© photo by Citizens of Wallonia
Citizens of Wallonia is a hackathon launched for the first time in 2016 to stimulate the emergence of new uses thanks to digital technology. It also aims to develop solutions to facilitate the life of citizens in a context of transformation of Wallonia into a Smart Territory!
Held annually, this hackathon really emphasizes the openness, a collaborative spirit, a peer recognition, and an adaptability/ability to quickly solve a problem.
This year, the focus was on the following emerging technologies: AR/VR/XR, Digital Twinning and Open & Shared Data.
The competition lasted for 2 days (March 10-12) and was held in Charleroi. Companies active in the technology sector were presenting their challenges in several domains (i.e. mobility, safety, sustainability, energy….) for contestants to work on. Coached by experts and evaluated by jury of stakholders from the technological, innovation and/or data fields, contestants could win many different prizes such as the “Award for intelligent territory”, the “Award for the best pitch, or still the “Award for the best User Experience”. Rewards include escape games, trainings, gaming headsets, bluetooth loudspeakers…
Quentin Sellier and Arthur Slüyters were part of a team of 4 including a PhD student from UNamur and an employee from Mastercard. In two days, they developed an interactive terminal project using gesture interaction. The objective is to intrigue the citizen in order to communicate key information in a playful way. For instance, they explained why Charleroi train station is under construction.
Their project won the “Prize for User Experience” and was even nominated in 3 other categories “The best immersive technology”, “the best pitch” and “le Grand prix”. Overall, they ranked second on 19 teams. Our heartfelt congratulations to them!
If you’re interested in knowing more about this event? Check the Hackathon website, for more information.