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The world of the Internet of Things (IoT) can be enriched by a high school student - all you need is a good idea and support in your studies to succeed. Students of the Church Grammar School in Pilsen presented their results with practical application at the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen (UWB). The topics of the four final theses were chosen by the students themselves.

"The electronic pot monitors the ambient temperature, lighting and soil moisture. Based on the data, it decides if watering is necessary. For this, it starts a pump that waters the plant. The results of the continuous measurement can be viewed via a web interface," said Sebastien Žán and Antonín Svoboda - the authors of one of the IoT devices. The motivation for the implementation was the dead plants in their rooms.

Other students focused on bus departure data and current delays, outside temperature and weather forecast. Their project - a display showing important data - was designed to make leaving home more pleasant. "When you're running out at the last minute, it's good to know if the bus will arrive on time and if it's a good idea to take an umbrella," Jan Poupa and Jan Kodera described the main features.

The fact that the quality of the environment can change and is not always optimal was pointed out by Michal Šoula's project. It uses wireless sensors to measure lighting, room temperature, humidity and carbon dioxide levels. Based on these, it recommends what should be changed. Its web interface also offers graphical display of measured data and monitoring.

The latest project uses a camera and artificial intelligence (AI) to recognise hand positions and gestures. "To demonstrate the feature, we set up the controls for the final presentation. But our project can really be used for anything - to control the entire home, lights, blinds, opening doors or even calling for help," explain authors Jiří Sitera and Adam Chacón Fiala.

Students of the Church Grammar School in Pilsen could choose the subject as an elective. "I really appreciate the cooperation with UWB, besides the actual content of the course it is also important to get acquainted with the university environment. I would like most of our graduates to continue their studies at the university and return to our region," said Daniel Petříček, the director of the school.

The works presented by the students at the Information Technology Centre (CIV) concluded another year of cooperation on teaching the subject of the Internet of Things. The content of the course was taken care of by the staff of the CIV and FAV/KIV. The cooperation on IoT teaching between UWB and the Church Grammar School has been ongoing since 2019. Approximately 10 students are involved in each school year, and three to five projects are implemented each year. The capacity of the course for the next school year is already full at this point.