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I am thrilled to announce the launch of the Viam Challenge—a unique opportunity to enhance everyday devices with the power of artificial intelligence (AI).
- Do you browse Adafruit just for fun and have a pile of Raspberry Pis in your garage?
- Do you love hackathons and are seeking a new engineering challenge?
- Are you a software engineering student learning about AI and want to connect with a community of enthusiasts?
If any of these descriptions fit you, look no further!
Each participant brings a unique perspective, from navigating the complexities of machine learning (ML) models, like YOLO models, to creatively enhancing device functionality. Let’s join together and explore the limitless potential of AI in shaping the future of smart machine technology.
What is the Viam Challenge?
The Viam Challenge invites engineers, developers, and AI enthusiasts to participate in a 6-week competition where they'll integrate AI into everyday machines. Whether it's a laptop, a smart home device, or an IoT gadget, participants will leverage Viam to infuse AI capabilities into their chosen device.
We launched on March 5th, but you can join anytime as long as you submit before April 21st!
Why participate in the Viam Challenge?
Joining the Viam Challenge offers a plethora of benefits:
- Flex Your Creativity: Push the boundaries of what's possible by adding AI to everyday devices.
- Hands-on Experience: Gain practical experience using AI technologies such as machine learning models, large language models, and more, all within the supportive environment of the Viam community.
- Networking Opportunities: Connect with like-minded individuals, seasoned engineers, and AI experts, expanding your professional network and fostering collaboration.
- Prizes: Submit your project for a chance to win!
Prizes & perks of participating in the Viam Challenge
We're offering a total of $4,000 in prizes and perks, with the top submissions receiving the following:
- 1st Place: $2,000
- 2nd Place: $1,000
- Runner-ups (3): $200 each
Additionally, these top 5 submissions will each receive a Viam Rover 2, valued at $99.
How to participate in the Viam Challenge
1. Register: Sign up for the challenge and receive weekly emails with reminders, inspiration, and submission links.
2. Choose Your Device: Select an everyday device to enhance with AI, focusing on themes like Sustainability, Home Automation, Personal Assistant, or submit a Wild Card Entry.
3. Develop Your Project: Utilize the Viam App and Viam SDKs to integrate AI capabilities into your device. Join our Discord sessions for inspiration, guidance and help.
4. Submit Your Project: Post your project on either Hackster.io or Instructables, and submit the link via the provided Google form. The submission deadline is April 21, 2024, at 11:59 PM EDT.
Judging criteria for the Viam Challenge
Submissions are evaluated based on the following criteria:
- Use of Viam: Effectiveness in utilizing Viam's Platform, Server, and SDKs.
- Design Quality and Project Completion: Clarity of design and technical decisions.
- Applicability: Potential for the project to inspire other engineers or be leveraged in other use cases.
- Quality of Documentation: Clarity and polish of project documentation, including instructions and code comments.
Events supporting the Viam Challenge
In addition to the exciting challenge itself, we are thrilled to offer a series of virtual events designed to support and engage our participants throughout their journey.
Join our Discord community, where you'll have access to weekly livestreamed Q&A sessions, expert advice on AI device enhancements, and real-time support from our developer advocates, including me.
Mark your calendars for a series of events such as Guide Me sessions, Brainstorming sessions, Configuration Series where you can explore topics leveraging large language models, How To sessions on using Computer Vision, Employee AMAs about Data/ML, and more!
Past events
For the ones you missed, see the recordings here on our YouTube channel.
We started off with a guided session introducing the challenge and we highlighted the importance of learning new skills, gave tips on project submission and collaboration, and information on the prizes available. Some key tips from the session are:
🌟Explore the limitless possibilities of building AI-enhanced devices with the Viam platform.
🎉Embrace the challenge as an opportunity to learn new skills, collaborate with others, and create open-source integrations.
💡Save time and spark innovative ideas by checking the Viam Registry for existing components and services.
⭐Find inspiration in the curated resources and tutorials provided by Viam for generating project ideas.
🎉Kickstart your project by starting simple, prototyping, and gradually developing it for success.
💡Prioritize clear and polished documentation for seamless project replication and sharing.
⭐Follow the project submission steps outlined on the website for seamless participation.
We also did a brainstorming session where we ideated project topics for robotics and smart devices, such as garbage identification, invasive species detection, facial recognition for medication reminders, translation devices, notification machines for pet needs and tools for music recommendations.
Some other topic specific sessions were “How to: Models & Modules”, “Teach me: Making Smarter Cameras” and “How to: Using Computer Vision in the Viam App”.
In How to: Models & Modules, we discussed the Viam modules and their power in sharing and extending capabilities for creating machines and robots, learned about configuration and deployment of modules to your machines, and touched upon creating custom modules or improving existing components and services. We also talked about how the ML models can also be uploaded to the registry for sharing with the community.
In Teach me: Making Smarter Cameras, we talked about a specific demo project, where Matt introduced a project he created with Viam to solve practical problems he faced in his rural area with wildlife threats to his ducks and dog, Luna.
Finally, in How to: Using Computer Vision in the Viam App, we focused on using cameras on various devices to process images and identify objects, and the steps of setting up a camera, configuring a webcam, and creating a service to detect people using an ML model from the Viam registry.
Upcoming events
For upcoming sessions:
- On April 4, 2024, don't miss our "Employee AMA: Data/ML AMA," providing a guided fireside chat session with our senior engineer Tahiya.
- On April 11th, join our developer advocate Nick to learn about LLM’s and its real life applications.
- Finally, join the "Guide Me: Community Challenge Final Jam" on April 16, 2024, for a culmination of learning and sharing experiences with our developer advocates as well as last minute debugging and FAQ.
- And mark your calendars for the grand finale—the "Award Ceremony and Project Showcase" on April 30, 2024, where we celebrate the outstanding achievements of our participants and showcase their innovative projects.
These events aim to enrich your experience, foster learning, and build a vibrant community of AI enthusiasts so don’t miss out.
Join the challenge today!
Ready for the journey? Register now to participate in the Viam Challenge and showcase your skills in AI and machine learning. Let's revolutionize everyday devices together!
For more information, visit the Viam Challenge Official Page, and join our Discord to connect with our engineers and other challenge participants.
