Project plato

The brief
Create a way to reduce debt for students.

Role
Concept, design & prototype

Type
Connected product

Insight

No matter which course they follow, all students use the internet to gain knowledge. They use it at home, when they’re on their way, but mostly in the school building itself. And when they’re there, they’re all connected to the same Wi-Fi connection.

Solution

Meet Plato. Plato is more than just an average Wi-Fi hotspot. When students connect to Plato they can not only make use of the internet, they also generate crypto currency. Therefor Plato takes a bit of your device’s computing power in return. This currency will go to a scholarship. The more students connect to Plato, the higher the scholarship. Eventually this scholarship goes to the students who need it the most.

Prototype

I prototyped Plato using a Raspberry Pi to create a captive portal. This portal automatically redirects the user to the mining website. I also designed and 3D-printed the case.