Wi-SUN Challenge Concludes with Groundbreaking Innovations for Smart Cities
Hyderabad : The Smart City Living Lab, in collaboration with Silicon Labs, proudly announced the successful conclusion of the Wi-SUN Challenge today. This exciting competition brought together innovators, startups, and academic institutions to create cutting-edge, IoT-enabled solutions for smart cities, utilities, and healthcare using Wi-SUN RF mesh technology.
From a pool of 266 submissions, ten finalist teams were selected from across India, featuring a diverse mix of six SMEs and startups alongside four student teams. Each team presented practical and scalable prototypes that have the potential to transform urban living and beyond. Their projects included smart dustbins, air quality monitoring devices, solar tracking systems and AI modeling, real-time water quality monitoring solutions, warehouse management bots, and innovative soil monitoring technologies for smart agriculture.”
During the final phase of the challenge, participants attended a hands-on workshop to fine-tune their prototypes using low-power leaf node (LFN) hardware, Wi-SUN backbone network, and software platforms like Simplicity Studio from Silicon Labs and City IoT operating Platform(ctOP) from IIIT-H. The finalists built their Proof of Concept (POC) and tested them at the IIIT-H Smart City Living Lab supported by a dedicated project team. Their systems were integrated into the live campus-wide Wi-SUN backbone network, demonstrating the scalability of innovative Smart City deployments.
“At the deployment stage, Dr. Aftab Hussain highlighted, ‘The support from the Smart City Living Lab and Silicon Labs teams has empowered the finalists to unlock a fully integrated campus-wide Wi-SUN backbone network at IIIT-H, successfully rolling out their proof of concepts and raising the bar for scalable Smart City initiatives!'”
One of the members of the team, ‘DBR Innovative Tech’, from Vijayawada, AP was so excited and mentioned, “This initiative has been instrumental in transforming our idea into a viable prototype and this is a major milestone in making our idea a reality”.
Three teams emerged victorious in the Wi-Sun challenge, with the top teams receiving cash prizes worth INR 8 lakh. DBR Innovative Tech with their product ‘Farmer Voice’, an agricultural IoT solution with voice-based interaction for farmers, secured the top spot. Team Horus from Nitte Meenakshi College of Engineering was placed second and impressed the judges with their innovative approach to solar panel maintenance. Yantram Electronics secured the third position by making a significant impact with their wireless metering solution.
These teams were selected by a panel of esteemed experts, including Lopa Mishra Jana (CEO of TiHAN at IIT Hyderabad), Mallikarjun Reddy (VP – IoT of Blaze Automation), and MGPL Narayana (former Chief Scientist at TCS).
Speaking at the event, Srinivasa Dukkipati, spokesperson for Silicon Labs, said, “This competition has showcased the transformative potential of Wi-SUN technology to enable smarter, more connected cities. We are thrilled with the innovative approaches the participants have taken to tackle real-world challenges. These solutions have the potential to make a lasting impact on urban life.”
Anuradha Vattem, Chief Technology Architect, representing IIIT Hyderabad Smart City Living Lab, echoed these sentiments, saying, “This challenge has not only inspired participants to think creatively but also provided them with the tools and resources to bring their ideas to life. The prototypes we’ve seen today are a testament to how collaboration between academia and industry can drive meaningful change.”
The winners of the Wi-SUN Challenge expressed their excitement and optimism for the future of smart city solutions. Team Horus with their solar panel maintenance solutions remarked, “This platform has given us a unique opportunity to develop a solution that could vastly improve resource management in the solar manufacturing industry. The mentorship and support provided throughout the challenge were invaluable.”
Another winner from Team Yantram Electronics added, “We are grateful for the chance to work on such a meaningful project. The Wi-SUN Challenge has been instrumental in helping us refine our product and prepare it for large-scale deployment.”
The Wi-SUN Challenge exemplifies how technology, innovation, and collaboration can come together to address the growing demands of urbanisation and smart infrastructure. The Smart City Living Lab and Silicon Labs look forward to continuing their partnership to inspire future generations of innovators.