The smart-helmet solution takes first place in a mobility hackathon
On 15-17 April, more than 175 participants took part in the 48h technology marathon "Urban Mobility Hackathon", where the leading event partner was Embassy of the Netherlands in Latvia, and pitched 23 solutions that have the potential to foster sustainable mobility. The hackathon was organized by innovation movement “VEFRESH” in cooperation with the Institute of Electronics and Computer Sciences, Riga City Council, co-working space “Teikums”, and supported by EIT Urban Mobility, an initiative of the European Institute of Innovation & Technology (EIT), a body of the European Union. Participants were supported by technology companies “Accenture Latvia” and “Latvijas Mobilais Telefons” (LMT), as well as by a wide range of local and foreign mentors.
“Brain Bucket” helmet
The first place in the hackathon was taken by a team who worked on the smart-helmet solution “Brain Bucket”. The solution is designed to make it easier for motorcycle and moped drivers to use navigation applications, as well as to alert the driver about dangerous traffic situations with the help of machine vision. Representatives of the hackathon jury from the EIT Urban Mobility, "LMT", "Accenture Latvia", “Startup Wise Guys”, and the Dutch start-up "Tranzer" praised the novelty of the solution, as well as the prototype work done within the hackathon, and unanimously decided to award the main prize to “Brain Bucket”.
“PūļaSim” simulation
A team of Dutch and Latvian members, which dedicated 48 hours to the development of a data modeling solution “PūļaSim”, took the second place. “PūļaSim” is intended for emergency services, urban planners, as well as mass event organizers, to simulate the movement of the crowd in the city and to identify potential problems by using open source geodata.
"Smart street charging" station visualisation
The third place was won by the local team with the solution "Smart street charging", which explored the possibility of using street lighting infrastructure for electric car charging. With the support of mentors from Riga City Municipality, the team identified 2 pilot spots in VEF district and Ķīpsala, where it would be possible to install the first prototypes for charging 6 and more electric cars. Several solutions for secure bicycle parking in the city, a multi-storey electric parking solution, carpooling and vehicle maintenance apps, and other solutions also competed for the prizes.
“The energy invested by hackathon’s teams, their determination and accomplishments not only surprised but also inspired! During the hackathon, we were delighted to see members from different countries creating teams, as well as an international exchange of knowledge happening between participants and mentors, which both provided fertile ground for innovation. Although the jury was able to award only three teams, the high potential solutions were much more, therefore we hope that all participants will continue to work on the further development of their ideas,” says Govert Jan Cornelis Bijl de Vroe, the Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Latvia.
Hackathon participants and other interested parties can apply until 31 May to a mobility incubator program “Urban Mobility Incubator”, which will provide an opportunity to further develop ideas, as well as test the technical prototypes and solutions in a real urban environment. “The city of Riga needs new technological and infrastructure solutions that would accelerate a change in citizens' habits towards a more sustainable lifestyle. We invite the authors of innovative ideas to apply to the incubator to create meaningful solutions in active cooperation with the city,” points out Inese Andersone, Chair of the city development committee at Riga City Council. In summer, the incubator program will support up to eight teams to work on prototyping and testing their mobility solutions in the VEF district.
“VEFRESH” is an innovation movement that brought together the largest companies in the VEF district in 2019 to jointly develop the territory as an urban innovation centre. The participants and supporters of the movement are “Accenture Latvia”, Institute of Electronics and Computer Science, LMT, IT Education Fund, real estate developer “Pillar”, city in the city “Jaunā Teika”, as well as VEF Culture Palace.
This project is funded by EIT Urban Mobility, an initiative of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), a body of the European Union. EIT Urban Mobility acts to accelerate positive change on mobility to make urban spaces more liveable. For more information visit www.eiturbanmobility.eu.