Build a robot? Hell yes! Robotics hackathon under way.
I hope that you are as excited as we are to be joining us for the Get your bot on hackathon this weekend. Robots, builders, makers and geeks and fun, what's not to love! It is down to the wire in the Get your bot on HQ and we are putting the finishing touches to the hackathon but the most important item is ready: the kits!
What is Get your bot on: A weekend hackathon to build a robot in a team. You will be building a robot using the parts in the provided kit. You can of course enhance the kit with anything else you would like, please remember to bring your additional parts with you. You will be working in teams of at least 2 participants. If you already have a team, that's great, make sure everyone shows up to pick up your kit. If you are solo and still need a team member, we will help you with that on Friday so make sure you join us Friday evening.
Get your bot on kit: Your kit is fully documented. Take a look at all the parts we are providing. Make note of anything else that you may be needing and source it now. We will be providing soldering guns, foam core, good working surfaces and additional tools but please remember to bring your computer and power cables if you are going to need them. If you have spare parts that you would like to add to our spare parts list, please bring them with you, you may save someone's day by doing that!
Workshops: We will start the weekend with a soiree at the TinEye HQ. On Friday you will meet all the participants, find a team member if you don't already have one, check out the kit and meet the hackthon team. We will be able to answer any question that you have and will prepare you for the weekend. We will also be holding a series of workshops that evening so if you are interested in attending any of the workshops, please make sure you arrive on time. The workshops will take place ahead of the soiree itself.
Friday November 23 | Schedule:
Time
What’s Happening
6:00 PM
Doors Open at the TinEye HQ
- Welcome and prepare for the workshops
6:30 PM
Official Welcome:
Introduction to the event, view the kit, mentor and team introduction
7:00 PM
Arduino Primer
- If you have never used an Arduino or need a refresher, this is the workshop to attend.
7:30 PM
Sensors and Circuits
- Your workshop about sensors and circuits. This will be a crash course! Bring your note book
8:00 PM
Motors and Mechanics
- Your workshop about motors and mechanics. Boom! 30 minutes to get you up and running.
8:30 PM
Mingle
- Grab a drink, a grilled cheese sandwich and meet all the hackathon participants, check out the kit
9:00 PM
Team Introductions
- Every team puts down its team name on the whiteboard and a code name for their project. If you don't have a team, we help you make one.
10:00 PM
Wrap up
Location
TinEye HQ:
223 Queen Street East, Toronto. The closest intersection is Queen and Sherbourne.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Am I allowed to use any additional equipment to build my robot?
Yes. Just make sure you bring it with you.
What if I don’t know anyone when I get to the hackathon or if I don’t have any ideas as to what to build?
That’s an easy one – if you don’t know anyone, that’ll last about 10 seconds once you join us. Seriously. And as to ideas: don’t worry, there will be plenty to choose from. The better question is will you have enough time to build your robot and showcase it to the judges on Sunday? To help you find a team mate, we will facilitate a session on Friday evening, so make sure you join us on Friday evening.
What if I have an idea and a team already?
Perfect! Bring your team and idea, and start working as soon as you get to the hackathon on Saturday.
How large can my team be?
Teams can be as small or as large as you’d like. We require that teams be comprised of at least 2 participants but if you wish to work in a team of 3, 5 or 10, that's fine too.
Can I continuously work on building my robot?
Yes. You can continuously work on building your robot starting Saturday at 10 AM. You will be required to stop working on your robot on Sunday at 1 PM so that you can present it to the judges.
What can I do to ace my judges presentation?
We recommend that you stop working on your robot 30 minutes before the presentations at least. You should prepare your robot for demonstration and make sure it is ready. Also prepare your story. You will need to tell the judges what you used to build your robot, and what your robot is able to do. Demo this to your team mate to make sure that everything will works smoothly. If you need to project anything during your demo, make sure you get in touch with one of the organizers so that they can set you up with a projector.
What should I bring?
- Your laptop, with anything you need pre-installed
- Your mobile device if you are planning on using it to control your robot
- Cables, chargers, and connectors for any of the above
- Any hardware that is not included in the kit and that you need to complete your robot
- Your sense of humour and your ability to get along with everyone while in tight quarters!
- Your portable coffee cup – we try to keep disposables to a minimum
- External display connectors for our projector – we’ll have a few, but bring yours if you have them. This will help speed up your presentation to the judges
- Fabric if you are building a toy robot. We will have a sewing machine if you need to do last minute touch ups.
Saturday November 24 | Schedule:
Time
What’s Happening
10:00 AM
Doors Open at the Mozilla HQ
- Breakfast, kit pick up and set up. Start building
12:30 PM
Lunch:
Vegetarian burritos from Burritos Locos! Feel free to mingle during your lunch or eat your lunch as you solder!
1:00 PM
Back building
4:00 PM
Drinks and snacks
- fun times!
5:00 PM
Mentor walk around
7:00 PM
Optional dinner
- If you are staying late, we will provide you with dinner.
10:00 PM
Wrap up of day 1
. You are free to continue working on your robot overnight.
Night
Sweet dreams!
Location
Mozilla HQ:
366 Adelaide Street West
At the end of day 1 you should have the bulk of your building done.
Sunday November 25 | Schedule:
Time
What’s Happening
10:00 AM
Doors Open at the Mozilla HQ
- Breakfast. Continue building your robot
Noon
Lunch:
Feel free to mingle during your lunch or eat your lunch as you solder!
1:00 PM
Judges Presentations
- Get ready to impress the judges
4:00 PM
Drinks and snacks and winning celebrations
- fun times! and wrap up
5:00 PM
Thank you!
Note:
We will be attempting to run an event that is as disposables free as possible. So please bring your mug, drinking cup, bowl or whatever you think you may need for drinking and snacking. If you forget your mug, Leila will charge you a $10.00 fee which will be donated to the Toronto Wildlife Center at the end of the event. We love planet earth and we know you do to. Do your part.