SpaceApps NYC 2015 : A truly stellar event!
We had the pleasure of participating in SpaceApps NYC this year, and wow, it was an experience that was out of this world! Hosted at the Microsoft office near Time Square, SpaceApps is a global hackathon with specific challenges in the categories of Outer Space, Earth, Humans, and Robotics; solving the challenges of living on earth and space.
All project teams open sources their work at the end of the hackathon so anybody can benefit from their hard work, which can be found here: https://github.com/spaceappsnyc
At each local event, the top teams are chosen and advance to the global mainstage, in which judging happens with a panel of NASA judges/scientist. Let’s take a look at this amazing event!
Opening Ceremony
A line started forming around 8AM! (Photo credit Amanda Ghanooni)
Badge Pick Up (Photo credit Amanda Ghanooni)
Participants started to flow in, over 1400 people signed up for the Hackathon + Festival!
Amit and I checking in SpaceApps NYC hosted at Microsoft
A booth is setup to showcase the Intel Edison and the prizes for the event! We got a lot of questions about the Intel Edison and the Star Wars Lego :)
Photobooth with a tiny astronaut and space shuttle...
Opening ceremony begins with Astronaut Cady Coleman with opening remarks for this weekend’s event!
Participants are inspired and start pondering their projects for SpaceApps...
Time for sponsor demos! Here I am giving a talk about how Intel Technology & the Intel Edison fits in with the SpaceApps Hackathon (Photo credit Amanda Ghanooni)
After the opening ceremony, I hosted a workshop to demonstrate the Intel Edison and its capabilities. Participants were extremely interested in the platform and couldn’t wait to get their hands on one!
A lot of questions but we were more than happy to answer them all!
(Photo credit Amanda Ghanooni)
Hacking Begins!
It all starts with team formation and some feedback from the Astronauts...
(Photo credit Amanda Ghanooni)
Here we see a team creating a sensor platform with the Intel Edison, collecting data...
Another team is animating a Nyan cat! You can’t have SpaceApps without space themed cats :)
Teams are working hard...still going strong late into the night
Some awesome swag given out during the event! Space ice cream, T-shirts, and a water bottle!
Pitches + Judging
Team SpaceBase:
Team SpaceBase created a sensor platform that detects heat, light, and sound to be used in a space station. It uploads the data wirelessly and warns you of any anomalies. It also maps your location without the need for GPS by encoding preset geo-data points. Built with the Intel Edison.
Team Alien Detector:
Team Alien Detector used the Intel Edison to create a platform for detecing aliens! It uses a a variety of sensors to trigger a connected webcam to take a snapshot of any detected aliens. It is portable and produces an audible warning when it finds an alien!
Team Kessel:
Team Kessel pitched and idea of mapping space debris using NASA’s open APIs to help better solve the problem of space junk. They propose using the Intel Edison to calculate debris trajectory and shooting them out of orbit by firing tungsten rods!
Team FirstHand (Best Use of Hardware - SpaceAppsNYC 2015):
Team First Hand created a wearable technology using the Intel Edison. It is a space glove with heating elements that controls the warmth of the glove and protecting the fingers from trauma. The Intel Edison controls the heating elements and hosts an application that enables voice control of the temperature. They won the “Best Use of Hardware” award for the event and will be advancing to the global stage where a panel of NASA scientists will judge their project!
Here they are again being interviewed by the press, as a lot of the audience were interested in this winning project.
Team DEMS (Best Mission Concept):
Team DEMS built a data collection drone using the Intel Edison for collecting temperature data on Mars. It streams the data in real-time wirelessly as it floats around the atmosphere collecting data. This team won the “Best Missions Concept” for the event!
Here they are again being interviewed by the press interested in the project.
Team P-Tech Sensor Bot (Up & Coming Award):
Team P-Tech Sensor Bot are a team of highschool students in their first ever hackathon. They built a sensor robot using the Intel Edison that collects sensor data as it roams around. It then streams the collected data wirelessly to be analyzed. This team won the “Up & Coming award” for the event in recognition of their early success!
Team Cmorebot:
Team Cmorebot created a sophisticated robot that aims to solve the issues of pollution and contamination in our environment. The robot is powered by the Intel Edison and is connected to a variety of peripherals including a GPS, display screen, and a bunch of environmental sensors.
Here they are again working on the robot.
Team Space Sloth (Best Use of Intel Technology):
Team Space Sloth built a helmet for space missions that is powered by the Intel Edison. It is connected with LIDAR sensors and Infrared sensors for obstacle detection, and it also runs OpenCV for image recognition using the connected webcam. They were awarded the “Best Use of Intel Technology” prize by us!
The helmet with the connected sensors
Here is the space sloth mascot. Also used as the object in the demonstration.
Team Wildfire Navigator (Galatic Impact Award):
Team Wildfire Navigator built a warning system that helps you avoid wildfires in your driving route by pulling in wildfire data from NASA open APIs. It also has an in-car warning system built with the Intel Edison that flashes colors and displays information on an LCD screen regarding the nearby fires. They won the “Galactic Impact” award for the event!
Awards
After much deliberation, the judges have chosen the top 5 teams for the event! It was a really tough decision for the judges as there were many great projects and ideas put together during the event. Below are some photos of the awards being awarded in no particular order.
Team Wildfire Navigator
Team Space Sloth
Team Wildfire Navigator, Team P-Tech Sensor Bot, Team DEMS, and Team First Hand
...and me, with Astronaut Cady Coleman!
I had a phenomenal time at the SpaceApps NYC event and it was amazing what the teams put together over just 24 hours. They solved real problems as a team and were able leverage each others skills. I would like to thank the other sponsors and the organizers for all their hard work and I look forward to attending SpaceApps NYC 2016! Good luck to those teams moving forward to the global mainstage of SpaceApps!