The GOcontroll modular system enables a collaborative cross-disciplinary research platform, connecting sensors, data, and expertise across university faculties.

Modern university research often depends on collaboration across multiple fields—engineering, environmental science, data analytics, and beyond. Yet, coordinating hardware, data, and control across departments can be complex. GOcontroll’s modular controller family offers a collaborative cross-disciplinary research platform, where multiple GOcontroll nodes can each manage their own sensors or actuators while contributing to a shared project network.

From real-time data collection to process control, these nodes help different research disciplines work together on one coherent, data-driven system.

Universities increasingly run multidisciplinary research projects that merge areas like mechanical engineering, biology, and computer science. Whether developing a sustainable energy model or studying smart agriculture systems, success depends on consistent communication between hardware, software, and teams.

A collaborative cross-disciplinary research platform allows:

• Shared data access across multiple departments.

• Distributed control through modular GOcontroll nodes.

• Scalable system integration, connecting dozens of research stations.

• Real-time feedback, guiding experiments as they evolve.

By using multiple GOcontroll nodes, each faculty can measure, analyze, and control its specific part of the experiment—while maintaining full system collaboration.

Each GOcontroll Moduline node acts as a local data and control hub. Designed with a modular architecture, these nodes can be equipped with input/output modules specific to each research discipline.

Examples of university use cases include:

• Mechanical Engineering: Measuring torque, vibration, or motion on prototypes.

• Environmental Science: Reading temperature, humidity, or gas concentration sensors.

• Agricultural Research: Managing irrigation pumps or monitoring soil nutrients.

• Data Science and AI: Gathering field data for algorithm development.

Each GOcontroll node can operate independently or as part of a connected network—communicating via Ethernet, CAN, or Wi-Fi. This creates a flexible, distributed research ecosystem.

The strength of the GOcontroll system lies in its modularity and openness. Researchers can design a system where each node handles a unique task, yet shares a common data layer.

Typical setup in a multidisciplinary university project:

1. Faculty A (Mechanical Engineering): Controls motors or robotic arms.

2. Faculty B (Environmental Studies): Monitors climate and environmental data.

3. Faculty C (Computer Science): Collects and processes data through cloud integration.

4. Faculty D (Electrical Engineering): Develops and tests new control algorithms.

By synchronizing data between nodes, teams can analyze how mechanical, environmental, and digital systems influence one another—creating richer insights and faster results.

GOcontroll nodes support open development tools, allowing each research team to work in its preferred environment while staying connected through a unified platform.

Supported tools include:

• MATLAB Simulink for modeling and control design.

• Node-RED for graphical flow programming and data visualization.

This versatility enables teams with different technical backgrounds to collaborate effectively, from high-level analysis to low-level hardware control.

Cross-disciplinary experiments often evolve as new data emerges. GOcontroll’s networked system supports real-time communication between nodes, allowing teams to guide the experiment dynamically.

For example:

• A biology department studying plant growth could adjust lighting based on sensor data from an engineering team’s climate model.

• A computer science group could use live data from a mechanical test bench to train predictive control algorithms.

• An energy research team could test solar efficiency models while another faculty monitors thermal effects and control strategies.

This live feedback loop fosters continuous collaboration and accelerates discovery.

By using multiple GOcontroll nodes as part of a collaborative cross-disciplinary research platform, universities can unite diverse expertise into a single, adaptable system.

From smart mobility and sustainability to robotics and biomedical engineering, the GOcontroll Moduline platform gives research teams a reliable foundation to share data, integrate control, and co-develop groundbreaking ideas.

With modular hardware, open software, and flexible communication, GOcontroll brings disciplines together—turning complexity into collaboration.