Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University is a top-ranked engineering college that is known for our intentional focus on cross-disciplinary collaboration in research. The College is well-known for working on problems of both scientific and practical importance. Our “maker” culture is ingrained in all that we do, leading to novel approaches and transformative results. Our acclaimed faculty has a focus on innovation management and engineering to yield transformative results that will drive the intellectual and economic vitality of our community, nation and world.

About LoRaWAN Academy

LoRaWAN Academy is a hands-on, comprehensive curriculum for universities to give future and current engineers the fundamental skills needed for the Internet of Things (IoT). The curriculum includes hardware starter kits and network infrastructure as well as a comprehensive learning program for universities to adopt. The curriculum includes 10 weeks of self-paced online classes that includes video lectures, supplemental reading materials, hands-on assignments, and access to peers in a global LoRaWAN forum. The corporate sponsors of the LoRaWAN Academy are Kerlink, LoRa Alliance, Microchip, myDevices, Semtech Corporation and The Things Network. For more information, visit www.LoRaWANacademy.com.