The experts from FAV return to the Aimtec Hackathon as mentors and speakers

Some 70 contestants signed up for the programming competition subtitled “When Code Helps.” They worked on developing tools and applications for people with disabilities or focused on smart mobility. Faculty members from the Faculty of Applied Sciences at UWB once again served as mentors this year.

Improvements to prosthetic devices, a smart medication dispenser, or aids for the visually impaired or children with autism. These are just some of the challenges of the 10th anniversary edition of the AimtecHackathon. Contestants had 40 hours to devise and develop solutions for the selected challenges. “It makes sense to us when the competition isn’t just about testing new technologies, but when we can create something that actually helps someone,” said Jiří Dobrý of the organizing company Aimtec on behalf of the organizers. Throughout the event, each team had the opportunity to consult with industry experts or faculty members from the Faculty of Applied Sciences at the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen (FAV) regarding their approach and proposed solutions.

“I deeply appreciate the participants’ time, their enthusiasm, and the way they spend long hours coding to help others. I’m glad they’re using the latest technologies, and I’m glad that Aimtec supports such worthy causes,” said Jan Švec from FAV, who served as one of the mentors. In the end, the 94AI team won both the competition and the audience award. They created a computer game that uses publicly available data from Pilsen’s public transportation system and data from a webcam located in the Gardens of the 35th Infantry Regiment. The young programmers sought to present the data in a visually engaging and entertaining way. They believe that this approach to data can help promote Pilsen at tourism trade shows, increase visitor numbers, or support marketing efforts.

The hackathon also includes TechTalks, a series of public lectures. This time, the speakers were Luboš Šmídl and Lukáš Kuhajda from the Department of Cybernetics at the Faculty of Applied Sciences. Šmídl presented a web application for the rapid detection of cognitive disorders. Anyone will thus be able to perform a self-assessment from the comfort of their own home to determine whether they might be experiencing symptoms of an emerging condition. The app user must complete 10 tasks, and based on the submitted responses, the system will assess whether everything is in order or recommend further examination by a specialist.

As part of his doctoral studies, Lukáš Kuhajda is working on two projects that use AI in bioengineering. In the first of these, Kuhajda is developing a tool that modifies the DNA regions controlling gene activity. The results of this research could, for example, help improve disease diagnosis. The second project focuses on increasing the heat resistance of proteins so that they can be used in industries such as biofuel production, medical diagnostics, pharmaceuticals, and food processing.

AimtecHackathon took place at Moving Station in Pilsen from Friday, March 20, to Sunday, March 22. Sunday afternoon was dedicated to children and teenagers aged 6 to 16. The Young Hackers section featured demonstrations of robotics, programming, game development, and virtual reality.