The Airboard, for faster proof-of-concept

Leti engineer Olivier Ménard raised $65,000 from some 1,000 backers in 55 countries during a recent Kickstarter campaign for the Airboard, a personal project of Ménard’s. And just what is the Airboard? A miniature, open-source, communicating (by Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Sigfox, etc.) computer that can be used to quickly program IoT prototypes to confirm proof-of-concept. A startup recently used the technology to create (in just one day!) a sensor that measures snow cover for snowboarders, later tested for two weeks at local ski resort Chamrousse.

The 1,100 cards that have been ordered on Kickstarter will be manufactured in the Rhône-Alpes region. Ménard is also looking into the possibility of a start-up that would utilize CEA know-how. The idea that ultimately spawned the Airboard dates back to 2010, when Ménard led an exploratory study on the subject at the IDEAs Laboratory®.

Contact: olivier.menard@cea.fr

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