2016 Hackathon

Projects

One touch tweet

In our busy modern day lives, Twitter is a good way to spread information quickly. Use an arduino to build an easy-to-use device capable of sending, receiving, and displaying tweets.

2D locomotion evolution

Evolutionary algorithms are a useful approach to solving complex problems with a lot of variables. One example of this is teaching robots to do complex tasks like walking. Write a program that generates a semi-random 2D landscape and evolves bots that can traverse it.

Trek planner

When plotting a long distance hike, your route is often constrained by available accommodation. Create software for travelers that will design a route based on a beginning and end point, finding hotels/hostels/camping sites along the way, and splitting the route into sections such that they always finish a section at one of these locations.

Autonomous activator

There are many advantages to having a device that can activate things from a distance. Can you build a device that autonomously pierces and bursts an inflated balloon. The device must be safe for use inside. Could you control your device remotely?

A car-free zone 1&2

Sharing central London with road traffic isn’t a lot of fun. Would it be possible to pedestrianise all of zones 1&2? What impact would this have? Can you estimate the cost to businesses? Where would all the traffic go and would we have to expand public transport? In any solutions you propose, provide estimates of cost and calculations to show how they would work.

Alien megastructures

There’s been alot of media interest in the unusual periodic data around KIC 8462852, leading some to believe it could be an alien megastructure or “dyson sphere”. Discuss how realistic this could be and if it could be a possible source of energy for our own planet in the future.