Jak to v roce 2018 vypadalo?
This was the third year of the Aimtec-organised #AimtecHackathon in Pilsen. While it primarily provided a space for programmers and technologies, it included children’s events as well. The weekend also included presentations for the general public on the technologies that were shown. The winners of #AimtecHackathon developed projects for the practical application of these technologies in daily life and sport.
Technologies in Practice and Teamwork
On Friday, March 9th, over 40 programmers met up at Pilsen’s Moving Station. The assignment was simple: dream up new uses for the technologies that were provided. Thanks to #AimtecHackathon’s partners, we were able to offer participants such technologies as a speech recognition system, a virtual reality set, a programmable drone, the Alexa personal assistant, and a tool for monitoring locations within buildings. It was all up to the individual teams which technologies they would use and how they would incorporate them into their projects.
During the opening evening, the programmers had an opportunity to get to know the technologies, and mentors for each technology were available throughout the weekend. It was likewise all up to the participants to divide up into teams and to think up the project concepts that they’d go on to present live at the end of the hackathon. The chance to try out a variety of devices wasn’t their only motivation; there were also valuable prizes awaiting the winners.
Programme for Children and the Public
While the programmers devoted themselves fully to their work on Saturday, we also provided a programme for the general public. Children aged five and up could try out virtual reality, controlling a robot and more. For our more “experienced” listeners, we provided #TechTalks – detailed presentations on individual technologies, on building your robot and on the mysteries of the internet, including a wide range of topics from safe behaviors on the web, to the perils of flying drones, all the way to things like blockchain and Amazon Web Services.
Smart Cars, Homes and Sports Gear
It was interesting to see how the teams handled their projects and how their members cooperated. Most of the programmers did not know each other before #AimtecHackathon began, and so they had to come to terms with working in a team with strangers who had different approaches and skills. Making presentations in front of other participants and the jury was far from simple as well. But the winning projects captivated us with their innovation and approaches. The winner for this year was the team named Trajectory Hunters, which came up with the idea of a digital trainer. Special sensors in the javelin they created can monitor that javelin’s position, speed, and trajectory. Specialized software then lets athletes visualize and evaluate their work with the javelin (or other equipment) and then analyze their technique. Second place went to a smart doorbell that lets its owner interact with visitors via smartphone, and third place went to PES, a team with an autonomous, voice-controlled car. It can even head in to charge its batteries on command.
The partners for this year’s #AimtecHackathon were Amazon Web Services, Angee Technologies, Pilsen’s Robotics Centre, the Faculty of Applied Sciences at the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen, FOXON, Holodeck, JuicymoCZ, nvias, RVTECH, Sewio, SIMPLECELL, SpeechTech, U+ and two Pilsen-based schools – VOŠ and SPŠE.
AIMTEC a. s.
We help industry go digital. We provide cutting-edge consulting expertise in manufacturing & logistics and offer a unique approach to deploying our custom software solutions. Our speciality for the past 20 years has been the digitalisation of production and logistics. Meanwhile, we’ve concluded that with new digital technology and approaches, we will soon be able to deliver standard implementation projects in just over a third of the time they currently take. We work for customers worldwide in a variety of cultures and with different approaches to management. We envision a world in which managers can lead their companies to a digital future nearly on their own with help from our excellent expertise and innovative software solutions.
