Ranger Program | Year in 2024: Connecting Communities, Empowering Makers
At Seeed Studio, we strive to make technology accessible to everyone. Our core strengths are AI hardware design, research and development, and agile manufacturing. However, our greatest passion is building a global network of makers, innovators, and tinkerers. We believe that, through collaboration and openness, technology can create new opportunities for communities worldwide.
This belief drives us to support the Seeed Ranger Program. The program empowers change-makers who inspire innovation and connect like-minded individuals in the maker community. One year later, as we look back, we feel immense gratitude for our Rangers and their impact.
Rangers are not just ambassadors; they share their expertise and spark fresh ideas as catalysts for the next wave of tech pioneers. The program now supports even more developers, educators, and creators worldwide. It has been a year of growth, learning, and connection. We are so proud to say “We made it because of you!”
Summarize of 2024
This year, 13 passionate Rangers led 50+ events in Italy, India, Vietnam, UAE, Cameroon, France, Colombia, Indonesia, the US, and China. These events—from workshops and hackathons to exhibitions and symposiums—brought together over 2,000 participants, they are passionate about exploring topics like TinyML, AI, IoT, Edge Computing, Meshtastic, LoRaWAN, robotics, and more.
Participants have made incredible strides in applying technology to solve local challenges, from learning the fundamentals of TinyML to developing real-world solutions with AI and IoT. We’ve seen firsthand how the tools and knowledge shared through the Ranger Program have empowered people to create meaningful projects—whether it’s a smart health monitor, a sustainable agriculture solution, or a community-driven initiative to tackle environmental issues.
TinyML: Easy to Get Hands On
Rangers serve as vital connectors within their local communities. After the guidance, mentoring, and inspiration, we saw plenty of ideas turn into impactful, real-world projects.
The XIAO ESP32S3 Sense has become a game-changer for TinyML projects. This compact and powerful device, equipped with built-in sensors and sufficient processing power, allows developers to prototype efficiently. Whether for wearable health monitoring, smart home automation, automatic pet feeders, or just bird chirp recognition, this experimentation for idea verification is really interesting. Rangers and their communities have used it to push the boundaries of possibility, empowering makers in India’s MakerGram community, Bharat Institute of Skill Development, FOSSASIA in Vietnam, and Fablab Bali in Indonesia.
Collaborations with platforms like Edge Impulse have further simplified the journey into TinyML. Rangers have supported participants with data collection, model training, and deployment. In regions such as Manizales, San José Educational Institution, and CHEC Grupo EPM, these small-scale projects have demonstrated significant impact, addressing energy efficiency and community health challenges.
AI: Opening Doors to New Possibilities
To meet the growing demand for AI education, we’ve enhanced our training courses to make machine learning more accessible and practical for everyone. With tools like Grove Vision AI V2 and XIAO, Rangers has delivered hands-on, easy-to-follow lessons in AI. Participants have explored key aspects such as model design, data preprocessing, and deploying AI projects with real-world applications in healthcare, manufacturing, and civil engineering industries.
One of our proudest achievements has been witnessing the impact of these AI workshops. In places like the UAE, Germany, and Colombia, students and professionals have learned to harness AI for diverse applications. These range from optimizing data collection in civil engineering to building smarter, more efficient cities.
IoT: Pushing Boundaries
In addition to our XIAO and Grove series, our SenseCAP series product also helps to push the boundaries and make people learn and use IoT much easier. By integrating IoT technology with artificial intelligence, participants to explore optimized data-gathering processes of their territory. This innovation has opened the door to smarter and more efficient solutions for infrastructure development.
Collaborating Beyond Boundaries
What sets the Ranger Program apart is its ability to go beyond traditional tech communities. It brings together people from diverse fields—biologists, entrepreneurs, environmentalists, and engineers—who share a common goal of using technology to create positive change. Rangers have partnered with organizations like BRIN and Corporación Escuela Ambiental Malibú to explore how AI hardware can be applied across various sectors, including environmental protection, agriculture, and education.
When technology is made accessible to people from all backgrounds, the outcomes are not just innovative—they’re transformative. This year, the program has achieved remarkable progress in fostering cross-disciplinary collaborations. These efforts have empowered local communities and sparked fresh, groundbreaking ideas.
As we reflect on 2024, we are deeply moved by the support, enthusiasm, and passion of everyone in the open source community. From makers sharing their projects to participants embracing new technologies, your creativity and resilience continue to inspire us.
Looking ahead, we are eager to expand the Ranger Program further, inviting more makers worldwide to join us in building a more connected, open, and sustainable tech ecosystem. We will create more opportunities for hands-on learning and collaboration while updating our event map to help anyone easily host or attend events and connect with their local community.
We’re excited to see where this journey leads in 2025. Here’s to another year of growth, innovation, and making the world a better place—one project at a time. Thank you for being part of this incredible journey. See you in the new year!
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