Stephen Krotseng

Students go through lots of consumables, like paper, markers, foamcor and batteries in a studio space. Administrative staff is often not located in the same space, so they are unaware of when these items are running low. Refills solves this problem by creating a home base for these items, which monitors how much remains. As items are removed there is an active monitor and an email is sent to the administration to let know when materials reach low levels, so more can be ordered.

Tools like wire strippers, pliers, X-acto knives, or soldering irons are often purchased by a university, but their tendency to disappear or not be around when students need them can lead to tension and an inability to finish projects in the timely manner desired. Utilities addresses this issue by putting bluetooth tags on these objects so that they can be checked out of the utility cabinet and the knowledge of who has what tools becomes clear.

It is becoming more and more common for studios to have shared spaces that are not permanently controlled by any one person or group. This can make having a meeting or a place to work unexpectedly difficult, because a student doesn’t know before they arrive if space is available and formal scheduling of spaces is rarely done. Occupancy addresses this issue by making the current as well as historic occupancy level of a space known along with the noise level.

Flow Stopper 9000 is designed to help regulate water usage in residential housing. The user can set a monthly water usage limit, and the Flow Stopper 9000 will automatically stop the supply of water if that limit is met. Flow Stopper 9000’s intuitive, 9-key interface allows users to specify a desired cap on their water bill and Flow Stopper 9000 automatically calculates monthly water usage based on local utility charges and the desired water bill. Flow Stopper integrates easily into most home water mains and installs in seconds.

I have an Epipremnum plant sitting in my window, which is often open during the winter because my apartment is too warm. The plant needs sunlight, but it also needs to be in a temperature range of 65-80 degrees Fahrenheit in order to stay healthy. I decided to create a sensor that would tell me, at a quick glance, whether or not my plant was in the right temperature range. With red and green LEDs, I programmed the Spark core to light the green LED when the temperature is within 65-80 degrees, and to light the red LED when the temperature is outside that range. I also set up the temperature as a cloud variable so I could keep track of it when I'm not at home. Additionally, I wanted to be able to monitor the sunlight amount the plant is receiving. I installed a photoresistor and set it up as a cloud variable in order to remotely monitor whether or not the plant is receiving enough sunlight.