Inspiration
After discussing the usability of Apple's newest smartwatch and the general smartwatch device, we realized that the current market for smartwatches was extremely expensive for the seemingly little usability of the devices. We decided to try and create a cheap, affordable solution for the modern day smartwatch -- and thus, the aWatch was born.
The 'a' in aWatch stands for Arduino. Since the device relies largely on the micro controller, we felt is was appropriate to include it in the device's name. The name also resembles 'A Watch' as in a general everyday watch, which will hopefully become the aWatch.
What it does
This smartwatch tells the time, the temperature around you, and position. Users also have the ability to draw images using it's capacitive touch screen as well as set alarms for important reminders. The watch features a gyroscope with the ability to tell the user's position and acceleration. The built-in photocell detects the brightness in the room and adjusts the brightness of the display accordingly. The watch is versatile, with the potential for a number of applications for development.
How we built it
The aWatch was built using an Arduino micro controller utilizing the C language. The number of sensors including the gyroscope, temperature sensor, photocell, and capacitive touch screen allow for the smartwatch to provide a significant amount of useful data for the wearer. We were able to effectively solder the sensors with the micro controller in order to save the maximum amount of space. A custom case was machined out of aluminum in order to provide a compact, easy to carry solution.
Challenges we ran into
We ran into bugs in the software that were caused by mismatching the time values with the alarm values, fortunately we were able to quickly and efficiently solve the issue. We also ran into problems with accidental shorts in the circuit, but we were able to determine the location of the sorts and fix the problem.
Accomplishments that we're proud of
The smartwatch is a cheap solution for the modern day smartwatches, although it is not as compact as its competitors, it was created in 24 hours and turned out extremely well. We were also able to create a custom case made out of aluminum, this allowed us to keep all of the smartwatch components in a compact easy to carry container.
What we learned
We learned a significant amount more about the Arduino micro controller, its capabilities, and the C language in general. We are excited to use this knowledge in future projects that may involve these components or to better the aWatch in the future.
What's next for aWatch
Making the aWatch even smaller for easier usability and versatility, optimizing the current operating system for the aWatch, and implementing more applications for the aWatch.
Log in or sign up for Devpost to join the conversation.