All the technology building blocks to make the Internet of Things (IoT) a reality are readily available. The trick is finding the right applications for the technology. To that end, Tektronix has joined on as a sponsor of element14’s “Forget Me Not” design challenge, a global design competition to encourage engineers to develop pioneering applications in the field of home monitoring and automation.
As the name implies, the “Forget Me Not” challenge aims to solve common everyday problems for people, such as remembering whether or not they have locked the front door, taken out the trash or left the oven on. Using energy harvesting wireless sensors, IoT technologies are able to transmit information to smartphones and tablets, giving the user a real-time update on such statuses. Other possibilities could include automating tasks while people are away from home, such as feeding pets or watering plants.
The participants in the competition will receive a core kit featuring popular products: Raspberry Pi, EnOcean Pi, EnOcean Sensor Kit and WiPi, as well as a TBS1202B-EDU oscilloscope from Tektronix.
The competitors will also be provided with Eclipse SmartHome, an open-source software framework that helps accelerate the development of home automation solutions. A budget of $500 per competitor will be granted to acquire additional materials. The recruitment period, which launched June 24, will conclude on Monday, July 14, 2014. A total of 15 competitors will be selected to build their designs and blog at the element14 design community throughout the challenge, addressing their ideas and key challenges. The competition will conclude in late October 2014.
There will be three prizes. The grand prize winner will receive an all-expenses-paid trip to Electronica 2014 in Munich, Germany, as well as a product bundle valued at more than $20,000. The bundle will include a Tektronix MDO3104 oscilloscope with a built-in spectrum analyzer, a full license for EnOcean Link middleware and an EnOcean EDK 350 Developer Kit. The runner up will receive a bundle including a Rapiro DIY Robot Kit and an EnOcean EDK 350 Developer Kit. Finally, the people’s choice winner, who will be chosen by a vote on the award-winning element14 design community, will receive an EnOcean EDK 350 Developer Kit.
Gina Bonini, Director Americas Marketing for Tektronix had this to say about Tektronix’s involvement in this design challenge:
“The opportunities for innovation surrounding the Internet of Things are endless, and we are very much looking forward to seeing the designs that the element 14 community creates. Developing working IoT prototypes requires hard-work to select devices, debug designs and optimize performance in both the time and frequency domains. The Tektronix MDO3000 mixed-domain oscilloscope is uniquely suited for this work with 6 instruments in 1, including a full spectrum analyzer.”
If you’ve have a great idea for an IoT solution, this competition could be a great way to get your project started. We’ll be tracking this competition closely, so be sure to check back often for updates.