The purpose of this directed research (supervised by Dr. Joenathan) was to experiment in collecting characteristics of blackbody radiators/light using small, affordable, and consumer available light sensors. The goal of the research was to be able to determine the characteristics of a light source, including intensity at different wavelengths and an estimated blackbody curve. While this is may be trivial with consumer available spectrometers, these products are increasingly expensive and large in size. Instead, accuracy was sacrificed for size and cost. While this presents multiple issues, using an array of photodiodes and some simple math allows for favorable results.
Apart from this, the research is being continued independently from the directed research. Research is being done to properly package the product, as well as research to match the measurements of the device to human mood and emotions. There is already literature that shows a link between different types of light determining human emotion. With a small product that could automatically determine the mood of a room, it could allow for the user to create a healthier lighting for their room.
A paper of the research can be found below: