EE Challenge 2024 connected AIoT concepts with industry attention by putting teams through structured judging, public exposure and a marketability assessment. The third edition of the EE Times/EDN Taiwan & Asia competition, themed “AIoT: Start Your Smart Living Journey,” drew nearly 100 teams, shortlisted 10 entries and selected four winners. It offered a route for ideas to be seen and assessed—not a guarantee of funding, product development or commercial launch.
What is the EE Challenge?
EE Challenge is an innovation competition organized by EE Times/EDN Taiwan & Asia. Its 2024 edition focused on applying artificial intelligence and connected technology to smart-living problems. The competition brief emphasized AIoT elements, smart-technology solutions and taking a first step toward market application.
Its bridge from concept to industry comes from several parts working together: teams present a solution, judges assess more than technical novelty, and finalists gain editorial visibility and contact with stakeholders from industry, government, academia and research. EE Times/EDN described its mission as believing that “great ideas deserve to be seen.” Visibility and introductions can help a team attract attention, but the available event information does not establish that the challenge itself provides investment, manufacturing support or a path to sales.
How does the challenge assess ideas?
The official event page lists five judging dimensions. Together, they frame a project as both a technical proposal and a possible real-world solution:
Windows Errors? Fix Them Before They Spread
Repair common Windows errors and clear accumulated junk for a smoother, more stable PC - no reinstall needed.Free scan · no reinstallOutdated Drivers Are Slowing You Down
One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware match#1 Best Overall
- The ESP32-S3-ePaper-1.54 is an e-Paper AIoT development board, equipped with ESP32-S3 microcontroller, adopts high-performance Xtensa 32-bit LX7 dual-core processor, up to 240MHz main frequency. Suitable for Voice Interaction and e-Reader, etc
- Supports 2.4GHz Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g/n) and Bluetooth 5 (LE), with onboard antenna. Built-in 512KB Static RAM, 384KB ROM, with integrated 8MB Flash and 8MB PS-RAM.
- Onboard 1.54inch e-paper display, 200 × 200 resolution, features high contrast and wide viewing angle. Onboard audio codec chip, supports voice capture and playback, enabling AI voice interaction applications. Supports AI Speech Interaction: Allows access to online large model platforms such as DeepSeek, Doubao, etc.
- Onboard PCF85063 RTC chip and SHTC3 temperature & humidity sensor for accurate RTC management and environmental monitoring. Onboard TF card slot for external storage of images or files. Onboard programmable PWR and BOOT side buttons for customized function development. Reserved 2 × 6 2.54mm pitch pin header for convenient external expansion.
- Supports ESP-IDF, Ardui IDE: Comprehensive SDK, dev resources, and tutorials to help you easily get started, please check: n9.cl/tseakv
- Creativity: How the idea addresses its chosen problem or differs from existing approaches.
- Marketability: Whether the solution has a plausible path toward use in a market or organization.
- Greenness: Its environmental relevance or potential sustainability benefits.
- Functionality: How the proposed technology is intended to work and meet its purpose.
- Pitching: How clearly the team communicates the problem, solution and value.
Final-stage judges came from industry, government, academia and research, according to EE Times. That mix can expose teams to perspectives beyond engineering, including practical adoption concerns. It should not be confused with independent verification of a prototype’s performance.
Who won EE Challenge 2024?
EE Times reported that four winning teams were selected from the 10 shortlisted entries. The reported awards and selected projects show how varied the competition was, from industrial monitoring to patient safety and mobility:
Rank #2
- This is is 1.54inch e-Paper AIoT development board. Onboard 1.54inch e-paper display, 200 x 200 resolution, features ultra-low power consumption and ambient light readability, suitable for portable devices and long-battery-life scenarios. Supports 2.4GHz Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g/n) and Bluetooth 5 (LE), with onboard antenna.
- Integrated with an RTC chip, SHTC3 temperature and humidity sensor, TF card slot, low-power audio codec chip circuit, and Lithium battery recharge management circuit. Reserved interfaces including USB, UART, I2C, and GPIO for easy functionality expansion and sensor connectivity, providing a flexible and reliable development platform for IoT terminals, electronic tags, portable displays, and other applications.
- Supports AI Speech Interaction: Allows access to online large model platforms such as ChatGPT, DeepSeek, Doubao, etc. Onboard audio codec chip, supports voice capture and playback, enabling AI voice interaction applications.
- Built-in 512KB Static RAM, 384KB ROM, with integrated 8MB Flash and 8MB PS RAM. Onboard PCF85063 RTC chip and SHTC3 temperature & humidity sensor for accurate RTC management and environmental monitoring.
- Onboard TF card slot for external storage of images or files. Onboard programmable PWR and BOOT side buttons for customized function development. Reserved 2 × 6 2.54mm pitch pin header for convenient external expansion.
| Team or project | Recognition | What it set out to do |
|---|---|---|
| Smart Tag Inc. — “See Problem in Advance” | Social Group champion | Sticker-like detectors collect machine data; its Smart Quick Screening edge-computing platform compresses operating data into a numerical indicator intended to speed AI model training and support predictive maintenance. |
| Avilon Technology | Runner-up / smart-innovation recognition | Taiwan-designed drones for automated industrial inspection, remote control, workforce allocation and ESG-oriented monitoring. |
| Sounds Great | Runner-up / smart-innovation recognition | A compact approach combining a semiconductor-based power chip and speaker, targeting speakers, motors, oscillators, wearables and mobile devices. |
| DLCTEK — “Precision Data, Intelligent Driving” | Online Popularity Award | An OBD2 data collector and AI analysis for real-time fleet information, carbon tracking and operational decisions. |
| EndoEye, Southern Taiwan University of Science and Technology | Campus Group grand prize | Cameras and an AI edge-computing platform monitor intubated patients for agitation and tube displacement; the article reports detection precision of up to 1 cm. |
The award labels above are those reported for the 2024 event; the available account does not describe a single overall champion across all entries. The shortlisted showcase also included the following concepts:
| Project | Problem and intended approach | Reported limits or deployment considerations |
|---|---|---|
| AIoT Smart Elevator Control, Chaoyang University of Technology | Camera-based fullness detection allows elevators to skip unnecessary stops. The team reported installing the system on older elevators to measure efficiency and energy use. | The account describes an installation and measurement effort, not audited energy savings or a quantified result. |
| ACE401 Eco-friendly Drone Piloting, Feng Chia University | Coordinated drones guide ships into port, aiming to reduce pilot-boat use, flight distance, risk and emissions. | The article notes solar-weather and hardware-optimization limits. |
| Vivaciousness Rise, National Sun Yat-sen University and National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology | A VR environment and exoskeleton robotic leg support physical and emotional rehabilitation, with motion sensing intended to monitor falls or abnormalities. | The account describes the proposed system and monitoring purpose; it does not establish clinical validation. |
| Flip the Fast Fashion Pollution, Feng Chia University | AI and cameras sort discarded clothing for recyclable components and potential fuel processing. | The concept still needs improved camera precision and cross-industry collaboration, according to the article. |
What do the projects reveal about AIoT in practice?
The entries connect sensing, data and action in different settings. Smart Tag’s machine detectors feed an edge-computing platform; EndoEye combines cameras with edge AI for patient monitoring; DLCTEK uses vehicle data and AI analysis for fleet decisions. Other proposals use drones, elevator cameras, VR and motion sensing, or garment-sorting cameras. These are not interchangeable products: each depends on its environment, data source, users and deployment constraints.
What’s actually slowing this PC down?
Pick the symptom - the matching free tool is one click away.
Rank #3
- The product requires a 3.7V MX1.25 Lithium battery for use, which is not included. Please purchase it separately.
- Powerful ESP32-S3 Microcontroller: Equipped with the high-performance Xtensa 32-bit LX7 dual-core processor (up to 240MHz), the ESP32-S3-ePaper-1.54 offers efficient processing power for your AIoT projects, ensuring smooth operation across various tasks.
- Wi-Fi & BLE Connectivity: Supports dual-mode communication with 2.4GHz Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g/n) and Bluetooth 5 (LE), featuring an onboard antenna for seamless wireless connectivity, ideal for IoT applications that require stable and flexible communication.
- 1.54" e-Paper Display with Ultra-Low Power: The onboard 1.54-inch e-paper display features a 200 × 200 resolution, high contrast, and wide viewing angles, while maintaining ultra-low power consumption. It's perfect for portable devices and long-lasting battery use in outdoor environments with sunlight readability.
- Integrated Sensors & Components: Includes a PCF85063 RTC chip, SHTC3 temperature & humidity sensor, low-power audio codec chip, and a TF card slot for external storage. These built-in features offer a complete solution for environmental monitoring, voice interaction, and data logging.
The competition’s five criteria offer a useful way to compare them. For example, marketability and functionality raise different questions for a retrofit elevator system than for a patient-monitoring concept. Greenness is central to projects that aim to reduce emissions or process discarded clothing, while pitching matters across all of them because teams must explain both the need and the proposed benefit. The evidence described for these entries is primarily prototype, demonstration or intended outcome: it does not establish independent clinical validation, audited energy savings, verified emissions reductions or commercial sales figures for each project.
Why does the AIoT market context matter?
EE Times reported estimates attributed to Allied Market Research of a global AIoT market valued at $126 billion in 2023 and projected to reach $1.32 trillion in 2032, with a projected 30.2% compound annual growth rate from 2024 to 2032. These are market estimates and forecasts as reported by EE Times, not independently verified figures here. They help explain the competition’s market-application framing, but a large forecast does not demonstrate that any particular entry will become a viable business.
Rank #4
- ESP32-S3 1.54inch e-Paper AIoT development board adopts high-performance 32-bit LX7 dual-core processor, up to 240MHz main frequency. Supports 2.4GHz Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g/n) and Bluetooth 5 (LE), with onboard antenna
- Onboard 1.54inch e-paper display, 200 × 200 resolution, black/white display color, 0.3s partial refresh time, 2s full refresh time, features ultra-low power consumption and ambient light readability
- Onboard audio codec chip, supports voice capture and playback, enabling AI voice interaction applications. Onboard PCF85063 RTC chip and SHTC3 temperature & humidity sensor for accurate RTC management and environmental monitoring
- Built-in 512KB Static RAM, 384KB ROM, with integrated 8MB Flash and 8MB PSRAM. Onboard TF card slot for external storage of images or files
- Onboard programmable PWR and BOOT side buttons for customized function development. Reserved 2 × 6 2.54mm pitch pin header for convenient external expansion
Does the EE Challenge turn an idea into a product?
It can help an idea move toward real-world consideration by making it visible, subjecting it to cross-disciplinary evaluation and creating opportunities for contact with potential industry stakeholders. That is a bridge to feedback and exposure, rather than evidence of a complete commercialization program. A team still needs to establish that its system works reliably, demonstrate measurable value, resolve deployment and regulatory requirements where relevant, and secure the resources and partners needed to deliver it.
Quick Recap
Best Value
- ESP32-S3 1.54inch E-Paper AIoT Development Board.Supports AI Speech Interaction, Temperature And Humidity Monitoring, And DIY Creative Function, Etc.
- Onboard Audio Codec Chip.Supports High-Quality Audio Processing, Providing Clear And High-Quality Audio Input And Output
- Supports AI Speech Interaction.Allows Access To Online Large Model Platforms Such As DeepSeek, Doubao, Etc
- Application Scenarios.Suitable For Voice Interaction And E-Reader, Etc
- Supports ESP-IDF, Arduino IDE.Comprehensive SDK, Dev Resources, And Tutorials To Help You Easily Get Started
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
