Inspiration
To brainstorm initially, our team started walking around the local area and thought of how we could improve the efficiency. With bright lights solar was a no brainer. Our team had previous experience doing research in solar so we built upon that with higher level concepts
What it does
Helio uses an ESP32 microcontroller, photo-resistor module, and Wi-Fi connectivity to intelligently orient a solar panel in real time. It calculates the sun’s position from latitude, longitude, and time using mathematical solar geometry, while the photo-resistor provides real-time light feedback for fine adjustments. The result: a lightweight, autonomous, and highly efficient solar-tracking system that continuously optimizes itself throughout the day.
How we built it
Designed the mechanical housing (6×6 cm base, 3 cm slanted prism) in CAD and prototyped it using styrofoam for rapid iteration and reduced servo load.
Programmed the ESP32 to use NTP-synced real-time data and astronomical formulas to compute the solar azimuth angle.
Implemented signal-processing algorithms (median filtering, exponential moving average, adaptive thresholds, parabolic peak detection) to stabilize noisy LDR input.
Integrated Wi-Fi to fetch location data and allow future remote monitoring.
Fine-tuned a servo-based mount to align the panel toward maximum brightness autonomously.
Challenges we ran into
Achieving stable readings from the LDR required complex software filtering and adaptive calibration.
Mechanical alignment was difficult within limited materials — styrofoam allowed us to iterate fast and still achieve full motion range.
Integrating real-time astronomical math and hardware control within a 24-hour hackathon required continuous debugging and optimization
Accomplishments that we're proud of
Built a fully autonomous, Wi-Fi-enabled solar tracker in under 24 hours.
Achieved smooth, accurate motion through advanced filtering math.
Created a functional working prototype that visibly tracks and aligns with the brightest direction.
Designed a CAD-accurate model ready for 3D printing and commercial scaling.
What we learned
CAD is hard!
What's next for SunSeekr
Add more advanced chip set with multi-photo-resistors so that we can get maximum accuracy
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