Hi, I am Dr. Robert Winkler and I work as a principal investigator at the Cinvestav Irapuato, Mexico. My group is working on the development of analytical platforms and software for studying biological systems, mainly plants, and their interaction with the environment and other organisms.
During a sabbatical stay (2018/2019) at Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena, Germany, I started to play with Arduino projects. My main interest was to develop robust and low-cost devices that can be used for environmental monitoring in research.
Step-by-step I reactivated my electronics knowledge and learned new things, e.g. on PCB design and IoT systems. Several trails, e.g. with RF communication for the sensors, particular Arduino and ESP8266 boards, etc. turned out to be too complicated or too expensive.
Now, the MeteoMex platform is mature enough for employing the devices in both, community-driven and professional projects. Following the open-source and the 'Public Money, Public Code' principles, the circuit designs, and the code are free for everyone. In this way, the users of the technology remain independent from providers and can adjust the hardware and software according to their needs.
The MeteoMex kits and services (soldering, programming, and IoT server hosting) make it easier to implement the IoT technology for everyone; no matter if gardening passionate, environmental activist, scientist, or industrial greenhouse operator. The company Kuturabi SA de CV, which distributes the MeteoMex products, is a spin-off of our public research institute and takes care of the administrative stuff (orders, invoices, and taxes).
I hope that the MeteoMex platform helps you to bring your IoT project to reality and that together we contribute to a more sustainable world.