A popular way to encourage the development of new wearable Health Tech devices is to hold a design contest. One of the latest is from Texas Instruments (TI), which calls on designers to come up with devices that make use of near-field communication (NFC) technology. To enter, you just post your concept online at the company’s website. The contest started June 9, and entries will be accepted until July 17.
Ten entries will be selected as finalists, and their developers will be given the tools they need to create their devices. They will have two months to complete the designs and submit final products to TI. The devices will use a TI chip that incorporates an ultra-low-power microcontroller core with an NFC wireless communication interface. The chip is designed to work as a passive device (no battery power) or with a battery. Other TI sensors can be incorporated in the project, such as components to measure temperature or blood oxygen levels.
The winner will be awarded a Sony SmartWatch 3. It’s not a huge prize, all things considered, but this sort of contest can serve as an impetus to get projects off the drawing board (or out of a creator’s mind) and make progress in becoming a real product. It also serves to familiarize developers with new components that might help make a new product feasible.
