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Mechatronics Student Makes Round 2 of Microsoft Contest
February 2, 2009
It’s almost noon on Monday, February 2 and Matthew Sheridan has just over 37 days left to make his submission to round two of Microsoft’s Sparks Will Fly 2009 Challenge according to the contest countdown clock.
Matthew is a second-year mechatronics and management student at McMaster and one of only 50 entrants to make it to round two of the three-round global competition.
The 2009 Sparks Will Fly Challenge is run by Spark Your Imagination, Microsoft’s Windows Embedded offering for hobbyists, which requires entrants to design an embedded project that could help realize the “home of the future.” The winner receives $15,000, plus a trip to TechEd 2009 in Los Angeles.
“I already had an interest in RFID technology and its applications before I found out about the Microsoft Sparks Will Fly contest,” explains Matthew, who is from Brockville but went to high school in Burlington, and is commodore of the McMaster Sailing Club.
“I entered the contest because the theme of the contest, “The home of the future” seemed a perfect fit with my plans for RFID. Entering the contest was a great way to challenge myself while receiving peer reviews from hobbyists and industry professionals.”
Entries for round one of the challenge consisted of a short paper outlining a creative embedded project for the home that can actually be built.
Matthew’s submission is titled "RFID Home Automation Made Personal". It adds radio frequency identification (RFID) tags to home automation setups allowing for personalized programming of home appliances such as an iTunes library that plays music as you enter a room, a stove that restricts operation for children, or a fridge that can suggest personalized recipes.
“I have always had a huge interest in how things work,” said Matthew. “As a kid I was very interested in computers and I took apart every mechanical or electrical device I could find. Mechatronics and Management is a perfect fit for me because it allows me to study electrical, software and mechanical disciplines while maintaining a firm connection with the business world.”
For the second round, the 50 qualifiers receive a free SPARK Your Imagination kit, based on the VIA Artigo Pico-ITX board. They must then build a working prototype of their idea, submit a four- to eight-page paper that describes their solution, and a two-minute video that summarizes the project. Submissions are due March 11 at 5:00 p.m. (PST).
On March 13, Matthew will find out if he made it to the final round of three. Each of the three finalists receives $1,000 cash plus a flight to ESC Silicon Valley in San Jose, where they’ll demonstrate their project during the Microsoft keynote. The winner will be announced at the end of the keynote on March 31.
Stay tuned.
