Spresense Developer Challenge 2022

The challenge

We call upon innovative and skilled developers to use the Spresense microcontroller board to create a solution that solves a real problem or improves a process by allowing it to go faster, or cheaper, be more environmentally friendly, be more secure or in any other way make it work better.

You're free to develop your solution for virtually any type of industry or use case as long as it solves a relevant problem. Segments could be from (but not limited to) industrial or professional sectors such as industrial automation/predictive maintenance, agriculture, logistics and transport, wildlife/environmental protection, image processing, machine learning, edge computing, robotics, real-time sensor analysis, hi-res audio solutions, or tracking solutions.

Explore these featured use cases for inspiration!

Your solution should include the Spresense microcontroller board as a key component and can optionally also include the Spresense extension board, the Spresense camera board, the newly launched Spresense LTE extension board, and/or other 3rd party hardware such as sensors, connectivity hardware, etc.

Introduction to the Hardware

Since the SPRESENSE™ line of board products that launched in July 2018, the new release of LTE extension board equipped with smart sensing processors for IoT applications just joined the family and became available in March 2022. Read the full press release here.

Compliant with LTE-M (LTE Cat-M1) and NB-IoT*1 communication standards, the new extension boards will enable developers to create more diverse applications and systems, thereby contributing to the further growth and development of the IoT market.

Key Features:

• 156 MHz hexacore microcontroller Sony’s CXD5602 (ARM® Cortex®-M4F × 6 cores)

• Power efficient battery friendly through advanced power management

• Integrated GPS support for GPS, QZSS and GLONASS

• Hi-res audio output* ** 192kHz/24bit audio codec and class D amplifier

• Camera interface dedicated 8-bit parallel interface

• Multiple mic inputs 4 analog/8 digital microphone inputs at 192kHz/24bit*
(2 analog/4 digital microphone inputs at 192kHz/24bit**)

• LTE connectivity (LTE Cat-M1 and NB-IoT)**

*through the Spresense extension board

**through the Spresense LTE extension board

🎁 Want free Spresense hardware to complete your entry?

For developers in US, UK, France, Germany and Spain, we’re awarding free hardware to the best ideas submitted on or before April 13, 2022.

• 75 Sony's Spresense Main Board & Regular Extension Board bundles
• 25 Sony Spresense Board & LTE Extension Board bundles + SIM cards from Truphone with 50 mB free data
• 25 Spresense Camera Boards

Click over to the Apply for Hardware tab to fill out an application.

Due to legal reasons, unfortunately, only developers in the five countries mentioned above are eligible for hardware giveaways.

👉 Hardware Discount

Don't worry if you missed the deadline to apply for free hardware or you're not located in an eligible giveaway location! ALL countries are eligible to participate. Purchase your own Sony Spresense board from Framos (US) or Framos (EU) with our contest coupon code: FRA-SPRE-LTE-22 and get 10% discount on the full kit.

Prizes

Grand Prize

3 winners

Sony Playstation 5 Disc Version with Extra DualSense Wireless Controller

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$929 value

Judges Choice

3 winners

WH-1000XM4 Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones

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$300 value

Runner Up

4 winners

SRS-XB43 EXTRA BASS™ Portable Bluetooth® Wireless Speaker

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$200 value

Edge Impulse Special Prize

2 winners

Edge Impulse

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$500 value

Build a dataset and deploy machine learning algorithms using the Edge Impulse platform. Top 2 most innovative applications of embedded machine learning win a $500 visa gift card each.

Special Mention

1 winner

special recognition from the judges on its exemplar innovation.

Judges

Resources

Have questions regarding the contest? Reach out to fellow contest participants and the Hackster organizing team using the discussion tab.

Reach out to Sony’s Spresense support team for development questions.

Getting Started Resources

View the 2 webinars below that was specifically facilitated during the contest to talk about how to get started with the hardware!

WEBINAR | Always Connected, Always Seeing: Combining 4G LTE and TinyML

WEBINAR | LTE Cellular Connectivity with Sony's Spresense Microcontroller

Other useful links:

• Spresense developer website
• Full product specification
• Spresense development documentation (Contains sections for getting started with Spresense SDK (CLI or VSCode IDE), Arduino IDE or CircuitPython)
• Spresense intro videos (Get started videos for NuttX, the Arduino IDE and CircuitPython)
• Resources for developing Machine Learning projects with Spresense (Use TensorFlow, Edge Impulse or Neural Network Libraries by Sony, getting started with TensorFlow & Edge Impulse on Spresense videos)

Also checkout other Hackster TV videos:

• Sony Spresense Main+Extension Board Unboxing
• Sony Spresense Camera Board Unboxing
• Interview with Edge Impulse's Jenny Plunkett on Hackster Cafe.
• Full solutions Spresense webinar with Edge Impulse

And check out existing projects on our Hackster hub for inspiration.

About us

Sony Corporation is a creative entertainment company with a solid foundation of technology. From game and network services to music, pictures, electronics, image sensors and financial services – Sony’s purpose is to fill the world with emotion through the power of creativity and technology. For more information, visit: http://www.sony.net/