Ü>Clicker

Ü>Clicker is a open-sourced iClicker that is not only cheaper, but also has a myriad of awesome features.

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Inspiration

It's common knowledge that university students are short on cash. So why do they continue to charge us exorbitant amounts for things like i>Clickers required for our grades? $40 for a remote control you can only use in the classroom is absurd. It's time to fight back, Ü deserve more.

What it does

The Ü>Clicker does exactly what an i>Clicker can do, but more. At a fraction of the cost, you can ace your class; without breaking the bank. Not only does it allow you to answer the in-class questions, it also gives you the power read minds; or other people's answers that is! It allows you to see a live feed of everyone else's answers, so you can choose the answer that most people are choosing. You can also choose for the entire class, and randomize everyone else's answers!

How we built it

On the hardware end, we used two Arduino Unos and radio frequency receivers and transmitters. One as the receiver, and another as the transmitter, which is connected to an Android phone. The two Arduinos are coded using the Arduino IDE and NetBeans and the Android app which communicates with the Arduino through USB connection is developed using Android Studio.

Challenges we ran into

We didn't have direct access to an i>Clicker and base, so we found incomplete third party research and extrapolated the data in order to create a superior device. Additionally, there were hardware and power limitations with the Arduino and the RF transmitters and receivers that hindered our progress. Additionally, we had a lot of difficulty getting the firmware and program to work, especially on the topic of communications.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Simply being able to get everything working is one of the greatest feelings in the world. Especially after 36 hours of coding, having that code compile is an amazing thing. I'm also very proud of my team, because we are mostly hardware based, but we managed to pull through a lot of the software hurdles that we faced and learned a lot on the way.

What we learned

Aside from sharpening my technical skills, and writing my first Android app (YAY!), I think being able to push through 36 hours with a mere 3 hours of sleep taught me that you can do anything if you set your mind to it. Although it may not be the healthiest thing, this Hackathon has showed me the potential everyone has if they set their mind to it. Not to mention, I also learned that Hack the North is one of the best hackathons ever! Thank you for an incredible experience.

What's next for Ü>Clicker

The next step is figuring out how to take over the baseband of the phone so you can transmit without any additional hardware. There is also limitless functionally that can be unleashed with Ü>Clicker that the student can tap into.

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