■ Grand Prix
Title  add-on scale (online presentation video)
Team  T-Lab
Members  Keiji Fujimori (Yamagata Univ.), Rintaro Asada (Yamagata Univ.), Kairi Yamanoshita (Yamagata Univ.) and Soushi Watanabe (Yamagata Univ.)

• Outline
  The world is full of data. Today, numerous IoT devices are being developed as tools to control and leverage the data. While these devices are highly practical, they are generally costly. Furthermore, their highly useful functions tend to make existing products obsolete, always causing a great lot of workable products are discarded. To address these problem, we have developed a product which can simply be added on existing products, in our case a body scale, and enhance its performance as much as to level with IoT-enabled latest body scales. We have also made it fun to use by incorporating music and animation.
  Panel’s commentary
  The panel was impressed by the ingenuity to elevate a simple body scale to an entertaining device, on top of adding some IoT features. Having seen the presentation, it was quite evident that the team spent a lot of time practicing the delivery, to convey the advantages of their idea. The panel has selected this idea for the Grand Prix both on account of the value of the device and the team’s effort in making an assertive presentation.
  Comments by the winner
  Thank you so much for this wonderful prize. We are incredibly lucky to win among the talented future engineers who would be leading Japan and the world. With this experience as our springboard, we will be making more add-ons to our future career as engineers.
  

■ Runner-up
Title  Blink-based communication system using Spresense for image recognition functionality (online presentation video)
Team  Painters
Members  Keiju Asano (Aoyama Gakuin Univ.), Yoshihiro Takagi (Aoyama Gakuin Univ.) and Kazumasa Hiroshi (Aoyama Gakuin Univ.)

• Outline
  We propose a device that facilitates communication between people with total physical incapacitation, such as ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) patients, and their carers. Its system is designed for individuals who are unable to speak or move their limbs and enables them to communicate by recognizing types of blinks of the eyes they make. The system has been realized through a combination of telecommunication function based on the Wi-Fi add-on board of the Spresense, LCD screen, and image recognition functionality of Spresense camera.
  Panel’s commentary
  We appreciated that this device was a practical support tool for ALS patients. The panel also appreciated very much that the system was well balanced and organized despite some restraints of Spresense as an edge device. We hope to see further developments in the future using Spresense to closely support those patients.
  Comments by the winner
  We first thought about what features of the Spresense could be useful, then tried to develop our ideas so that its strengths were drawn out to the fullest. We are happy that we managed to pull it off. We know that there are more challenges to tackle in the future, so we will be developing more for addressing these challenges.
  

[Winners in the Ideathon category]
The task was to propose an idea based on existing IoT devices, including the process of its realization.

■ Grand Prix
Title  Rubbish collector (online presentation video)
Team  ROBOTTA
Members  Ryuichi Miura (Meijo Univ.), Kosuke Tokuda (Meijo Univ.) and Yukiya Yamamoto (Meijo Univ.)

• Outline
  Trash cans are disappearing from cities, partly for terrorism-related security reasons. However, this is causing some people to litter public areas because trash cans are not found nearby. There are others who see the rubbish on the ground and think that it is OK to throw away their rubbish in the same way, creating a vicious circle. Trash on the ground not only spoils the cityscape, but also pollutes the environment. On this account, we propose an autonomous trash disposal box to prevent littering in public spaces.
  Panel’s commentary
  This is a good idea, that a trash can comes to you like a mobile robot when you have some trash to throw away. While the problem to address is that people litter places when they do not see trash cans around, this idea also leads to addressing the SDGs. Not many IoT devices come with mobility capability, and thoughts were also given to the aspect of social implementation, such as the planning of disposal system and incentive schemes to engage users. The panel also appreciated the demonstration video to see the system implemented.
  Comments by the winner
  Thank you very much for this prestigious prize. We are a small team of three, and we started with brain storming during summer. The resulted implementation has won the prize, and we are so happy and feel rewarded.
  

■ Runner-up
Title  Make communication more fun! Emotion-Glasses (online presentation video)
Team  KBK
Members  Yuta Kuboki (Univ. of Tokyo), Yutaro Hori (Univ. of Tokyo), Sadao Hirose (Univ. of Tokyo), Kouki Hashimoto (Univ. of Tokyo), and Jouichiro Nogi (Univ. of Tokyo)

• Outline
  We have developed a spectacles style device capable of reading emotional states by the facial expressions and vocal tones. It is designed to help children who are not well exposed to communication without wearing a mask, people with autism spectrum who are innately less able to recognize emotions by facial expressions, and those who are not readily able to identify their own emotions. The device captures the facial expressions and vocal tones of the other person through its embedded camera and mic, and the data is fed to AI, which estimates the emotional state, and the display on the spectacles shows it in texts (such as happy, angry and sad). The wearer becomes able to communicate with others, understanding their emotional states. Conversely, you can have others use it for you, giving you some clues about your own emotional states. We hope that the service offered by this device helps society to make communication more fun.
  Panel’s commentary
  The panel was impressed by the excellent idea of creating a tool for facilitating communication by recognizing the emotions of the other person, with people with autism spectrum in mind. We also appreciated the clear explanations about the challenges at hand in the implementation. These contributed to the panel’s decision.
  Comments by the winner
  We are delighted to receive this invaluable prize. As we all read in information science, we are aspiring to develop applied information and other technology so that it helps to enrich many people’s lives.
  

■ Best Field Sensing Award
Title  Protect people and communities by joining fire alarms with IoT (online presentation video)
Team  Orange
Member  Miyu Tsuzuki (Univ. of Electro-Communications)

• Outline
  Wind direction, speed and fire whirl are some of the factors that cause a fire to spread in large-scale fire incidents. In order to minimize the damage, it is necessary to evacuate people promptly and guide them to appropriate safety, based on the understanding of what causes the fire to spread. I propose a system that assists swift and accurate escape from a fire using IoT fire alarms, which gather data, calculate the speeds and areas of the fire to spread based on the wind direction/speed data, and send the outcomes to the people in the vicinity to guide their evacuation.
  Panel’s commentary
  This idea takes on the century-old social issue of large-scale fires to find a solution. It is a very good idea to use the ELTRES to make society prosper. The idea is excellent in using the ELTRES for sensing the wind directions and fire conditions.
  Comments by the winner
  I am so glad that the idea was appreciated. This has been my first time enrolling in a competition like this, and I am more nervous making the winner’s comments than waiting for the announcement of a winner. I proposed to adopt fire alarms to IoT, with which sensors are installed all over a city to gather data, and the sensors are integrated into a network by using the ELTRES, which will offer a solution to the challenges concerning large-scale fires. I understand that the judges saw the value of this system in these points. I hope that this idea will lead to a future society where people can safely escape from large-scale fires.
  

■ Best Music Entertainment Award
Title  No Spoon (online presentation video)
Team  Kaido Iwata
Member  Kaido Iwata (Kyoto Sangyo Univ.)

• Outline
  I propose a device for stirring the content of a cup using the vibration of sound waves. This can be applied to an order call system at restaurants in such a way that, integrated into a tea cup, it vibrates when the order is ready for collection. Because it uses the sound waves to stir the content of the cup, changing the music alters the way the content is stirred.
  Panel’s commentary
  The panel selected this idea because it covered the perspective of solving a mundane inconvenience which could mean a significant improvement for people with disabilities. If this idea becomes a reality, it will enable people with one arm incapacitated can have their drinks stirred without exerting. The approach to offer a solution to such an inconvenience is unique. We also appreciated the out-of-the-box thinking of the applicant for taking an analog, rather than digital, approach, as well as the idea’s cost-effectiveness.
  Comments by the winner
  I am truly honored to have won this award. It has been a very stimulating experience as I came across more challenges and points to improve through the experimentation and was inspired by other contenders’ ideas, which gave me the incentive to improve my idea further to make a better product.
  

■ Best Accessibility Award
Title  Blink-based communication system using Spresense for image recognition functionality (online presentation video)
Team  Painters
Members  Keiju Asano (Aoyama Gakuin Univ.), Yoshihiro Takagi (Aoyama Gakuin Univ.) and Kazumasa Hiroshi (Aoyama Gakuin Univ.)

• Outline
  We propose a device that facilitates communication between people with total physical incapacitation, such as ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) patients, and their carers. Its system is designed for individuals who are unable to speak or move their limbs and enables them to communicate by recognizing types of blinks of the eyes they make. The system has been realized through a combination of telecommunication function based on the Wi-Fi add-on board of the Spresense, LCD screen, and image recognition functionality of Spresense camera.
  Panel’s commentary
  The idea is brilliant in that it addresses the difficulties and burdens experienced by ALS patients and their carers, by proposing a new interface that draws on the blinking of the eyes. It was expected to be difficult to create something practical in the category of accessibility, but the idea successfully incorporated the Spresense features to maximize their advantages, such as the image recognition, AI and networking functionality. Moreover, the system is well balanced, and the device has a high market-ready potential. The panel was also impressed by the high degree of completeness of the system. We hope that this item will be further improved and driven toward practical applications to support enriching people’s lives.
  Comments by the winner
  We are delighted to have this prestigious award. We, three of us in the team, started thinking seriously about what can be done to enable ALS patients to communicate at their own accord and pursued our development since this summer. This award means a lot to us.
  

*The list of other finalists ideas proposed for the Hackathon and Ideathon, and online presentation video archive are available here (website in Japanese).

[Event website]
The latest news on the event can be found here (website in Japanese)

[Inquiries]
Secretariat, the Sensing Solution Ideathon & Hackathon 2023
Inquiries on this event can be made from here (page in Japanese)

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