Montreal fans of robotics are in for a treat this March. The “Cloud Robotics Hackathon” is in town. From March 2nd through to March 4th Maison Notman House will host a unique Robotics event made for anyone who’s interested in hacking Robots to make them perform neat things.
There are 2 sponsors of the event. “Robotshop”, an online Robot retailer, which will supply the hardware for the event and Google.
According to one of event organizers, Sara Ahmadian, this is going to be the biggest Robotics Hackathon in the world: “Our goal is to give hackers everything they need to hack. We’ll give them Robots, electronic components, food and a comfortable place to hack, the only thing participants need to bring is their creativity, laptops and perhaps their smartphones”. Participants may also bring accessories of their choice if they so desire.
Developers are free to use any language of their choice with a preference given to experienced developers specializing in Python, Java, ROS, Android and Arduino.
- Let’s talk hardware
The robots available will include DFRobotShop Rover and certain teams will also be able to hack using the more sophisticated models like DARwIn and Nao
There’s going be a 3d printer, Makerbot, which can be used to create robotic limbs and artistic elements. Organizers will also provide smartphones and sensors, so developers can combine existing features of the smartphones such as Audio/Video capabilities.
- Who, Hack, How?
All programmers, including web and mobile developers, are invited to participate, even if they have no prior robotic experience. Participants will be broken down into teams and given specific challenges. Alternatively they can pursue their own goals.
I personally got very intrigued by this prospect.
Me: “So I get all the robotics hardware my soul desires and I’m free to create whatever I like?”
Sara: “Yes, of course, create to your heart’s content!”
Me: “Well what if I want to attach a Smartphone (as a camera) to my Robot and have it follow my cat around?”
Sara: “Yes, you can do that”
Me: “How about creating a Robot that will put food in the microwave 30 minutes prior to my coming back from work?”
Sara: “Yes, that’s not a bad idea”
Me: “Well how about a robot that will protect my front lawn by making a loud noise once a bird gets too close?”
Sarah: “You can do that, but neighbours may not appreciate it”.
I’m no Robotic expert, so I’m sure others can come up with better ideas.
- Montreal is the ideal city for the event
Sara believes that Montreal is the ideal place to hold this event: “Our sponsor “The robotshop” is one of the biggest robot shops in the world and has its head office right here in Montreal, myrobot.com is also from Montreal. McGill, Concorida, ETS and Polytechnic all have strong robotics curriculum, so it’s only natural that a robotics hackathon takes place in Montreal.”
- Register now
If you register early you’ll be able to request specific equipment selected from the robotshop web-site. To suggest ideas and to get additional details visit: roboticshackathon.com web-site.
ildar khakimov
