Joining Sustainable Design and Internet of Things Technologies on Campus: The IPVC Smartbottle Practical Case

Abstract

Higher education institutions (HEIs) are favored environments for the implementation of technological solutions that accelerate the generation of smart campi, given the dynamic ecosystem they create based on the involvement of inspired and motivated human resources (students, professors, and researchers), moving around in an atmosphere of advanced digital infrastructures and services. Moreover, HEIs have, in their mission, not only the creation of integrated knowledge through Research and Development (R&D) activities but also solving societal problems that address the academic community expectations concerning environmental issues, contributing, therefore, towards a greener society embodied within the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This article addresses the design and implementation of a Smartbottle Ecosystem in which an interactive and reusable water bottle communicates with an intelligent water refill station, both integrated by the Internet of Things (IoT) and Information and Communications Technologies (ICT), to eliminate the use of single-use plastic water bottles in the premises of the Polytechnical Institute of Viana do Castelo (IPVC), an HEI with nearly 6000 students. Three main contributions were identified in this research: (i) the proposal of a novel methodology based on the association of Design Thinking and Participatory Design as the basis for Sustainable Design; (ii) the design and development of an IoT-enabled smartbottle prototype; and (iii) the usability evaluation of the proposed prototype. The adopted methodology is rooted in Design Thinking and mixes it with a Participatory Design approach, including the end-user opinion throughout the Smartbottle Ecosystem design process, not only for the product design requirements but also for its specification. By promoting a participatory solution tailored to the IPVC academic community, recycled plastic has been identified as the preferential material and a marine mammal was selected for the smartbottle shape, in the process of developing a solution to replace the single-use plastic bottles.

Design Thinking for Innovation in Sustainable Built Environments and the Integration of an Inclusive Foresight and Design Thinking Framework

“…(4) a smartbottle ecosystem based on the association of DT and participatory design as the basis for sustainable design at the Polytechnical Institute of Viana do Castelo, Portugal [67]; (5) the application of the Living Labs concept in the management of a coastal area of Constanta (Romania) using the DT approach [64]; and (6) a systematic integration of user's considerations in the design and testing of the sustainable product-service systems of sustainable Living Labs, using the integration of the co-creation method of urban DT [63].…”

The Making of Smart Campus: A Review and Conceptual Framework

“…Sustainable development is a global agenda [52] addressed by smart solutions through integrative approaches in favor of humanity and sustainability [106]. Finally, zero waste was found to involve the application of smart technology in waste management [79,108] and contribute to a green campus [67,109].…”

“…In addition, a collective university experience is created with the focus on human citizens provided by the three elements of a smart campus comprising: (a) the influence by campus citizens, (b) networking of operations and businesses, and (c) emphasis on infrastructure and services development [11]. Moreover, higher education institutions (HEIs) provide technological solutions for a dynamic ecosystem created from students and academics in a digital community [79]. The smart solutions created include sensing, adaptation, inferring, and community contentment [59].…”

“…Smart campus is an emerging development in IoT technology [83] which provides the overall influence on campus citizens, including the development of digital systems to enhance services in a university [59]. In addition, a dynamic ecosystem is created by campus citizens in a digital community [79] forming a robust communications network [84]. Moreover, a community of human-centered and user-driven value creation to improve the total university experience is created [11], facilitated by a Wi-Fi hotspot-based mobile application to construct friendship networks [85].…”

“…Zero waste is about the reduction of waste in smart campus to improve the state of the natural environment addressed through waste management and green campus. Waste management systems developed included the following three prototypes: firstly, the smart waste bin for effective waste collection [108]; secondly, the Smartbottle Ecosystem developed as a means to eliminate single-use plastic water bottles to mitigate waste where the bottle communicates with a smart refilling station through IoT and ICT for refill [79]; and finally, the third is a smart waste management system for university campus operated by 5G to mitigate health and environmental problems. It is based on the premise of recycling materials reducing emissions from landfills and industrial sites to rectify environmental issues of water/air pollution and littering [54].…”