The Garage48 Hardware & Arts Riga hackathon started with an amazing vibe today here in Riga, Latvia. The hackathon has gathered over 100 participants from all over the world. Besides many Latvians, attendees from Lithuania, Finland, Mexico, Egypt, Russia, Pakistan, Georgia, Armenia, India and Estonia are present. Though Garage48 is hosting a first-time hardware and arts event here at the RTU Design Factory, a total of 34 ideas were pitched on the stage.
The main goal of the Garage48 H&A hackathon is to have fun and create prototypes for this weekend. However, there is now a possibility to develop the working prototypes further, if the teams decide to do so. As Garage48 Hardware & Arts Riga is part of a bigger project called Interreg Estonia - Latvia, 6 teams both in Tartu and Riga can continue the work in an acceleration program. There will be a 2 month coaching and training sessions that are carried out by international business and technology mentors, carried out in parallel batches in both Tartu and Riga. Also 1-on-1 coaching sessions are available to boost the teams performance. The batches will end with graduation days in Tartu at the sTARTUp Day 2017 business festival and the Digital Freedom Festival in Riga.
But in order to deliver all these prototypes, the lovely RTU Design Factory has set up the laboratories and workshop room. There is also a wood workshop room and of course the Mass Portal 3D printing megaroom, where the teams are already queuing up.
As the 48 hour time-frame is now already ticking and the teams are in full swing, let us see what ideas made it into teams:
1. LimeLight - Kinetic Model of a stage for scenography. Fully functional model of stage (theater). Can be used in the future, to show how scenographers will make models for stages.
2. ThunderBox - box in your room that makes real thunder, rain and tornado and releases ozone for smell and to create a real feeling. It is good for setting the mood and just being a beautiful thing.
3. Brillo - Affordable e-reading device with braille alphabet for people with visual impairment. Books and newspapers that are not available in audio format. Like a kindle - cheaper than other solutions.
4. Master Slave - Device for collecting tennis balls on field - tennis ball collector robot. Separate camera that sees whole court, to navigate and collect balls effectively. Never lose your balls again!
5. AF Robot - Small/Medium sized robot on 4 wheels that will be your assistant on the ground, that follows you so it can take videos and photos of you or your child (when you can't do it yourself). Taking photos and videos for your vlog for you.
6. wilyCAR - device that detects the parking enforcement officer and pays when he arrives. Device will detect the officer who looks at your fake ticket using the face recognition.
7. VibroSense - convert vision in touch/vibration, so you can 'see' more, like, know what happens behind your back via vibration.
8. GAGA - Home assistant. Spheric, wireless, that can follow you. Give the commands to follow, to play music, everything that other devices, just this one is not attached to separate room, but can follow you, like your pet.
9. Fading Worlds - An interactive tool that translates and stores anything you say or write into a unique charcoal drawing. Transforms everything you say or write on to drawing, not the print, but actual drawing. It will be delivered as poster and with help of app you can transform it to text.
10. Movie Light - web development project. People can watch movies together, download movie on app and can invite friends to same site at the same time, so you can watch it together and have a movie night together.
11. They Are Watching US - Creepy experience of heads staring at you and turning with sounds when you enter a room.
12. Spinner Roulette - Completely useless, but wonderful device that will raise awareness on dying out fidget spinner - when you starts spinning you can never go back - the fidget spinner that you can't stop because when you stop it it will explode.
13. Chess Master 3000 Alpha version - Chess clock that is helping you to hurry up a game, it talks to you and helps the favourite player, it will help one player and not help other player, it will tell jokes and talk in weird accent. Make chess fun finally!
Ideas that can be put in the drawer for now:
1. SolderMod - Soldering iron attachment for VAPE mods, Extention for VAPE mod to attach soldering iron. It will be smaller, low price, wireless and easier to use than existing products.
2. Bioni'ka - App with topics about science, so you can learn with your kids (teachers and parents).
3. ComFoint - Comfort Point (Warm&Cool), device that are attached to point in back of head/neck that can check via app temperature.
4. DIY Kit manufacturing machine - make device that automatically make kits, modular that dispense parts for kits automatically. Nice for beginners in electronics.
5. VRMED US - Laparoscopic simulator - so students can learn to do those manipulation with simulators before they start to do it with real patients.
6. Mag Spoof - Research project - device that wirelessly reproduces the magnetic lines of the cards - when insert 100 Rimi card in device you can use 100 Rimi cards. Copy and magnetic cards.
7. RE-FLEX - wrong posture of upper back/neck - device that can be attached to office chair, that will exercise the neck.
8. Typewriter that has input from browser, that takes the links from browser and types on paper the web page content.
9. Heart Beats - sounds 3D Printed sculptures - each of has particular perspective of seeing the world, each has unique heartbeat - the device will turn heartbeat in sculpture. Physical object that can remind of life.
10. Synth - there are people with disabilities that can't express yourself, synthesizer for disabled people to express themselves via music, instead of keyboard, there will be other solution (?) that will be available for people who can't push the keyboard.
11. Help The Bees - Honeybee colony leaves and never comes back or dies, it can be caused by the insects that comes in with bee- inner image recognition that filters out sick bees that can recognise the insect that comes with bee.
12. The Computer Platform - Computer is same Vacumleaner, just without wheels - that is loby from vacumleaner manufacturers. So, there is solution to add wheels to computer, so it can be turned in anything - vacuum cleaner, home assistant - anything.
13. Climbing Drone - as mountain climbers often need to climb without any assistance. Drone with rope and camera that will attach hook where climber needs it.
14. Boost Jet - Fucking Welder Lover - want to weld the bicycle, but mostly drink in garden house or garage.
15. Brail Helper - Foam kinda thing that bring blind people closer to experience of working with computer, platform that moves up and down, so blind people can feel icons.
16. Mall Sniffer - Stalk People - read the info from WIFI to learn where the people live, where they come from, so you can stalk better!
17. Keep Warm - Afraid of winter, in the building and buses you are safe, but on street you will freeze, solution - device that produces heat while you are outside walking. Mechanical object that use kinetic energy to produce warm.
18. Tablet Holder - to put tablet in bus or plane that can be attached and placed in right position and don't need to hold it.
19. Smart Window Controller - Humidity/Air pressure in public places - prototype controlling windows (sensor is ready), helps to reduce energy bill. Display where you can choose the temperature and other stuff.
20. Swim Lock - When going to swim in summer, but you are afraid that someone will steal your stuff. The Box where you can lock your clothing and personal belongings and you can open it with app. You attach it to pole or fence, so no one can take the box.
21. Marshmallow Grill - small portable electronic marshmallow grill that can grill them from all sides in same time.
