Green energy is the future
Students from all ages building green gadgets together.
Each year in Flanders a Solar Olympiad takes place. For an entire year selected students from Flemish schools work out an idea they have for a solar powered Race Car or a solar powered Gadget.
In 2023 we decided to participate in the challenge. We wanted to make a hybrid car that can both drive on land, as sail in water. We also wanted to put a camera on it, so we can remotely discover places where humans can’t come.
How it works
We had to make sure the car was as light as possible, and it was water tight. For that we used bearings for the holes where the wheels rotate, and silicon gel to make sure it’s fully waterproof.
On the electronics part, we have an esp32 cam that works as the webserver. That’s connected to the motor driver and the motors. Then from your smartphone, you can connect to the local server and control it while viewing the path which it’s going via the cameras.
Finals
For the finals day on 17th May 2023 that took place in Technopolis. We brought our Solar Explorer fully finished. We also brought a small swimming pool to demonstrate the sailing capibilities.
After a stressfull pitch and demonstration, the jury members were impressed of our presentation, and at the end of the day we won the Pitch Price!
Components
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ESP32cam
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L298N Motor Driver
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4 Motors of 12V each
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4 Bearings
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Small Solar Panel
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Wood for the frame
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Plastic
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Silicon Gel