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| Monthly Themes | ||
| Monthly Theme Poll |
In the Comments Below: Let Us Know How You Plan to Fight Germs with Your Fighting Germs Project Ideas!
Your Projects Can Involve Making It Easy to Be Germ Free, Projects that Protect the Most Vulnerable, and Projects that Help You (and Others) Cope!
The Grand Prize: | 3 First Place Winners: |
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| HT-19 Thermal Imaging Camera + $200 Shopping Cart! Plus a $200 Donation to a Covid-19 Related Charity! | Germicidal UV Lamp + a $100 Shopping Cart! Plus a $100 Donation to a Covid-19 Related Charity! |
The Fighting Germs theme is in response to the COVID-19 virus outbreak which is the most pressing concern in all our lives right now. We're calling on all community members to build projects that make it easy to be germ free, build projects that protect the most vulnerable, and to build projects that help you (and others) cope with current crisis. You can also build projects that help keep you protected when you have to be out for essentials such as groceries or trips to the pharmacy.
Due to the extraordinary circumstances surrounding the recent worldwide pandemic, that has left many of us working from home, social distancing, and self-isolating; we have setup a special competition to help confront these troubling times. Engineers are problem solvers and we've got a community full of them. The name of the theme is Fighting Germs and the idea comes from a conversation started by 14rhb in his post. This challenge is to encourage you to build something that helps fight or prevent the spread of germs. The idea being it would be affordable in terms of the component availability/resources so that others with similar resources could replicate them to help a few friends, neighbors, and colleagues. Could be something that helps in the medium term while people, especially older folk, are in isolation. And finally looking much further ahead, helps prevent the spread of germs. You could for instance do something that helps elders that are currently in isolation such as providing remote care and diagnosis:
You can begin working and posting your project anywhere on the community using the tag FightingGermsCH. You are free to work in teams (just be sure to work remotely). This theme will take the take the place of the scheduled April Theme, Hardware Hacking, which will be pushed to May.
14rhb suggested a few ideas for your Fighting Germs project including a contactless hand wash system, a contactless temperature monitor, a germ free door handle (can a low current effectively clean a metal handle?), a 3D printed gripper to open and close a variety of doors, a portable UV sterilizer for cutlery etc. He also suggested a system that could electronically replace toilet rolls. 
Build Projects that Make It Easy to Be Germ Free!
Here are some examples of projects from a couple of our members, Anti-Virus Ideas by dougw and Corona Chart – Building an Information Display with the Pi by shabaz :
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| Anti-Virus Ideas | Corona Chart – Building an Information Display with the Pi |
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Here are a couple of interesting projects from cypresstwist:
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| Pumping air in Covid lungs | 5% Chlorine solution disinfectant station |
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Looking back, at some past episodes of The Ben Heck Show, who could forget Episode 235: Ben Heck's Automatic Sanitizing Doorknob Episode , where Ben and Felix make an auto doorknob sanitization unit out of some uv sanitizing lights. There was also Episode 15: Ben Heck's Automatic Sanitizer where Ben helps a physician by building a hand sanitizing station that detects motions, reminds people to sanitize, and logs their behavior.
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| Episode 235: Ben Heck's Automatic Sanitizing Doorknob Episode | Episode 15: Ben Heck's Automatic Sanitizer |
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Build Projects that Protect the Most Vulnerable!
Finally, your project does not need to involve soap or sanitizing. Fighting Germs involves protecting those most vulnerable to them. This not only includes the elderly but it also includes people with diabetes, autonomic dysfunction, recently pregnant, those taking blood thinners, those with high-blood pressure, and the list goes on and on.... There is not a member on here that cannot think of someone that falls in that category.
Here is a LoRa Project that 14rhb built to help remotely monitor elderly folks in need of care:
| Fighting Germs: Build Projects that Protect the Most Vulnerable! | |
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| Building EPCC - Elderly Person in the Community Care | |
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Build Projects to Help You (and others) Cope!
Finally, fighting germs also means finding ways to keep yourself (and others) safe by sacrificing many of the things we thought that mattered. Perhaps, all is not lost and you can build a project that helps you cope with everything that's going on. That was certainly the case with redcharly in his Acoustics project:
Relaxing sounds of nature
Hi, these are terrible days, in Italy we have been locked in the house for days to avoid the spread of Coronavirus.
What's better than designing and building something with Arduino? - redcharly
Use this theme as an opportunity to think about the things that are important to you and build a project that allows you to hold onto the things you love, while keeping yourself and everyone else safe.
Your Chance to Win
| Be Original | Stick to the Theme |
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| List the Steps | Submit Video Proof |
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The Grand Prize
| One Grand Prize Winner Wins an HT-19 Thermal Imaging Camera + $200 Cart! | Plus a $200 Donation to a Covid-19 Related Charity of Your Choice! |
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3 First Place Winners
| 3 First Place Winners Receive a UV Germicidal Lamp + $200 Shopping Cart | Plus a $100 Donation to a Covid-19 Related Charity of Your Choice! |
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Your Project, Your Ideas!
| About Project14 | Directions |
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Every month you'll have a new poll where you'll get to decide an upcoming project competition, based on your interests, that will take place a couple of months in advance. Themes are broad in scope so that everyone can participate regardless of skill set.
What are Monthly Themes?
What are Monthly Theme Polls?
| Step 1: Log in or register on element14, it's easy and free. Step 2: Post in the comments section below to begin a discussion on your idea. Videos, pictures and text are all welcomed forms of submission. Step 3: Submit a blog post of your progress on your project by the end of the month. You are free to submit as many blog entries as you like until the beginning of the next theme.
Be sure to include video proof of your project!
Visit: Fighting Germs or tag your project blog FightingGermsCH
You have until June 15th End of Day to submit your completed project!
A jury consisting of your peers will judge project submissions! |
In the Comments Below: Let Us Know How You Plan to Fight Germs with Your Fighting Germs Project Ideas!
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