The Brussels Regional Informatics Centre recently co-organised two hackathons within the framework of Brussels Smart City. Through the development of innovative IT projects, the Brussels-Capital Region aims to create a sustainable, human and economically responsible space and to give young or new talent a chance.
Hackoustic
29 and 30 March were marked by Hackoustic, a collaboration between the BRIC and BeCode. During this 12-hour hackathon, 25 students from the BeCode programming course studied noise problems in the Brussels-Capital Region. The goal was to create innovative apps based on sound sensors in teams of 5 students, where everyone had access to sound and other databases.
The jury’s prize, a Raspberry Pi, was won by Citychill: find the most quiet place around, which uses a combination of IoT infrastructure and sound sensors to detect so-called chill zones for the user. The public prize, a book about IoT, went to Sounds of Brussels, an app that allows users to find a quiet or vibrant spot based on their preferences.
Thanks to the high-quality presentations, versatile and creative ideas and of course great prizes, the hackathon was unanimously well received.
All for IoT, IoT for Brussels
On 5 and 6 April, the BRIC’s first Smart IoT Hackathon took place in collaboration with Bruxelles Formation and the Microsoft Innovation Center Brussels (MIC). The initiative involved 20 trainees from Bruxelles Formation and 5 students from Solvay/ICHEC, working together to develop prototypes on one of the following topics: measuring pollution levels in public spaces, real-time monitoring and information on the use of places for people with reduced mobility or a better supply of local products in Brussels.
The participants were divided into 5 teams of 2 back-end developers, 2 front-end developers and 1 student with a business profile. As they worked and brainstormed, the teachers of Bruxelles Formation, BRIC computer scientists and MIC experts provided advice and assistance.
The jury’s prize, a group activity in the Terragame Center virtual reality park, was won by Handipark, an intelligent parking app. In addition, all participants received Microsoft power banks from the MIC: an appropriate reminder of a productive event!
