Prof. Dr. Petra Nieken & Prof. Dr. Christof Weinhardt

Anke Greif-Winzrieth & Paul Gorny

Laboratory experiments have become a methodological standard in economics. Recently, with the advent of smartphones, biosensors and so-called Internet-of-Things (IoT) applications, experimental software can be adapted to answer research questions surrounding these tools. How can stress be reduced, measured with ECGs or pupil dilation? Is information from an MQTT production system relevant for the decision-making of employees in production? Can gyroscope data from smartphones be used for experiments that focus on physical activity? Traditionally, experimenters found isolated solutions that are specific to their device and question. This project aims to develop a connection (stack memory, or “stack”) between the IoT platform ThingSpeak from Mathworks and the experimental software oTree. You will develop the basic core of the software in a team of 3-5 students. Then you choose an individual application (smartphone sensors, eye trackers, an MQTT system, etc.) for your thesis, which you combine with a simple experiment using the core tool for a proof of concept.