I received the kit for the experimenting with gesture sensors contest today. Thank you to the entire e14 team and Maxim Integrated (now ADI) for sponsoring the kit and for the swift delivery of the kit.
Here are some unboxing pictures, my first observations and comments on the kit.
The box came intact with no impacts/folds/cuts.
Inside the box was packing material for safety.
Upon further unboxing, another box was found inside.
This box contained three anti-static bags with different circuit boards (discussed later) and one more small box.
The box contains three bags -
1) MAX32620FTHR - evaluation board for the MAX32620 Arm® Cortex®-M4 microcontroller which was previously used in an e14 roadtest
(+) MAX31889EVSYS# Temperature Sensor Eval Board - Review - element14 Community and (+) MAX31889EVSYS# Temperature Sensor Eval Board - Review - element14 Community
The header pins were already soldered to the MCU PCB and were protruding through the anti-static bag. However, no visible damage to the headers is seen.
2) The MAX25105FSHLD - A shield for the eval board and to connect the gesture sensor. The shield has a DC jack for connecting power adapter and comes with female headers so that it can be plugged onto the MAX32620FTHR Board. It also has two connectors with a fine pitch which is used to connect the gesture sensor board with the shield.
3) The third bag contains the MAX25405EVKIT - for the MAX25405 optical IR sensor for gesture sensing. The width of the gesture sensor PCB is quite small around 9.4mm. On the top side of the PCB there are four IR emitters mounted on the PCB with provision to mount 5 more IR transmitters. In the centre of the PCB is a IR sensor array.
As quoted from the EVKIT weblink - "The application circuit operates by illuminating the user’s hand with a precision-controlled IR light source and measuring the reflected signal with the MAX25405’s 6x10 (60 pixel) IR sensor array. The four-LED IR light source is PWM controlled with external FETs from the MAX25405’s onboard FET driver. The return signal is analyzed with an embedded microcontroller that interprets the gestures."
Upon first observation, I noticed that the PCB is slightly bent (curved), which is natural given the PCBs length to width ratio and with components mounted on both sides of the PCB.
On the bottom side of the PCB, a similar connector is found which can be connected to the shield with the help of a suitable cable.
Unfortunately, no cable is provided in the contest kit so it will have to be purchased separately in order to move ahead with the project.
Lastly, the small box contains a power adapter for powering up the MCU board and the entire kit. The power adapter has a 3.3V and 2A output DC output to power the kit. However, the adapter input is US type. I have modular power sockets at home so this should work fine for me. If you don't have this type of power sockets, I would suggest using a 3.3V source from a power supply. As 3.3V power adapters are not so common. At least for me this is my first adapter with a 3.3V output.
I will soon start experimenting with the kit as soon as I get the connector cable. I will head out to my local electronics market to buy the connector cables for the boards.
Can't wait to experiment with the kit and see what other challengers build 
Again, thanks to the e14 team and Maxim Integrated for coming up with this interesting contest and sponsoring the kit! 