The folks at Thales recently successfully launched and concluded Project Arduino. The contest – targeted at university students – challenged participants to design “something amazing” with Atmel-based Arduino boards and film the project’s progress.
Teams from 6 prominent UK universities (Brunel, Manchester, Surrey, Sussex and University College London) took up the challenge, with judges quickly whittling the contestants down to just three teams.
Ultimately, the University of Southampton crew clinched the winning public vote for a military-style helmet designed to monitor the heartbeat, temperature and position of a soldier.
Izidor Flajsman, Priank Cangy, Rasmus Valling and Jonas Svedas from Electronics and Computer Science worked on the microprocessing circuits, while third-year MEng Mechanical Engineering student Erik Kovalan utilized the University’s 3D printing facilities to create a robust casing for the technology.
“We were asked to come up with an idea that reflected Thales work,” said Erik. “The company is a big defense contractor so we thought a multi-purpose helmet would be worth developing.”
Similarly, Professor William Powrie, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and the Environment, noted that it was “great to see our students using their skills to tackle and solve real world problems, working so effectively as a team to innovate successfully.”
Atmel | Bits & Pieces 