GE's FirstBuild 33-hour Mega Hackathon makes the app-monitored slow cooker and Arduino-controlled oven
The event was organized by GE’s FirstBuild, a global co-creation community, and it took place in its new microfactory in Louisville, Kentucky. The teams competed to hack and build the next generations of household appliances, for a chance to win over $60,000 in cash. as well as other prizes.
The teams were tasked with hacking GE appliances using the latest manufacturing tools, such as 3D printers, laser cutters, water jets, ShopBots and HandiBots. Fueled by free food and plenty of coffee, the makers worked for a chance to impress judges from FirstBuild and the Mega Hackathon’s 30+ sponsors including Atmel, AT&T, Delta, Renesas, Texas Instruments and hackster.io.
The ideas they came up with give us a glimpse into the way the potential of the Internet of Things (IoT) to transform household appliances we use every day. Imagine being able to open your refrigerator without using your hands, grow a greenhouse in a kitchen cabinet, or cook pasta with an app. These were among the many innovations generated during the event.
 |
| Add caption |
The first place prize went to ‘House Roast,’ an innovation that updates a simple task that you probably do every day: making a cup of coffee. Rob Lewis, Joshua Longenberger, Ali Faraji-Tajrishi, Nick Dillon and Rick Suel adapted a GE wall oven to roast coffee precisely using an Arduino control, adjusting the oven temperature to mimic the professional roasting of coffee beans. So instead of having to go to a café or buy an expensive coffee machine to make your dream beverage, you could hack an appliance to prepare the beans in your oven.
Second place went to an invention that provides you with filtered water by voice command, using a mobile device or tablet. Created by Nelson Tanquero, Mark Shelton, Michael Large and Jose Padron, ‘Fix of Water’ demonstrates the possibilities for interaction with future appliances.
Crock Watch came in at third place, with a design that lets you connect your crockpot to the Internet and get video updates on the cooking process. Created by Jason Chodyniecki, Taylor White, Bill Piepmeyer and Keith White, it is a Wi-Fi enabled control crockpot that allows users to monitor their dish via the app. You could get a Crock Watch update, and adjust the temperature or turn it off from wherever you are, without having to set foot in the kitchen.
The results of the GE’s FirstBuild 33-hour Mega Hackathon show that the next generation of appliances has the power to make household tasks fool-proof, enabling users to control devices remotely and achieve restaurant-quality results at home. Smart devices and appliance hacks have the potential to take cooking out of the kitchen and put it onto the mobile.
Website: www.awok.com
Post By: Ramiz Ali Khan
No comments:
Post a Comment