element14 community launches “Forget Me Not” competition

USA: element14, along with partners EnOcean, Tektronix, the Raspberry Pi Foundation and the Eclipse Foundation, has announced the launch of the new "Forget Me Not" design challenge, a global design competition which will encourage participating engineers to develop pioneering applications in the field of home monitoring and automation.

The initiative will use a core kit featuring popular products: Raspberry Pi, EnOcean Pi, EnOcean Sensor Kit and WiPi, as well as an oscilloscope courtesy of Tektronix.

The technologies that underpin the term "Internet of Things" have opened up new possibilities for remote control of home appliances and devices. 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. Furthermore, there are implications for automating tasks while away from home, such as feeding pets or watering plants.

"The Internet of Things has been a hot topic in the media, but the technologies behind it have not yet been a focus of the attention," said Dianne Kibbey, Global Head of Community, element14. "Our 230,000-member Community is at the forefront of this trend, and this challenge aims to create applications to be used by everyone, in real life. The projects developed will have great implications for the smart homes of the future, and we look forward to seeing many creative designs."