IoT613, an Ottawa-based conference that explores the future of the Internet of Things, has announced the winners of its student design competition.
Since IoT613’s 2016 conference at the Canadian Museum of Nature, four teams have been designing and developing IoT concepts with mentorship from the conference’s industry partners and judges. On May 1, two semi-finalist teams pitched their concepts to expert judges.
In partnership with Akendi, WindRiver, and IBM Canada, the challenge asked participants to use Intel Edison IoT development kits and IBM Bluemix software to create an IoT system that improves the guest experience in a hotel. The Brookstreet Hotel, where the final pitches were hosted, was the basis for the challenge.
The winning team, called The Red Team, included Mira Vrbaski, senior software designer at Nokia and PhD University of Ottawa; Kayla Bowmaster, UX Designer at Algonquin College; Danilo Vucetic, studying computer science engineering at Carleton University; and Filip Matic, studying engineering at the University of Ottawa.
The Red Team’s main feature incorporated beacons throughout the hotel to customize the guest experience to streamline check-in, have elevators automatically stop at the correct floor, and have room doors open automatically.
“The National Capital Region continues to be a nerve centre for technology innovation, and IoT613 is proud to be at the centre of this information, education, and engagement with respect to IoT in the area,” said Adam Freed, chair of IoT613.
Semi-finalists will receive an honorarium to purchase additional hardware and software needed to complete their projects. The winning submission will receive further assistance and mentoring to develop their prototypes, which will be showcased at various Wind River trade shows throughout the year and be on display at future IoT613 events.
The second runner-up developed optimization of space usage for facilities and guests, which included the ability to check the actual pool occupancy on demand, or setting apps to set notifications when it’s quiet.