Nordic Semiconductor has partnered with Hackster.io to launch a global engineering design contest called "Make it Matter” with a focus on smart home applications that increase the quality of life in people’s homes and enhance overall well-being.
Smart homes can improve overall comfort, save money and make life easier and more enjoyable. Modern control systems in homes can also provide better assistance to the elderly, disabled or children.
Leveraging the skills and expertise in engineering from Hackster’s global community, the contest seeks innovative solutions from around the world. The intent is to share knowledge in different regions and communities for improving navigation, mobility and communication in residential settings. Solutions should be designed to improve mobility and slow cognitive decline, boost mental wellness, or solve complex household living situations.
The contest opened on Sept. 1, 2023, and will give away 100 of the newly released nRF7002 DK, which will enable developers to build creative projects around this theme. Contestants will have until the end of September to submit idea proposals to win free hardware.
To build their projects, contestants will use Matter, an emerging standard protocol in smart homes that improves interoperability among devices across brands and ecosystems. With Matter, users can control smart lighting, smart locks, and more, via any Matter-compatible platform using iOS or Android devices or the voice assistant of choice.
Matter, founded and backed by Amazon, Apple, Google and others including Nordic Semiconductor, aims to be the unified application layer standard for connected things at home. It also is designed to be easy for manufacturers to create secure and reliable solutions that are interoperable with the major smart home ecosystems like Apple's Siri, Google's Assistant and Amazon's Alexa.
Judges from both Nordic Semiconductor and the Connectivity Standards Alliance (Matter’s governing body) will review the final submissions. A total of $4,000 in prizes will be awarded for the top projects.
Visit https://www.hackster.io/contests/makeitmatter to learn more.