element14 launches Upcycle It Design Challenge with Intel Edison

Global design community element14  has launched Upcycle It, a new design challenge for designers and engineers. First seen in the 1990s and also known as “creative reuse,” upcycling is the process of transforming by-products, waste materials, or useless or unwanted products into new materials or products of better quality or for better environmental value. Sponsored by Intel, element14 will challenge 15 community members to upcycle an unwanted or waste product to give it a new or enhanced lease of life.

“We are hoping that the Upcycle it challenge will really get our members excited, said Dianne Kibbey, element 14’s global head of Content and Community. “We all face the dual challenge of trying to reduce our footprint on the planet, whilst living within our means. Being environmentally friendly is sometimes seen as something that costs more–this challenge aims to show that this isn’t the case.“

element14 will accept applications for the Upcycle it challenge from now until March 3, 2017. Fifteen official challengers will be announced on March 14 2017, each of whom will receive a complimentary package containing the Intel Edison Kit for Arduino, Arduino Protoshield R3, a Grove Starter Kit for Arduino, AC/DC power supply and USB cable. Each of the 15 challengers will provide weekly updates on their progress through blog posts, photos and videos via the element14 Community.

Finalists will have until June 4, 2017 to submit their projects. Entries will be judged on originality, innovation and technical merit by a panel of judges including experts from Intel and element14. The winners will be announced by the end of June 2017.

For more information, visit element14 and Premier Farnell.

Sources: Press materials received from the company and additional information gleaned from the companies’ websites.