The Inventor Spot
Contests and Resources For Inventors
Nasa has just announced a new contest, total Prize purse of $3,000,000 dollars.
https://www.nasa.gov/prizes-challenges-and-crowdsourcing/centennial-challenges/lunarecycle/
“The LunaRecycle Challenge is a two-track public competition that seeks recycling solutions for the lunar surface that maximize the amount of waste that can be recycled from a list of waste categories and items that are relevant to a hypothetical 365-day lunar mission. NASA is seeking hardware designs (for the Prototype Build track) and digital twin designs (for the Digital Twin track) that minimize resource inputs; unusable outputs; and the mass and/or volume of hardware components and systems needed for recycling. For the Digital Twin track, NASA is also seeking highly innovative and imaginative solutions that harness the full potential of a digital twin.”
Basically, NASA wants a product to dispose of the astronaut’s garbage and waste, and convert it into a usable product. Here’s the hard part: needs to work on the moon.
Solution seems simple to me: just melt down the whole list of garbage and 3D print it into usable building bricks.
Instructables has regular contests: https://www.instructables.com/contest/
Present your ideas in the form of an Instructable.
Here's a sample of the latest contests (April 2023):
Tech Briefs Magazine launches the Create the Future Design Contest (2023):
Submit an Idea to Nasa!:
Submit an Idea to NASA!
Amazing projects: https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/spacetech/niac/NIAC_funded_studies.html
- A Titan Sample Return Vehicle Using In-Situ Extracted Propellants See: Mission To Titan (This website)
Some other entries in the NASA Innovative Advanced Studies Contest:
Getting to other planets:
An entry in the NASA ideas contest that has reached phase II. The idea (see pdf) is partially about sending out functional spacecraft on a wafer, allowing us to reach distant objects at much faster speeds. Cool.
https://www.nasa.gov/feature/deep-in-directed-energy-propulsion-for-interstellar-exploration/
Getting around on other planets:
Drilling on other planets:
Autonomous Robotic Demonstrator for Deep Drilling (ARD3)
Doesn't always work as planned:
https://in.mashable.com/science/21955/nasas-mole-tried-to-dig-into-mars-it-didnt-go-as-planned
The EW Project Challenge, 2022
https://www.electronicwings.com/contest/3/ew-project-challenge-2022: www.electronicwings.com/contest/3/ew-project-challenge-2022
The EW Project Challenge, July-Dec 2021
Challenge for Creator / Maker in all of us.
Prizes worth INR 150,000/- (~$2000)
Design a project that helps the world, and publish it! Get ready for The EW Project Challenge 2022!
The 2021 Winners:
https://www.electronicwings.com/contest/2/ew-project-challenge-2021#winners
https://www.electronicwings.com/contest/2/ew-project-challenge-2021
EW's Node MCU Tutorial: https://www.electronicwings.com/nodemcu/basics
Mousers recommended Sensors: https://www.electronicwings.com/sensors-modules/sensors-modules
Electromechanical Sustenance of Biological Systems: IOT Aquarium (mine) (Jan update: 2nd place judges).
Judges 5th: Automelette - Automated Omelette Cooking Articulated Robot
Honorable Mention by me: The Autofarmer Autonomius Farming System.
Last year's winner. Made great use of gas sensors.
NodeMCU V3 IOT Wifi Module
The NodeMCU ESP8266 with Arduino programming. Awesome! Fun and inexpensive Internet of Things
Compatable with a large variety of inexpensive sensors. Easy to connect anything to the internet, Alexa, etc.
Live Demo using a Dallas One-Wire temperature sensor, a PH probe, and remote switches: myfishtankonline
Data Collected by Evan Robinson Email: ganymede2029@gmail.com
M5Stack
Impressive collection of small IOT devices for the inventor and Arduino compatible controllers. https://m5stack.com/.
Impressive list of 289 parts at Mouser: https://www.mouser.com/c/?m=M5Stack
https://shop.m5stack.com/collections/m5-accessories?page=2
Each uses a Grove style connector for easy connect to Grove devices from seeed.
Here is seeed's Arduino Uno Shield:
Multiple devices can share the same I2C ports on controllers by using different addresses in the code.
May need an extender to extend I2C longer distance. https://seeeddoc.github.io/Grove-RJ45_Adapter/
https://shop.switchdoc.com/products/grove-cable-extenders-pair
https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Seeed-Studio/103020011?qs=1%252B9yuXKSi8CAFUtDiXRsiQ%3D%3D
