The Make it Smart with Nordic Thingy:91 design contest asks entrants to demonstrate ideas using the cellular IoT prototyping platform

Nordic Semiconductor has launched a contest to find the best cellular IoT design project for a smart home or smart city application in partnership with maker, hacker and hobbyist community website, Electromaker.

Nordic-enabled prototyping

Entrants are being asked to demonstrate their prototype or Proof-of-Concept (PoC) using the Nordic Thingy:91 or nRF9160 DK, with wireless communication via LTE-M and/or NB-IoT to send data from the application to the Cloud. Nordic Thingy:91 is an easy-to-use, rapid prototyping platform for cellular IoT using LTE-M, NB-IoT, GNSS, and Bluetooth® Low Energy (Bluetooth LE). The nRF9160 DK is a cellular IoT development kit for LTE-M, NB-IoT, GNSS, and Bluetooth LE. In addition, submissions can incorporate Machine Learning (ML) using Edge Impulse Studio to process data and train ML models.

To enter the contest, participants are required to complete a Make it Smart with Nordic Thingy:91 project idea submission form. Project idea submissions will close on February 9, 2022. Nordic and Electromaker will then award the top 50 project ideas with free Nordic Thingy:91 hardware, with the kits shipped on February 16, 2022. Participants will then have eight weeks to build their prototype and submit their documentation to Electromaker.io. Individuals who already have the Nordic Thingy:91 or nRF9160 DK can enter the contest without being awarded free hardware.

The deadline for final submissions is April 13, 2022, with contest winners to be announced two weeks later on April 27, 2022. Nordic Semiconductor will also be hosting a Q&A session webinar halfway through the contest, on March 7, 2022, to answer any project-related queries.

The judging panel for the contest comprises Adam Benzion, CXO at Edge Impulse, Heidi Sollie, Product Marketing Engineer at Nordic Semiconductor, and Martin Lesund, Technical Marketing Manager - Cellular IoT at Nordic Semiconductor. The judging criteria will cover creativeness, completeness, and complexity. The $3,000 prize pool features a 1st prize of $1,000, 2nd prize of $750, and 3rd prize of $500. In addition, all participants whose projects get approved and published will receive a $50 Amazon voucher. Projects that incorporate ML will be eligible for a bonus prize of an Oculus Quest 2 VR headset.

Cellular IoT development

The Nordic Thingy:91 is ideal for creating PoC, demos, and initial prototypes in the cellular IoT development phase. Thingy:91 is built around the nRF9160 System-in-Package (SiP) and is certified for a broad range of LTE bands globally, meaning it can be used just about anywhere in the world. The kit is packed with a multitude of sensors for motion, impact, air quality, and more. The nRF Connect SDK supports Thingy:91 and there are examples for all sensors and connectivity functionality. Thingy:91 also features an nRF52840 multiprotocol System-on-Chip (SoC) providing the option of adding Bluetooth LE connectivity to project ideas. Thingy:91 comes complete with a global use SIM card from iBasis and Arkessa, both of which offer a free data plan to get contestants up and running immediately.

To enter Make it Smart with Nordic Thingy:91 click here.