Exciting SenseBox Workshops for Students

As it did last year, FD-Tech offered a workshop for the MINT-Mach-Pass that involved programming a weather station and then independently recording measurement data. The workshop took place in Kaiserslautern on May 9; the weather forecast promised ideal conditions for the nine participants. For the participants, the workshop began with a few questions: “What information do you recognize from the weather report?” and “What would you like to measure when you think about the weather?” Not all of the suggestions could be implemented that day, but for the rest, the appropriate sensors were selected and programmed. Next, they recorded data at several measurement points on the university campus. This was followed by comparisons of the measured values—for example, temperature and illuminance in the shade versus measurements in direct sunlight, or humidity in the seminar room versus outdoors. Toward the end of the four-hour workshop, the documentation of measurement values will be automated by expanding the program code.

In a second workshop on May 28, participants explored how to automatically count the number of people. Using a Sensebox and a tablet, the participants programmed a people counter. The focus was particularly on how variables and control statements work within the program code, as well as the subsequent implementation and testing of the program code.