The element14 “Forget Me Not” Design Challenge we featured a few months ago is becoming the feel good challenge of the year. A group of 20 finalists are now hard at work developing Internet of Things projects using a core kit that includes a Raspberry Pi Model B+, EnOcean Pi, EnOcean Sensor Kit and a TBS1202B-EDU oscilloscope from Tektronix.
While the contestants have until October 24 to complete their projects, they are not wasting any time getting underway. To date, they have written some 150 blog posts on the element14 Forget Me Not Design Challenge Community about their projects and the progress they are making.
Reflecting the global nature of electronic engineering, the contestants hail from literally every corner of the world including New Zealand, India, Finland, Italy, Australia, Germany, Canada, Belgium, the United Kingdom and the United States.
The projects themselves are similarly diverse with different takes on the theme of monitoring household activities and providing some sort of convenient reminders (hence Forget Me Not) to residents. For instance, Frederick Vandenbosch of Belgium is developing an IoT Pet Care System to handle the problem of how to feed and water pets when their masters are out of town for a few days. Meanwhile, Jonathan Caywood from the US is devising a “Forget Me Not Wet Laundry Notification” solution.
The contestants are also breaking out their Tektronix oscilloscopes with Inderpreet Singh of India leading the way. He used his TBS1202B-EDU oscilloscope to measure the power consumption of the Raspberry Pi. Power consumption is an important consideration for his “Forget What” project because he plans to run off battery power. The video below shows him running the experiment and the results.
Be sure to check back here often for updates and to find who will take home the grand prize of an all-expenses-paid trip to Electronica 2014 in Munich, Germany and a product bundle featuring a Tektronix MDO3104 oscilloscope and other goodies.