It’s that time of year where we begin collecting entries for the Imagine Blue Awards. The Imagine Blue Awards highlights the work and imaginations of creators, developers, designers, and students who are using Bluetooth®technology to push the boundaries of wireless connectivity to solve the world’s biggest challenges.

Since launching the awards in 2013, we’ve seen some incredible technology and ideas from all parts of the world. We’ve had a Bluetooth enabled asthma inhaler, basketball, prosthetic, socks, diabetic and cardiac monitoring devices, and more—the genesis usually trying to solve sort of problem. Solving problems is what Bluetooth is all about. Bluetooth is the foundation for human innovation and continues to inspire future generations to make the world a little better and more liveable through technology.

For example, the inspiration for Sanjana Shah’s—2016 student winner—Smart Flood Sensor came when Sanjana and her family were navigating flooded streets in California during a downpour. Sanjana realized the primary reasons why stormwater doesn’t drain efficiently is due to blockages at the drain sites, inadequate city drain pipes sizes, outdated pipe networks, and the lack of real-time water flow data from drain pipes. She researched recent developments in sensor gadgetry and the Internet of Things, created her device, and tested it in her neighborhood’s storm drains.

Or like 2015 student winner, Kenneth Shinozuka, who grew up in a household where three generations lived together. When he saw his grandfather begin to wander in the middle of the night due to Alzheimer’s, he created SafeWander™—a wearable sensor that alerts caregivers on their smartphones when patients wander. The patient wears the sensor on the foot or in a sock. Once the foot hits the floor, the sensor detects an increase in pressure caused by body weight and sends an alert via Bluetooth technology to the caregiver’s smartphone.

The incredible inventions from our student Imagine Blue Awards winners are just the beginning when it comes to solving problems with technology. Along the way, we’ve seen other incredible products like Propeller which helps people manage asthma and COPD effectively using Bluetooth to gain insights into triggers, reduce the hassle of managing chronic conditions and stay connected to family and care teams. COBI uses Bluetooth technology to transform any bike into a smart, connected bike for a more fun, safe, and convenient experience. Automatic Labs designed a way to make drivers smarter using Bluetooth to send vehicle information to an app that tracks real-time data about driving habits, fuel efficiency and trip costs. Bionym created the Nymi—the first wearable authentication technology using cardiac rhythm recognition for identity verification. The Nymi communicates access—via Bluetooth—to nearby devices and systems while leveraging the reliable, secure and one-to-many features of Bluetooth to make identity protection safe and simple for consumers.SMART kapp (SMART Technologies) leverages Bluetooth technology to easily and digitally capture, save, and share content from a dry-erase board with any PC and mobile device. “SMART Kapp aims to bring the whiteboard into the twenty-first century. Finally, office brainstorm meetings may begin to actually pay off,” said CNET.

Will your Bluetooth prototype or idea be this year’s Imagine Blue winner and inspire the next generation of Bluetooth developers? Enter the awards and find out.

(Credit: Nanci Taplett)