Flowers of the Desert

In one of the hottest cities on Earth, shade isn’t just a luxury, it’s a necessity. By combining smart technology with elegant design, we’re transforming how urban spaces adapt to extreme heat.

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Inspiration

We were inspired by the Medina Haram Piazza Shading Umbrellas, retractable umbrellas installed in outdoor areas in certain areas of Saudi Arabia. These umbrellas are designed to provide shade during the summer months.

What it does

The project implements a similar concept in Mexicali, the Mexican city where the highest temperature in the country was reported. It offers shade to the community to prevent skin harm and heat strokes, as well as promoting outdoor activities, even if the temperatures are rising due to climate change.

How we built it

We designed the solution keeping in mind the costs of implementation and other problems related to the original umbrellas that could be fixed with software. We used a web app to allow a user-friendly interface with the system, a server to centralize the behavior of the device, and embedded micro-controllers to control the umbrellas, creating an IoT environment.

Challenges we ran into

The first challenge we faced was innovating the solution used in Saudi Arabia to create an original and tailored project for the city.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We came out with a significantly different design that adapts to the current lighting infrastructure and a modular concept. With all of that, we believe that the project has real-life potential.

What we learned

We learned that implementation plans for innovation require taking a lot of things into consideration, it is not something that just a single person can do. Logistics and planning for big projects, even at a local scale, are very complex, as there are many variables to consider.

What's next for Flowers of the Desert

The next essential step is communicating with engineers from the mechanics and electronics fields, who could design the specific mechanism and circuits. Then, the presentation of the project with the partners and clients would be held.

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