Guest blog by Krzysztof Wróbel (@MrChrisWrobel) and Tomasz Grynfelder (@tgrynfelder)
Pushing hardware related ideas into products is often a really complicated and time consuming process. We have to spend an enormous amount of hours starting from hardware schema creation through manual device assembly ending with troublemaking firmware development. However, initial implementation can be sped up using TI’s Bluetooth® Smart SensorTag. It gives a chance to rapidly prototype our idea, thanks to omitting the repetitive part: simple sensor-based hardware creation. We can focus all our power on implementing core functionality, not playing with hardware building, especially if we do not have the necessary qualifications. No matter if you are going to launch a startup supporting workouts or building home automation tools, you can go on and validate your idea instantly.
We have come up with an idea to create workshops for both designers and developers to encourage them to work together on creating hardware-related prototypes. During the workshop sessions, every participant can be a part of the whole process of product creation, gaining both design and programming skills. We are no longer limited by time consuming hardware development, so we can encourage participants to go beyond their well-worn paths. It starts with brainstorming in a full-blown design session, and ends with development of the final project. In just a few hours we are able to teach participants how to reveal and analyze new use cases of simple tools to create whole new products and implement it rapidly using a Bluetooth low energy compatible mobile device, no matter if it is Android or iOS.
TI’s SensorTag supplies makers with an accelerometer, gyroscope, magnetometer, thermometers (ambient and IR), barometer and simple buttons accessible from any Bluetooth Smart enabled device. Designers have defined a range of sensors that can be used while prototyping and on the other end, developers can easily use its data, almost without communication overhead between sensor-based hardware and mobile device or firmware development. Through our playground with TI’s SensorTag, participants will take a chance to implement their ideas together, revealed during brainstorming and design sessions. As a side effect of the workshop, an exciting game will be created with a dedicated app, to be used by MCE’s participants during spare time at the conference. Participants will have an opportunity to try activities like a boxing game or electronic dice play; all created using Texas Instruments components.
This workshop is part of MCE 2015, a mobile technology conference created by developers and designers happening on February 4-6 in Warsaw, Poland. A workshop day and two talk days bring together 50 speakers and 650 attendees to exchange knowledge and skills. The idea is to bring designers and developers closer to each other and make them aware that they can do much more by working together. We think it’s important to show them how to find common communication ground and understand each other. Likewise, we want to emphasize the end users and their needs while we create and design products for them, not just for us or for clients.
