Do you dream of creating that new IoT hardware product that will make life easier? Dream of starting your own company? Now is the perfect time to capitalize on those dreams as more technology-based entrepreneurs are proving to be increasingly successful by taking advantage of the abundance of new development tools.
Internet of Arduino Challenge
Arrow and Indiegogo have partnered to support you from ideation through production, and we’re now inviting you to take part in the Internet of Arduino Challenge! This challenge encourages you to prototype your product that features an Arduino based board and launch an Indiegogo campaign for your chance to win $50,000 in funding from Arrow!
Why Arduino?
Prototyping with Arduino is a great first step into making your product more efficient. This is because of the Arduino’s open-source platform, versatility, and amazing online resource/community. The Arduino can cater to any level of engineer, from beginner all the way to advanced!
Its versatility can easily be shown by just looking up a few Arduino applications, such as the Uno board, the Mega board and the MKR versions. Add-ons like Shields and many more products further expand the capabilities of the Arduino platform.
From an engineering aspect, designing with Arduino will make your application easier to build. Troubleshooting becomes less stressful with Arduino’s flexibility to add and remove software and hardware features.
One of the largest advantages of prototyping with an Arduino is that all of the hardware is open source. This allows for a seamless transition from a proof-of-concept design to your own custom product. There are thousands of online resources are available should there ever be difficulty with your design flow.
If you are an entrepreneur at heart, the prototyping with Arduino will allow you a smoother and quicker time to market path. Adaptability is infinite with such an easy-to-use prototyping tool, which reduces the amount of time needed to pivot your design and make minor tweaks. The entire design cycle is accelerated for your product with Arduino.
Does this challenge spark your interest, but maybe you’re not 100% decided on what you want to create or which Arduino board to even start on? Here are some popular areas that Arduino excels in to help jumpstart some ideas.
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Climate-Smart Agriculture
One area that is rapidly developing is Climate-Smart Agriculture (sometimes referred to as Smart Farming or Horticulture). Food supply demand continues to increase as the worldwide population grows. This is pushing agriculture to be more efficient than it has ever been.
With Climate-Smart Agriculture, you may need environmental sensors, GPS locators, IoT and connected devices to improve agricultural efficiency. Your design should include field data collection and then have it available for analysis. Having proper data analysis farmers can make knowledgeable decisions to optimize potential growth patterns and maximize crop yields. This application can be scaled down to city (apartment) and suburban (home) gardening. This segment of application is becoming more popular in the recent past.
If you are focusing on large-scale farming applications as your target market, then range of connectivity will be important. The Arduino MKR Series wireless connectivity will help you here, as these versions can be used as sensor nodes. They also have configuration versatility. The MKR series is available in Wi-Fi, SigFox, Lo-Ra, and GSM network versions.. For smaller scale gardening, the Arduino Uno works well as it is flexible with adding extra sensors or Shields.
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Home Automation
Home Automation (sometimes referred to as Smart Home) can be a little broad of a descriptor. In general, it usually refers to controlling lighting, climate, entertainment, and appliances through a remote software application or the internet. Home Automation can make chores around the house a lot easier and can monitor certain rooms or even the backyard.
An idea that comes quickly to mind is a smart lighting device with some unique features that will streamline chores, or other routine household tasks. Another idea is controlling doors and garages for security reasons with an added camera all through your phone. Or a unique application may strike your interest such as the Tersa Steam clothing steamer cabinet. Tersa went with tackling wrinkled laundry. They created a device that removes wrinkles and keeps your clothing smelling fresh. Think about the most tedious chore around your house and make it more efficient.
With Home Automation, you might have to deal with motors or at least a lot of communicating parts. The Arduino Mega 3560 can help you prototype with its many populated pins (54 digital input/output pins!).
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A000067 | Arduino Mega 2560 Rev3
Arduino Corporation Embedded System Development Boards and Kits ViewSmart Wearables
Another area, that does not show signs for slowing down, is Smart Wearables. They have a wide range of applications. Smart watches, smart glasses, and even smart jackets are now on the market. You can have a lot fun coming up with Smart Wearable ideas or even improve on an idea that is already out there.
Smart Wearables have similar requirements as Home Automation applications. Keeping track of motion activities, climate, sensor data, or connectivity are common to both. For example, the smart jacket is used for using your phone, keys, or wallet without ever reaching into your pockets; a simple tag can be used on your sleeve.
Smart Wearables can even be applied to pets, as shown by Waggit. They created a wearable for your dog to keep track of vitals, activity, location, and much more. Since connectivity and size is important for wearables, the Arduino MKR Series fits the bill with its compact size and wireless connectivity options.
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Arduino MKR WAN 1300 (LoRa Connectivity) | ABX00017
Arduino Corporation Embedded System Development Boards and Kits ViewWhat’s Next?
Hopefully reading about these products inspires you to come up with a design that you want to feature with Arduino. These are just a few areas out of hundreds that Arduino can excel in. It’s up to you to decide how you want to make life more productive and efficient for the world at large.
We even have a few helpful starting points for you! If you need to see some of the more helpful Shields for your Arduino, check our Top Shields for Your Arduino Video, or if you want to look at compatible popular Arduino products, check out our popular Arduino product page!
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Starter Kit - English | K000007
Arduino Corporation Embedded System Development Boards and Kits ViewIf you are ready, enter the Internet of Arduino Challenge and show off your design! Entering will give you a chance to win $50,000 in Arrow funding. Plus, you’ll be paired with the engineering and production resources from the Arrow Certification Program to help you have the next successful Indiegogo campaign.
Arrow and Indiegogo want to see your products (and dreams) succeed by helping you from ideation to production. So, what are you waiting for? Enter the challenge today!