The Digital Sun Distiller, a device that allows a person to purify and reuse household water, has won America’s division of Freescale Semiconductor’s first green FTF Design Challenge. The distiller was developed by Jose Luis Rojas of iluxon S.A. de C.V. of San Luis Potosi, Mexico. Rojas will receive $10,000 and an invitation to compete in the Grand FTF Challenge with other first place global winners for $50,000.
In a design paper submitted with his entry, Rojas explained that many countries must conserve water in order to avoid critical shortages. His distiller targets this need with the ability to allow individuals to reduce total consumption. The design was based on Freescale’s MCF51QE128 microcontroller, MC13203 and MC13213 ZigBee transceivers, and the MPX5004 pressure sensor.
The second-place winner is Mark Donkers from OES, Inc. out of London, Canada. His Clean Water Diverter is based on Freescale’s MC13211 (ZigBee technology) and MPXV5004 pressure sensor. Donkers will receive $5,000. The third-place winner is the ZigBee-based wireless sensor network for Greenhouse Automation developed by Alfredo Cabral from CODE Ingenieria in Toluca, Mexico, and teammates Fernando Gasca, Jaime Sanchez, Jose Maria Ruiz de Velasco, and Marco Tulio Gonzales. The team will receive $2000. Their design is based on Freescale’s MC13213.
Freescale selected the finalists from a field of more than 65 participants. Attendees at the company’s Technology Forum voted for the winners.
Freescale Semiconductor
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