An IoT-Based Smart Desk System for Smart Classrooms: Enabling OTA Firmware Updates and Multi-Application Deployment

Integrating IoT into modern classroom environments transforms the management of educational tools and resources by enabling improved interactivity and automation. This study focuses on developing multiple innovative Smart Desk applications to enhance student engagement and learning efficiency. The designed system includes applications such as a Classroom Response System (CRS), a Facial Recognition Attendance System (FRAS), and a Basic Calculator (BC), which collectively enhance interactivity, automate attendance tracking, and support in-class problem solving. To ensure seamless operation and easy application management, secure Over-the-Air (OTA) updates were implemented, enabling secure and efficient system maintenance without physical intervention. The ESP32-WROVER kit facilitates OTA updates and independent port selection, allowing remote firmware updates and application switching. The evaluation focused on the reliability, memory usage, energy consumption, and time efficiency of the OTA update process, demonstrating significant advantages over manual USB updates. The system also exhibited scalability in multi-device IoT environments, supporting simultaneous updates across multiple Smart Desks. The results showed that the OTA updates effectively managed memory resources and optimized energy consumption, ensuring smooth and uninterrupted classroom operations.