[Editor's Note] The first Make Contest, "Show me the Things," hosted by e4ds has concluded. Themed "Show me your temperature," the previous contest was enriched by a variety of entries utilizing temperature and humidity sensors. We interviewed Toymaster, one of the three winners of the prestigious "Things" award. In this contest, which aims to make our everyday lives smarter, he was selected as the "Things" winner for his "Smart Fish Tank Temperature and Lighting Controller."

■Please introduce yourself.
I've loved comics and robots since I was young. I majored in art and worked in animation, participating in productions like "Taekwondo King Kang Tae-pung" and "Legend of the Sea Jang Bogo." Later, I worked in advertising printing, creating business cards, banners, and other items. My love of robots and assembly led me to meet people in the robotics department and participate in a robot-making project. I was in charge of the art department, creating aesthetically pleasing designs for the robots' shells, heads, and hands. This experience sparked my interest in product manufacturing.

■How do you feel about winning the first MAKE contest?
This is my first time winning a contest like this. On the one hand, I'm a bit taken aback, but I'm also incredibly grateful. It's given me confidence and motivation. This award holds a special meaning for me.

■Why did you participate in this contest?
I liked the fact that the project presented a specific topic: "Temperature and Humidity." Rather than just brainstorming ideas from scratch, I focused on the given topic, which allowed me to come up with a lot of creative ideas. I also liked the prizes offered for winning, which is why I decided to participate (laughs).

■Please explain your winning work.
This project has been in the works for a long time. I pondered how to apply the ideas I had in mind to the topic of "temperature." My goal was to develop a fish tank that allows users to set the temperature and automatically maintain it. I created a controller with a cute design that allows users to control the temperature and lighting via their smartphone.

■What prompted you to come up with this idea?
I thought it was interesting that living things and machines met and had a synergistic effect and influenced each other, so I created this.
I originally enjoyed raising animals. I raised fish and birds, but after a long period of traveling, I found myself in a situation where I had difficulty maintaining them. At that time, I was thinking about the various functions of a smartphone and how I could control the living environment of my fish at home in Korea even if I was far away abroad. As I did this, ideas came to mind and led me to my current thoughts.

■Were there any difficulties during the development process?
There weren't any major difficulties. Simply securing the location of the lighting, temperature control, and other equipment proved more challenging than expected. After modeling was completed, there were some mismatches during installation. The height of the product relative to the water surface needed to be properly aligned, but this varied depending on the tank's water level, necessitating a solution. We resolved this issue by waterproofing the sensor to prevent short-circuiting and installing a stand to compensate for the height.

■If you were to develop your work in the future, what parts would you like to improve upon?
I'd like to move toward installing buoys in areas that correspond to water level, or to complement the lighting with clip-on lighting. Furthermore, focusing on temperature as the core issue has largely left out other features. I'd like to develop a system that enables self-sufficiency in the aquarium ecosystem, including feeding, water replenishment, and CCTV control.

■What did you gain from this contest and what are your plans for the future?
What I gained from participating in this makeup contest was confidence. It felt like a turning point in my life, and it gave me a lot of motivation.

My future plans are to focus on challenges in cultural content. I plan to work on animation and character projects utilizing 3D modeling.

thank you

This contest announcement and review can be viewed again via the e4ds EEWebinar.

The second "Show Me the Things" contest, hosted by e4ds Make, is currently underway. The contest, which focuses on healthcare, currently features Quest 2, "Prepare Hardware and Components," which runs until the 12th.

Meanwhile, the 2022 e4ds Semiconductor Trend Day , hosted by Channel 5 Korea, will be held at COEX on the 10th. In addition to sessions covering the latest trends in GaN, SiC, and automotive semiconductors, a special offline session featuring Professor Hwang Cheol-seong of Seoul National University's Distinguished Professorship on "Next-Generation Memory Development Direction and Material Trends - 3D Stacked DRAM Technology" will be held.

More details can be found on the e4ds news homepage .