"IoT and Me" Competitors introduce themselves & their Use Cases

- 📖🕓 ≈ 11 min -

As already reported, the first “IoT and Me” competition recently started among the trainees and students of the Minol ZENNER Group. In the coming days and weeks you will find out more about the individual participants who will introduce themselves here exclusively in this blog post. You will also find out which exciting and creative IoT use cases they thought about implementing as part of the competition. We will regularly add new profiles of the participants here. Be curious and stay up to date!

Our
IoT and Me -
competitors

Wanted Letters

A few words about you

Hello, I’m Vanessa Heiland, I’m from Stralsund and I’m currently doing mine
apprenticeship as office management clerk. In my free time I like to be
outside with friends or go for a jog in the morning.

What points of contact did you already have with the topics IoT/ LoRaWAN before the competition? What do you find exciting about it?

Before that, I already had some points of contact with the LoRaWAN, for example at the beginning of my training when the company was introduced to me. What I find exciting about the system is that the technology is now so advanced and that it makes things easier for the customer.

What is your motivation for participating?

My motivation was to take part in the competition because I think it’s great when
young people can also realize their ideas and are given a voice.

Tell us something about your competition entry. What do you think could be the biggest challenges?

In my application, it was about installing a sensor on a light switch that sends a signal as soon as you walk past it. Especially when you don’t have to laboriously search for the light switch in the evening with the heavy shopping. Especially when there are no windows in the hallway, that complicates the problem. That’s where my idea comes into play.

A few words about you

I ‘m Mareica Apel, 17 years old and I’m from Ettenkirch, on Lake Constance. I do an apprenticeship as an office management clerk at Minol’s branch Ravensburg. In my free time I meet up with friends and study a lot for school and like to go hiking or cycling with the family at the weekend. I passed my practical driving test on December 17th, 2020 and bought my first car on January 8th, 2021 and since then I have also enjoyed driving.

What points of contact did you already have with the topics IoT/ LoRaWAN before the competition? What do you find exciting about it?

Before the competition, I had nothing to do with the IoT/LoRaWAN. I got to know it through the competition and I find it very interesting and I enjoy working with it.

What is your motivation for participating?

I was very happy when I received the news about the competition. I like to try new things and I think this action with the competition is very cool. My motivation was and is that I can get to know the trainees and students.

Tell us something about your competition entry. What do you think could be the biggest challenges?

I thought about installing the sensors in the Ehrle health center in Friedrichshafen to monitor whether there is a customer in a room or not. Additionally, I would monitor the room temperature and whether the lights are on or off. Often the doors are closed even though there is no customer inside and sometimes an employee comes just in because he didn’t know whether there was a customer in there or not. And my goal is to solve the problem in the company so everyone knows if the rooms are occupied or free.

My first challenge is to ask the head of the health center if it is possible to do this in his company. The second challenge is to place the sensors in the rooms.

Can you tell us another “fun” fact or “little known” fact about you that not everyone knows?

I have the talent to draw very well, whether upside down or mirrored.

A few words about you

I’m Sophia Schmaus, 19 years old and I live nearby from Munich. I am a trainee in my second year as an office management clerk. I like to spend my free time at the stable with the horse or do something with friends (as far as Corona allows).

What points of contact did you already have with the topics IoT/ LoRaWAN before the competition? What do you find exciting about it?

I didn’t actually have any points of contact before the project with the topics IoT / LoRaWAN.

What is your motivation for participating?

My motivation for participating was that I get to know more about the other departments of Minol and to be able program/create something myself, which makes everyday life easier and I find it very exciting.

Tell us something about your competition entry. What do you think could be the biggest challenges?

My idea for the Minol ZENNER IoT and Me competition would be „The smart home of tomatoes“. I would like to implement the measurement of the Indoor-/ Outdoor Temperature, air and soil moisture and images of the growth of the tomatoes. My goal here is to select from 10 different tomato varieties to find out the perfect one for our garden shed.

Can you tell us another “fun” fact or “little known” fact about you that not everyone knows?

When I was 8 years old, my grandmother and I visited my great-uncle in the Upper Palatinate. There we were in the butcher’s shop and I saw the pigs that were to be slaughtered the next day. That day I ate my last cordon bleu and decided to become a vegetarian. Then, after 10 years of being a vegetarian, I decided to eat exclusively vegan. Therefore, my competition idea fits perfectly to me. Since I don’t eat any animal products, it’s great that my dad built a greenhouse where we grow the vegetables ourselves. Through the gateway I can find out what heat/humidity… the tomatoes/vegetables grow best with. So we have more precise information for the next season about which temperature and humidity are best for the different tomato varieties.

A few words about you

My name is Larissa Quinci, I’m 21 years old and I come from Radolfzell on Lake Constance. I am currently completing an apprenticeship as an office management clerk in the Singen branch. In my free time I like to travel and I love getting to know new cultures. I also like to train outdoors, at home or in the gym.

What points of contact did you already have with the topics IoT/ LoRaWAN before the competition? What do you find exciting about it?

Unfortunately, I have hardly had any contact with the IoT/LoRaWAN so far. It is all the more exciting for me to get to know this better and to work with it. The fact that technology is constantly evolving can be seen perfectly in the competition.

What is your motivation for participating?

When I heard about the “Kick Off” competition, it was clear from the start that I would take part. Because not every trainee and student gets the opportunity to try things out and let their ideas run free. The good thing about this is that this competition allows you to think outside the box and implement an idea that is helpful in everyday life.

Tell us something about your competition entry. What do you think could be the biggest challenges?

It is useful to know the status of air quality, humidity, brightness and room temperature. My use case for this would be to implement an idea with the sensors and the gateway, which above all helps migraine patients, since these factors play a major role in triggering the severe headache. This idea should result in monitoring these values and giving a signal as soon as the values change. This could prevent migraines. The greatest challenge in implementation will be to measure the exact air quality so that action can be taken as quickly as possible. Because from my own experience I can say that with migraines you have to act immediately before the pain gets worse. And also that the idea can be implemented by anyone who has migraines. Because every person is unique and it occurs differently for everyone.

Can you tell us another “fun” fact or “little known” fact about you that not everyone knows?

At later time I would like to live abroad.

A few words about you

My name is Cedric-Quirin Schneider, I’m 18 years old and I’m from Mulda. I’m doing my apprenticeship as an office management clerk at the Mulda location. In my free time I like to go fishing and do a lot of sports.

What points of contact did you already have with the topics IoT/ LoRaWAN before the competition? What do you find exciting about it?

I haven’t had any real contact with the IoT yet. I have already dealt with the topic of LoRaWAN a few times in connection with the new Radio 5 devices.

What is your motivation for participating?

I find the topic very interesting. It is a very nice thing to get to know the company and the future business areas better.

Tell us something about your competition entry. What do you think could be the biggest challenges?

I would like to use the sensors to control the automatic closing of blinds and the light should adapt to the outside brightness. As an application, I have considered a smart home solution for blinds and light. I would like to use the sensor (Sensative Strips Multisensor) to measure illuminance and temperature.

The solution should be to attach the sensor to the south side of a house wall. This should measure the LUX number and the outside temperature. The measured LUX number should then trigger different actions on the light and the blinds based on various specifications. A few examples of this are, for example, if the outside temperature is over 28 degrees in summer, the blinds should be lowered automatically so that the apartment does not heat up so much; when it gets dark in the evening and a certain LUX number (750) has been reached, the blinds should be lowered automatically; when the sunlight has reached a certain LUX number (10,000), the light should dim if it is currently on, so that the brightness adapts to the external lighting conditions.

The problems will probably be that the systems of the blinds, LED bulbs and the programs provided by Minol cannot be paired. Another problem would be programming the commands.

A few words about you

My name is Miriam Ohlenroth, I’m 19 years old and I come from Stutensee Friedrichstal, which is outside of Karlsruhe. At the moment I’m a trainee at Minol in the field of office management and have been for about a year and a half now. My free time activities include longboarding, playing badminton and art. Unfortunately, due to the difficult situation, I can’t play badminton, but I still spend a lot of time outdoors. My passion is dedicated to my badminton club, which I have been accompanying for almost 14 years now.

What points of contact did you already have with the topics IoT/ LoRaWAN before the competition? What do you find exciting about it?

In the area of IoT/LoRaWAN, however, I had no points of contact, but I am always focused on trying something new and developing myself in other areas. Of course, as a trainee you have few chances if you have had very little to do with technology and the products, but isn’t it the point of learning something new and designing something completely new? You might come across problems or even find solutions or new ideas that nobody would have thought of. That’s exactly what fascinates me about it.

What is your motivation for participating?

As already described above, my motivation for this project is to work practically and to have new ideas, to tweak the idea a bit or to find solutions to problems. But the most important thing is to have fun with it.

Tell us something about your competition entry. What do you think could be the biggest challenges?

In the course of my project, I already had two applications that I unfortunately couldn’t implement because I’m not in the home office. This didn’t stop me from finding a new idea and applying it in my branch. I took the most used object which is the fridge, since almost everyone uses it to get the milk for their morning coffee, it was the perfect object for my project. My goal in this project is to avoid problems that may exist by analyzing the refrigerator and additionally to compare the temperature inside the refrigerator as well as outside the refrigerator.

Can you tell us another “fun” fact or “little known” fact about you that not everyone knows?

I hate coffee, but I love the rain.

A few words about you

My name is Sven Munk, I’m 27 years old and come from Neuffen at the foot of the Swabian Alb. I’m currently studying industrial engineering and electrical engineering at the DHBW and during my practical phases I’m working at the MZC in Mr. Kirchdörfer’s team. In my free time, I’m mainly interested in computers and the hardware that goes with them. I have also been doing weight training for many years, but only to a limited extent due to the current situation. I would describe my two cats as my passion. This also inspired my project for the contest.

What points of contact did you already have with the topics IoT/ LoRaWAN before the competition? What do you find exciting about it?

I have been interested in IoT and the smart use of technologies of all kinds in everyday life for a long time. It started with my own projects with a starter set from Philipps Hue with the base station and two lamps, which have blossomed from a gimmick with colorful light bulbs to a voice-controlled and reactive lighting concept for desks and hobby corners. So far, IoT and smart applications have tended to be marginal phenomena and projects for hobbyists. But I’m really excited to see how the world will develop in the coming years and decades. The interest and willingness to be not just an observer but an active participant in this development was also a major factor in my decision to want to work in this area.

What is your motivation for participating?

When I heard about the idea of the trainee contest, it was immediately clear to me that I wanted to take part. Anyway, I had enough use cases that I would like to make smarter, and I also enjoy solving problems.

Tell us something about your competition entry. What do you think could be the biggest challenges?

As a use case, I was considering a GPS tracker for pets, in my case for a cat. The cat in question is Monti, an elderly outdoor cat who likes to get lost because he lies down somewhere to sleep and then gets locked up in garages or barns. In order to avoid the drama of the Search , which unfortunately occurs far too often, I would like to be able to use the tabs locator to track his route and, in an emergency, to query his current location so that he can be tracked down quickly and freed if necessary.

The biggest challenge will probably be that Monti accepts wearing the harness with the sensor. This then requires quite a bit of bribery in the form of his favorite treats. If there were a later version of the sensor in a smaller form factor or perhaps integrated directly into a harness or collar, this would probably be easier to solve.

Can you tell us another “fun” or “little known” fact about you that not everyone knows?

More than a third of my body is covered in large tattoos.