Advanced Computing and Communications Society (ACCS) announces a Student Design Contest on the theme of Internet of Things (IoT) as part of its 20th Annual International Conference on Advanced Computing and Communications (ADCOM 2014) to be held in Bangalore from September 19 to 22, 2014.

ADCOM 2014 is a premier platform for students, academics, industry members and government representatives to share, discuss and witness leading edge research and trends in the development of IoT. IoT currently refers to the possible interconnection of billions of tiny embedded consumer devices containing sensors and/or actuators with the existing Internet so as to enable us to be constantly aware of everything happening around us as well as react to challenges around us in wholesome ways to make our world a much more convivial place. IoT in this sense is a hot area for experimentation and prototyping.

ARM University Program has joined hands with ACCS on their Student Design Contest on IoT at ADCOM 2014 in a joint bid to awaken the creative genius in our engineering students and spur them on to creating innovative solutions in the IoT space for overcoming day-to-day challenges in areas such as agriculture, energy, education, healthcare, transportation and communication, to name a few. The 20 best proposals will be sponsored for developing a proof of concept (PoC) around either the ARM® Cortex®-M0+ processor based Freedom board (FRDM KL25Z) or the ARM® Cortex®-M3 based mbed board (NXP LPC1768). The students behind each proposal will make a 10-min presentation at ADCOM 2014 of the What, Why and How of their project work with the help of a demo, wherever possible, and posters. Truly path-breaking innovations will further be supported for a period up to four months to develop a working prototype. Rules and Regulations of the contest are given in Appendix A, a signed copy of which must accompany each proposal.

Email us at adcom2014@accsindia.org or
Call us at +91 80 2360 7142 or
Write to us at:
Secretary, ADCOM 2014
Advanced Computing & Communications Society
Gate #2, CV Raman Avenue, Indian Institute of Science,
Bangalore 560 012, India

The 32-bit ARM Cortex-M0+ based Freedom Board (FRDM KL25Z) from Freescale.
The Freedom board sells at a student-affordable list price of 762 INR at element14 India. Built around ARM’s most power-efficient processor, the ARM Cortex-M0+, it is the perfect piece of lab hardware for students interested in the up and coming areas of study and research, such as sensor motes for wireless-sensor networks (WSNs) and wearable computing. The board features an onboard tricolor (RGB) LED and an onboard 3-axis accelerometer. The on-board connectors compatible with off-the-shelf Arduino shields neatly augment the board’s capabilities. Even so, with just a breadboard, jumper wires and standalone components, the board indeed makes possible prototyping of systems simple and inexpensive for beginners. Last, but not least, the board’s mbed application programming interface (API) allows rapid prototyping of complex sensor systems with the same Freedom board.

The 32-bit ARM Cortex-M3 based mbed Board (LPC 1768) from NXP.
The mbed board, with the 32-bit ARM Cortex-M3 running at 96 MHz, 512KB FLASH and 32KB RAM, is truly a powerhouse of capabilities with interfaces such as Ethernet, CAN, USB Host and Device, UART, RS-232, I2C, SPI, ADC, DAC, PWM, Analog I/O, Digital I/O and much more. With a small DIP form-factor for prototyping with breadboards, jumper wires and standalone components, it provides experienced embedded developers a powerful and productive platform for building proof-of-concepts. What is more is that, for beginners, the mbed board even provides the simplest and most accessible prototyping solution to get projects built with the backing of online libraries, cookbook, resources and support from the mbed forum and Q&A corner.

Using the mbed API with the Freedom or mbed Board.
The mbed API website (links below) for either board provides all the details, such as the board’s overview, pin-out diagram with pin functionality, pin names, onboard peripheral information, features/interfaces, firmware for using the mbed API and getting started with the board using the mbed API.

Freedom Board: https://mbed.org/platforms/KL25Z/
mbed Board: https://mbed.org/handbook/mbed-NXP-LPC1768-Getting-Started

Signing up for a FREE online mbed Account.
You have to sign up for an mbed account and then login to the mbed website to be able to start working with either Board. The online mbed compiler requires that the board be physically connected to your laptop or desktop with a USB cable. Essentially, the mbed API allows superfast prototyping of actual embedded systems in days instead of months or years. The mbed website is also truly a treasure trove of information replete with every project and experiment under the sun related to microprocessors.

Example Areas of Focus

Students may consider, but not limit themselves to, the following areas:

• Agriculture – Smart Irrigation; Smart Dispensation of Nutrients; Crop Monitors
• Energy – Solar Tracking; Occupancy Detection;
• Education – Smart Roll Calling; Attention-deficit Monitors; Smart Boards
• Healthcare – Wearable Devices; Smart Wheelchairs; Fall Detector
• Transportation – Unnecessary Honking; Lane Discipline; School-bus Tracking; Smart Traffic Lights; Parked-car Finder
• Communication – Smart Peephole; Package Tracking; Wildlife Monitors/Trackers; Smart Baby-sitting