IoT Week, taking place every year in Europe, is considered to be one of the leading conference in the IoT space. This year’s summit in Geneva, in addition to the regular speeches and exhibitors, was enriched by a Hackathon inspired by the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The four-day long Hackathon gathered teams from the Ukraine, Italy, Tunisia, Switzerland and more. Solutions and ideas for cleaning the environment, agrifood technology or smart guiding, were only a few topics addressed by the participating teams.
Professional Mentoring and Workshops by IoT-EPI
From the beginning the teams were supported through workshops by many professional partners. The European Platforms Initiative (IoT-EPI) took part in two ways: Supporting the teams technologically and also with mentoring in business building. The Hackathon teams faced multiple challenges this year. For instance the projects had to be aligned with focus on IoT solutions for tackling one or several of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by the UN.
During these days, the teams participated in a series of workshops – all meant to prepare the teams to ace the competition. The jury, including Siemens, ABB, ST, FIWARE and IoT-EPI, gathered towards the final hours of the summit. Erez Mizrachi (IoT-EPI) explained the choice of the jury like this: “From first degree information we can disclose, that all teams demonstrated very high technology skills and it was a tough decision – but since there is only one winner, one team has exceeded all with leading on most parameters.”
Hackathon proud Winners: Be Right Beach (BRB)
The winning team Be Right Beach (BRB) created a possible solution for a challenge facing the beautiful Italian beaches of Sardinia: “Our system will suggest people not to go to a beach that is in danger of pollution or over-crowding; moreover, sudden changes in water parameters generate an alert to maritime authorities.” The project won the first prize and 5000€, sponsored by Siemens. “Be Right Beach will help anyone, not just tourists, to better enjoy our island. It can be applied to any other marine or lake ecosystems.”
The second prize went to ‘Free Ocean’. The team invented a trackable net that will be able to collect trash in the ocean. ThinkMilk, led by Bruno Azevedo, snapped up the third place in the Hackathon. Using IoT technology, ThinkMilk wants to improve the quality of milk in Brazil.
Anyone who is interested in getting support by IoT-EPI is invited to check out current open calls and funding possibilities.
