Smart Device Challenge Brief

This is a team challenge — not an innovation competition. You are not expected to invent something novel. The goal is to get your whole team contributing to something that actually works and can be demonstrated.

Working beats ambitious-but-broken. Simple is fine.

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Your Hardware Toolkit

Built into every device

Both the M5StickC Plus and M5StickS3 include:

Built-in	What you can do with it
Colour screen (1.14″ LCD)	Display text, sensor values, graphics, animations
Button(s)	User input, trigger actions, cycle modes — a button is a sensor
6-axis IMU (gyroscope + accelerometer)	Detect tilt, shake, orientation, gestures

The M5StickC Plus also has a built-in IR transmitter, which can control TVs and other IR-equipped appliances.

Available external sensors

Connect via the Grove port — no soldering, just plug in:

Sensor	What it does
PIR motion sensor	Detects when someone walks past
ENV III	Reads temperature and humidity
RGB LED strip	Controlled light — colour, brightness, patterns
Unit Hub	Lets you connect multiple Grove sensors to one port

External sensors are optional. A project using only built-in hardware is perfectly valid.

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Project Sparks

These are starting points to get you thinking — not a prescribed list. If you have a different idea, go for it.

Idea	What it uses
Mini weather station	ENV III reads temp/humidity → show on screen, change LED colour for hot/cold
Burglar alarm	PIR detects motion → flash LEDs → show alert on screen
Tilt dice	Shake or tilt device → random number appears on screen
Reaction game	Press button A as fast as possible; track score on screen
Colour mood lamp	Button cycles through LED colours/patterns; IMU controls brightness
Plant monitor	ENV III tracks humidity → LED turns red if conditions are poor
Campus cat detector	PIR-triggered LED show when motion is sensed — serious name, playful execution
IR remote control	(StickC Plus only) Map buttons to control a TV or air conditioner

One creative prompt

Pick a real location — a corridor, study room, café, or lab — and ask: “What would actually be useful or interesting here?” That constraint often leads to better ideas than starting from the sensor.

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Team Roles

Assign each person a specific role before you start building. Without clear roles, one or two people do everything and others have nothing to show in the video.

Example roles for a team of 4–6:

Role	Responsibility
Hardware lead	Wiring, sensor connections, device setup
Code lead	UIFlow 2.0 blocks and logic
Tester	Tries to break things; documents what doesn’t work
Screen/UI designer	What text and graphics appear on the device display
Documenter / presenter	Records video, coordinates speaking parts

Roles can overlap. The point is that everyone has something specific to build, test, or explain.

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Deliverable

A short video demo, due Week 3.

Requirements:

• Show the device working — not a plan or presentation, the actual thing
• Demonstrate what it does and why it is useful or interesting
• Every team member must speak and explain their specific contribution
• 3–4 minutes total

No slides. No rehearsed script needed. Just show it working and explain it plainly.

In your video

It is fine to acknowledge what did not work or what you would do differently. Honest reflection on the process is valued.

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After the Challenge: Main Project

In Week 3 your team will choose a longer-term product to develop for the rest of the module. The warm-up challenge is designed to get you comfortable with the tools so you can make an informed choice — not to lock you into a specific direction.

Product types available from Week 3 onward include IoT/hardware, mobile apps, web platforms, games, AI/data products, and consultancy prototypes. See the Week Structure overview for details.

If your main project involves hardware and you need additional M5Stack sensors or components, the M5Stack store has a wide range of Grove-compatible add-ons. Some purchases are possible within the module — check with the instructor before ordering.