Shantel
The ROCK Engineering Challenge, organized by OKdo, RS, DesignSpark, and global partners, together with Wevolver, has come to a thrilling conclusion. The challenge invited engineers, developers, educators, inventors, and entrepreneurs from around the world to submit their innovative ideas based on the OKdo ROCK single board computers (SBC) and compute modules. With 160 high-quality entries spanning various verticals, the competition showcased groundbreaking concepts in IoT, Healthcare, Smart Homes, AI, Robotics, EdTech, Renewable Energy, and Smart City initiatives.
Unveiling the Winners
After careful evaluation of the exceptional submissions, OKdo is pleased to announce the winners of the ROCK Engineering Challenge. The grand prize goes to Eric Schleicher, Mike Macdonald, and Justin Berger of Constructive Realities for their outstanding project. They are developing Time of Flight (ToF) 3D cameras that can perform on-device depth data processing using GPUs and NPUs. These compact cameras have promising applications in AR/VR, IoT, robotics, and industrial products. By providing an API for depth data processing and enabling IoT functionality, and using Linux-based SoM/SBCs for extensibility and community support, their solution offers affordability and accessibility.
As the grand prize winners, Eric Schleicher and his team at Constructive Realities will enter into a partnership worth $50,000 with OKdo. The partnership will provide support in product design, prototyping, business and marketing consultancy, and manufacturing/distribution expertise. This collaboration will empower Constructive Realities to scale and further develop their groundbreaking 3D camera systems.
Expressing his excitement about the win, Eric Schleicher, Founder and CEO of Constructive Realities, said, “We’re incredibly excited to win the ROCK Engineering Challenge. Looking at the quality of the other teams’ submissions, we’re even more inspired to make our 3D camera systems available to the communities that are driving innovation. Establishing our new partnership with OKdo, Radxa, and the RS Group is going to significantly accelerate our product development program and is allowing us to expand the scope and capabilities of our next product release.”
In addition to the grand prize, a Wevolver Community Vote Winner was also selected. Marcel Ochsendorf emerged as the winner through a public poll of the finalists. Marcel’s project focuses on supporting medical facilities by utilizing a thermal imaging camera to record patients’ status without physical contact. The system tracks breathing status, frequency, body temperature, and movements, while ensuring complete anonymization of patients’ data. Marcel’s project leverages the ROCK SBC’s dedicated GPU for local data processing, ensuring data protection and scalability.
The Power of the ROCK SBC and CM Series
The ROCK platforms, developed in collaboration between OKdo and Radxa, offer leading capabilities, hardware, and performance in a similar form factor to popular SBC boards. The ROCK boards cater to professionals, industrial OEMs, IoT enthusiasts, hobbyists, PC DIY enthusiasts, and makers, providing a reliable and capable platform for building next-generation technology applications. They are particularly suitable for commercial applications such as robotics, smart home devices, medical devices, automation, IoT, and environmental monitoring.
Sander Arts, CMO at OKdo, expressed his delight at the outcome of the ROCK Engineering Challenge, stating, “The ROCK Engineering Challenge has truly demonstrated the immense potential of engineers worldwide in pushing the boundaries of SBC applications. We are thrilled to see the diverse and innovative ideas submitted, showcasing the power of collaboration and creativity within the global engineering community.”
Bram Geenen, Co-Founder and CEO of Wevolver, echoed the sentiment, saying, “It’s truly inspiring to see the incredible potential and innovative ideas emerging from the engineering community. The ROCK Engineering Challenge has brought together some of the best minds to drive innovation and push the boundaries of what’s possible with single board computers. We are excited to support these pioneers as they continue to create ground-breaking solutions for the future.”
About OKdo
OKdo is a global technology company disrupting the single board computer (SBC) and IoT segments. They offer a unique combination of hardware, software, development support, and manufacturing services to inspire and enable customers to turn their ideas into commercial reality. OKdo’s mission is to deliver the imagination, creativity, and technical expertise that customers desire.
About DesignSpark
DesignSpark is a free platform that provides design solutions and engineer support to accelerate design cycle time, rapid prototyping, and quick-to-market solutions. With over 1.2 million members, DesignSpark offers a suite of design and programming software, comprehensive CAD neutral libraries, technology news, and community support to empower design to manufacturing.
About RS Group
RS Group plc provides product and service solutions that help customers design, build, maintain, repair, and operate industrial equipment and operations safely and sustainably. They stock over 750,000 industrial and electronic products sourced from leading suppliers and offer a wide range of solutions to 1.1 million customers. RS Group plc is listed on the London Stock Exchange and reported revenue of £2,982 million in the year ending March 2023.
About Wevolver
Wevolver is a platform where the engineering community and industry connect around informative content about cutting-edge technologies. Companies, universities, and individual engineers publish blog articles, videos, reports, and podcasts on the platform, covering topics such as semiconductors, 3D printing, AI, robotics, IoT, and more.
About Constructive Realities
Constructive Realities is a company that designs and manufactures smart 3D camera systems for end-use applications. They also create workflows and data management software that convert 3D vision streams into structured information called spatial context graphs. To learn more about Constructive Realities and their innovative solutions, visit their website at https://constructiverealities.io/.
For more information about OKdo and their disruptive initiatives, please visit their website at www.okdo.com or follow them on Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram.
