This year’s Hackfest took place from 10 to 17 November and was organized by MakerSpace was organized jointly with partners from industry, the startup scene, and the public sector. The focus of the hackathon was on ideas for the circular economy and automated and resource-oriented solutions. A total of 60 students took on ten challenges that had been set in advance by hackfest partners. This year's partners included the Bavarian State Ministry for Economic Affairs, Regional Development and Energy, BMW Group, Infineon, Koehler Group, Olive Robotics, Oriens Ease, Panasonic, Rewe Digital, Sick, Siemens, and TUM Venture Labs.
From Kaiserschmarrn to electronic waste
Three teams were recognized for their prototyping performance, as well as the projected economic opportunity and circularity of the developed solution. These teams include:
Best Prototype: Robot Beer Garden, together with its partner TUM Venture Labs Food / Agro / Biotech, developed a prototype for the partial automation of food preparation in the restaurant industry. The idea: to use a new programming language to control a robotic arm. This arm prepares Kaiserschmarrn (sweet pancakes), thus helping with the current staff shortage and simultaneously reducing food waste.
Best Business Opportunity: The Oriens Döner Grill team, together with partner Oriens Ease, developed a closed grill for doner meat. The solution is automatable, helps reduce food waste, which accounts for up to 14 percent of a skewer daily, and protects employees from the open heat.
Best Circular Impact: The solution from CirculAR, in partnership with Siemens, is designed to support the repair of electronic devices such as laptops. Repair service providers receive automated instructions using image recognition and generative artificial intelligence (AI). This could reduce electronic waste and extend the life of devices.
The winning teams were announced during the four-day Circular Republic Festival, where experts exchange ideas on the circular economy and circular business models. The solutions and ideas developed will be further developed within the partner companies – sometimes even together with their respective teams.
