IIT-M to host hackathon to solve societal problems

The competition would be based on the Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation’s ‘SPRESENSE Board’, which allows developers to create internet of things (IoT) applications in a very short time.

Calling upon the stakeholders to take part in this hackathon, Ashutosh Sharma, secretary, Department of Science and Technology, said: “The future is all about a tight convergence of physical systems with communication, computing, information and data gathering, machine sensing, autonomous decisions and actions and control. Thus sensors of all sorts will play a vital role in the cyber-physical systems,” he was quoted as saying in a press statement from IIT-Madras. A team with a maximum of three members can register for the grand challenge, the IIT statement said, adding that the challenge would will be held in three stages – quarterfinals, semi-finals and final.

“A total of 75 ideas will be selected for the quarter-finals, and among them, 25 best ideas will be selected for semi-finals,” it added. There would be seven finalists with prizes for every finalist. Prizes worth Rs 3 lakh would be awarded to the best teams. Further, each quarter finals will be provided with a ‘SPRESENSETM’ board free of cost by Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation through the IITM Pravartak Technologies Foundation.