Student Success At The CBaSE Hub Incubator
Two students from the SoCS have been named to the inaugural cohort of startups that will receive funding and mentoring as part of the CBaSE Hub Incubator program.
Senior undergraduate student Ben Douek and PhD Candidate Jason Ernst are founding members of two startups - EveBoard One and Red Tree Robotics. Each startup has been awarded $8000 in funding as well as mentoring and office space in the CBaSE Incubator labs.
Douek describes EveBoard as "a shield for the Raspberry Pi that makes learning electronics and programming easy. If you have a Raspberry Pi and you want to start learning electronics this is the kit for you! For the absolute beginner the kit starts at the very beginning, with simple and practical projects that build in complexity as you follow the tutorials."
Douek adds "the layout of the Board makes it easy to use. In very little time with nothing but scrap wire and the EveBoard you can build projects like: a pong or space invaders game with a controller, a digital etch-a-sketch, a lamp that changes colour based on the weather, and more." The layout of the board also makes it compact and easy to use.
Ernst, along with Red Tree Robotics' co-founders Mike Stachowsky and Tom Hummel, are designing a computer for robots.
"Other companies usually design a specific robot for a particular application. Our system is designed to be very general and easily adaptable to new applications or tasks. Instead of having to design the computer alongside the robot, you just need to connect different motors, actuators etc." says Ernst.
Their robotic computer is also designed to support multiple types of wireless radios including Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and 4G, which makes it ideal for swarm robotics or applications involving high communication reliability.
Ernst will use the funding for at least three prototypes and testing, while Douek plans to use the money for the first batch of production boards, to develop a website and online store, and to provide prizes for people who create and post their first projects online with the board.