WIMTACH Student Profile: Othman Alhendi

A recent graduate of Centennial College’s Internet of Things (IoT) program, Othman Alhendi explained that joining WIMTACH was a natural progression for him as he tried to expand his understanding of his field. Armed with an educational background in Electrical Engineering and with professional working experience from his previous role as a Data Engineer, he saw WIMTACH as the best resource to help enhance his skills further. “I heard that there is a chance to work with research with a project with [a Canadian SME] … that matched what I was learning ,” he said. “ I saw this as a valuable chance to gain practical, hands-on experience.”

Throughout his internship, Othman has had the opportunity to work with experts from various backgrounds under the FIBRE (Fabric-Based Research, Innovation and Technology Development for SMEs in Sports and Healthcare Industries) program. The multi-institutional program which is led in partnership with Sheridan College, Humber College, and the KITE Institute at the University Health Network enabled Othman to gain a unique educational experience. For the project with the Canadian SME, he was able to work with experts who may not be easily accessible without his internship. “I learned how to collaborate effectively with a team and improved my research skills,” he said. “Being part of the project team was a great experience for me.” 

The project collaboration is centered on developing a data acquisition system with e-textile and wearable therapeutics. The FIBRE team is developing a data acquisition system with a 5 layered IoT architecture, with smart wearable technology and the ability to collect and analyze data. The layers include a dashboard for healthcare providers to access patient data, an Artificial Intelligence model for patient situation assessment, a data integration layer for patient medical data and doctor information, a communication layer for all telecommunication services and access to wireless and broadcasting networks, and a sensing layer using sensor technologies and wireless technologies to gather information from the vicinity. As a Student Researcher at WIMTACH, Othman has been charged with assisting the FIBRE research team in their research and development of sensing, communication and data integration layers for Electromyography sensors. Regularly researching E-textile technology, Othman has been able to learn a lot about this area of smart technology and, importantly, how to effectively interpret the data he is collecting for use in the project. “Getting the opportunity to gain hands-on experience, actually building solutions by fabricating the sensors and collecting data, was the most important part for me. It’s about working with real-world things, not just theories” he said.

In the long run, Othman hopes to use this knowledge to explore a specialization in the data parts of the Internet of Things and cloud computing field. “Being actively involved in this process will undoubtedly give me significant and invaluable experience to leverage when I make the step into the larger and more competitive job market” he said. After months of working at WIMTACH, he would like to build AI models based on the type of data research he has done during his internship, he is currently looking for a professional role as a Data Analyst or a Data Engineer.

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