https://community.element14.com/challenges-projects/design-challenges/Engineering a Connected World! By connecting engineers to powerful new ideas, the latest technologies, and to each other, the element14 Community is creating innovative solutions to everyday problems.en-USTelligent Community 12https://community.element14.com/challenges-projects/design-challenges/b/newsFri, 25 Sep 2026 15:19:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:bf0a64ef-c749-4ef5-aebf-4dfea1c8f48aUpdates and announcements from the element14 Community teamhttps://community.element14.com/challenges-projects/design-challenges/f/forum/57294/build-maritime-tech-in-san-francisco-48-hour-hackathon-october-16-18/238334Wed, 23 Sep 2026 09:47:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:cb64fe75-6ff9-4363-aafd-3b79884b318cSiliconMtnThank you!https://community.element14.com/challenges-projects/design-challenges/f/forum/57294/build-maritime-tech-in-san-francisco-48-hour-hackathon-october-16-18/238333Wed, 23 Sep 2026 09:45:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:06b7a827-fda0-4ad0-ae3d-90f2df939feccstantonHello, This looks interesting, I think we could benefit from more sea-faring competitions on the Community! By the by, I moved this as requested, thankshttps://community.element14.com/challenges-projects/design-challenges/f/forum/57294/build-maritime-tech-in-san-francisco-48-hour-hackathon-october-16-18/238332Wed, 23 Sep 2026 07:37:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:19e266db-4963-4272-8e73-7d49b0d2dcfcSiliconMtnThanks then. I'll post it again. Cheers guyshttps://community.element14.com/challenges-projects/design-challenges/f/forum/57294/build-maritime-tech-in-san-francisco-48-hour-hackathon-october-16-18/238331Wed, 23 Sep 2026 03:32:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:b34f7486-f41f-456a-a8b2-9190abac829carvindsaI couldnt have said it better, Thankyou ralphjy . Infact, more people will see the Members forum more SiliconMtn .https://community.element14.com/challenges-projects/design-challenges/f/forum/57294/build-maritime-tech-in-san-francisco-48-hour-hackathon-october-16-18/238330Tue, 22 Sep 2026 18:06:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:050d54af-d54a-4833-88f6-52e0d5bb22e9ralphjyThis is a page for a project competition that ends Sept 27. I think he was just suggesting that there might be a more appropriate place for this post. Maybe the Members Forum. cstanton should be able to move it for you.https://community.element14.com/challenges-projects/design-challenges/f/forum/57294/build-maritime-tech-in-san-francisco-48-hour-hackathon-october-16-18/238329Tue, 22 Sep 2026 15:28:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:c7b6b0b6-bece-4737-932d-2eea5185ed8aSiliconMtnwhy not? I'm pretty sure many engineers will find this interestinghttps://community.element14.com/challenges-projects/design-challenges/f/forum/57294/build-maritime-tech-in-san-francisco-48-hour-hackathon-october-16-18Tue, 22 Sep 2026 13:49:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:fad94727-1444-4674-a8c0-0197991e838cSiliconMtnAnyone here in the Bay Area interested in putting their hardware and software skills to work on maritime problems? I’m Filippo from Silicon Mtn, one of the organizers of the Maritime Dual-Use Hackathon in San Francisco, October 16–18, 2026 . It’s a 48-hour build with three challenges: Software-Defined Vessel Piping Layout Optimization OT Cybersecurity & Blast Radius Analysis We’re organizing it with Fincantieri, Fincantieri Marine Group and Mind the Bridge , with Qualcomm and Arduino as main technology sponsors. Each member of the winning team receives a Qualcomm-powered laptop . For those interested in continuing afterwards: Venture Track — selective access to six weeks of free acceleration with Fincantieri. Scouting Track — an opt-in path offering access to partners’ hiring processes. If you enjoy building, testing and making things work , take a look. You can apply solo or with a team of up to five . View the challenges and apply Happy to answer questions here.maritimeembeddedsystemshackathonarduinosan franciscohttps://community.element14.com/challenges-projects/design-challenges/f/forum/57138/the-world-s-on-fire---embrace-solar-punk/238101Fri, 11 Sep 2026 14:06:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:dd04c47a-971d-484c-9ed3-ad8e4797258fbeacon_dave[quote userid="2238" url="~/challenges-projects/design-challenges/f/forum/57138/the-world-s-on-fire---embrace-solar-punk/237595"]I could power one from my solar hat[/quote] He wasn't joking folks... https://community.element14.com/challenges-projects/project14/b/make-a-connection/posts/meshtastic-solar-hat-nodehttps://community.element14.com/challenges-projects/design-challenges/f/forum/57138/the-world-s-on-fire---embrace-solar-punk/238088Fri, 11 Sep 2026 02:21:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:ea7d72b1-5534-42af-bcb9-08dc696a3810TanakakariThe I2C temperature and humidity sensor fits Meshtastic telemetry very naturally, and I like that the data can be viewed directly on the node as well. Adding edge AI telemetry makes this even more interesting... Looking forward to seeing where you take it!https://community.element14.com/challenges-projects/design-challenges/f/forum/55550/seeking-feedback-for-kit-on-upcoming-led-design-challenge/237685Mon, 03 Aug 2026 16:52:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:a4ce4ef5-49e9-463f-8c76-37296a6e3743beacon_daveProbably something like this: https://www.xvxchannel.com/en-gb/collections/keycaps/products/spider-web-imd-keycaphttps://community.element14.com/challenges-projects/design-challenges/f/forum/55550/seeking-feedback-for-kit-on-upcoming-led-design-challenge/237675Mon, 03 Aug 2026 14:11:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:7dbb2eaa-ae31-4dcb-b2f8-8e6027e22cd2EmmanueldioHello dear, this like is broken said 404 https://www.xvxchannel.com/collections/keycaps/products/xvx-spider-web-version-pattern-oem-profile-imd-tech-keycap- set I really want to check this out.https://community.element14.com/challenges-projects/design-challenges/f/forum/57138/the-world-s-on-fire---embrace-solar-punk/237640Sat, 01 Aug 2026 11:40:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:f7dfe1d5-b12e-416b-9f1a-9018dbd52876beacon_dave[quote userid="18385" url="~/challenges-projects/design-challenges/f/forum/57138/the-world-s-on-fire---embrace-solar-punk"]What parts would make up a kit to design for energy recovery, efficiency, but to produce something useful?[/quote] For someone wanting to explore LoRa functionality out in the field, then perhaps something like this: https://lilygo.cc/products/t-display-p4 would be a starting point ? A near ready-to-use pocketable format but with some GPIO exposed to extend the functionality. [quote userid="18385" url="~/challenges-projects/design-challenges/f/forum/57138/the-world-s-on-fire---embrace-solar-punk"]Meanwhile... I'm trying to resist buying meshtastic nodes.[/quote] There appear to be variants specifically for the likes of Meshtastic or MeshCore: https://lilygo.cc/collections/lilygo-with-meshtastic https://lilygo.cc/collections/lilygo-with-meshcorehttps://community.element14.com/challenges-projects/design-challenges/f/forum/57138/the-world-s-on-fire---embrace-solar-punk/237622Fri, 31 Jul 2026 17:26:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:9a2d5be9-fb98-4d69-9a8d-241c560e2726cstanton[quote userid="41967" url="~/challenges-projects/design-challenges/f/forum/57138/the-world-s-on-fire---embrace-solar-punk/237621"]If you are an individual, then you are likely going to have to configure your equipment to match whatever mesh network technology is actively being used in the area you are in. [/quote] There're discussions about this and how it's setup on the meshtastic subreddit. https://www.reddit.com/r/meshtastic/comments/1e9khyg/primary_channel_frequency_selection/ https://www.reddit.com/r/meshtastic/comments/1howp8k/frequency_slot_changes/ [quote userid="41967" url="~/challenges-projects/design-challenges/f/forum/57138/the-world-s-on-fire---embrace-solar-punk/237621"] it could probably test a LoRa based mesh network[/quote] Looks like there are some enterprise solutions for coverage which I didn't expect: https://netmoregroup.com/news/netmore-lorawan-expands-to-norway-through-collaboration-with-eidsiva/ https://tektelic.com/projects/smart-city-lorawan-network/https://community.element14.com/challenges-projects/design-challenges/f/forum/57138/the-world-s-on-fire---embrace-solar-punk/237621Fri, 31 Jul 2026 17:19:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:42327a08-750a-46bc-ae80-db4b2e3100d9beacon_dave[quote userid="18385" url="~/challenges-projects/design-challenges/f/forum/57138/the-world-s-on-fire---embrace-solar-punk/237606"]where if I'm an individual[/quote] If you are an individual, then you are likely going to have to configure your equipment to match whatever mesh network technology is actively being used in the area you are in. You are also relying on other individuals in the immediate vicinity to be using the same mesh network technology in order to relay the messages ( assuming that there aren't sufficient repeaters already fully covering the area ). If you are part of a large group, then your group can choose which is the most appropriate mesh network technology to use. Downside is that if there are beacons and repeaters available, then you won't be able to benefit from them. So one challenge here could be standards and we all know that " the wonderful thing about standards is that there are so many of them to choose from ". [quote userid="18385" url="~/challenges-projects/design-challenges/f/forum/57138/the-world-s-on-fire---embrace-solar-punk/237606"]where if I'm an individual hiking in Norway, which in Norway you can pretty much go anywhere because 'everyone owns the land'[/quote] I've always been interested in skiing the 'Peer Gynt Trail' between Espedalen and Skeikampen in Norway. At around 90km in distance, it could probably test a LoRa based mesh network. Especially if you have several individuals in your group travelling at different speeds and joining the trail at different points.https://community.element14.com/challenges-projects/design-challenges/f/forum/57138/the-world-s-on-fire---embrace-solar-punk/237611Fri, 31 Jul 2026 11:20:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:b19cf69d-36f3-4120-8d47-3227117fb56dveluv01Indeed, Meshtastic does have a lot of potential that extends beyond just messaging. Recently, I'm experimenting on setting up Meshtastic sensor nodes for environment telemetry using an I2C temp and humidity sensor. The best part is how easy it is to configure everything through the Meshtastic app via GUI. While I'm still experimenting about the private channels on the meshtastic, I would like to try to send edge AI telemetry data through the mesh network.https://community.element14.com/challenges-projects/design-challenges/f/forum/57138/the-world-s-on-fire---embrace-solar-punk/237607Thu, 30 Jul 2026 13:19:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:44a09a64-f9db-4b53-aef0-4e1d6285c5f0JWxit depends on the effective range - especially in the forest and/or hills/mountains/line-of-sign obstacles; but maybe solar-powered repeaters in high places would do the trick (another question how effective would be solar power in the given geographical location)https://community.element14.com/challenges-projects/design-challenges/f/forum/57138/the-world-s-on-fire---embrace-solar-punk/237606Thu, 30 Jul 2026 13:00:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:a9a3cf25-4578-4ff5-b65f-4573ebfdcb4fcstanton[quote userid="41967" url="~/challenges-projects/design-challenges/f/forum/57138/the-world-s-on-fire---embrace-solar-punk/237604"] I guess that in a lot of circumstances that isn't really an issue and is perhaps even greatly outweighed by the amount of information that can be quickly exchanged via speech. However if you have the likes of 200 volunteers out on a hillside helping to tackle a wildfire, then with LoRa you perhaps have the ability to autonomously transmit GPS coordinates along with other sensor information, at regular intervals back to a mobile base camp to be able to log last known location. [/quote] There's also the 'beacon notification' opportunity here, where if I'm an individual hiking in Norway, which in Norway you can pretty much go anywhere because 'everyone owns the land', if I don't have phone signal, perhaps a mesh network of this could notify me in case of landslide or fire, or simply "hey I have spare hot dogs to share if anyone's around". [quote userid="41967" url="~/challenges-projects/design-challenges/f/forum/57138/the-world-s-on-fire---embrace-solar-punk/237604"]Any insights into how it is actively being used in these situations ?[/quote] It's growing in popularity, emfcamp had a collection off people carrying this kit around and you can see casual conversations on reddit and online as to people carrying it around for hiking. I don't have a direct report or metrics to share. Another term for this is 'meshnology' as people pick it up.https://community.element14.com/challenges-projects/design-challenges/f/forum/57138/the-world-s-on-fire---embrace-solar-punk/237604Thu, 30 Jul 2026 11:44:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:5ffe044d-75f8-43af-aed8-101aa9700591beacon_dave[quote userid="18385" url="~/challenges-projects/design-challenges/f/forum/57138/the-world-s-on-fire---embrace-solar-punk/237602"]Doesn't that require knowing what channels are in use? and that it's not encrypted?[/quote] I guess that in a lot of circumstances that isn't really an issue and is perhaps even greatly outweighed by the amount of information that can be quickly exchanged via speech. However if you have the likes of 200 volunteers out on a hillside helping to tackle a wildfire, then with LoRa you perhaps have the ability to autonomously transmit GPS coordinates along with other sensor information, at regular intervals back to a mobile base camp to be able to log last known location. [quote userid="18385" url="~/challenges-projects/design-challenges/f/forum/57138/the-world-s-on-fire---embrace-solar-punk/237602"]For meshtastic, it ranges from camping festivals to hiking.[/quote] Any insights into how it is actively being used in these situations ?