In collaboration with Microsoft, Ypto already organised two challenging hackathons. Our motivation? Allow students who wish to do so to experience working on impactful projects. During our hackathons, we shove away the school benches and actively get to work to find a solution or create an application for a real problem. For example, how can you know from the platform where the first-class coaches will stop? Brainstorm with your friends and come up with a solution. You will be surrounded by other peers and get free food and drinks.
Eager to know how the event went the last two years? Here is an overview. We will organise another hackathon this autumn. So keep an eye on our LinkedIn and Facebook accounts!
On Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 November, the second Ypto and Microsoft hackathon was held on the Etterbeek campus of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel. During these two days, the students were coached by experts from Ypto, Microsoft and SNCB. On Sunday afternoon, they had the opportunity to pitch their idea in front of a professional jury.
The hackathon consists of two tracks: “Experts” and “Innovators”. Discover below the winners of both tracks and their solution.
The winner in the “Experts” track was the Hecate team. They created an application to replace a booklet currently used for the training of train managers. The application includes fun learning tools such as quizzes and flashcards. The aim is to make train manager training more efficient and fun.
The BeeHive team won first place in the “Innovators” track. They designed an application to foster increased contacts between train passengers. On the one hand, passengers can check in on a train and see who is on it. In this way, they can connect with each other and also send a warning when help is needed. On the other hand, the application provides additional information on delays and connections.
We had no idea that, behind the scenes of the Belgian railways, Ypto was working so much on innovation. It has truly changed our perception of the railways.
Participants could sign up for one of these two tracks:
Track 1 – “Experts”: This track was specifically reserved for students with advanced knowledge of app development. By the end of the weekend, these “experts” had to deliver a product – using Power Platform Apps – that could be deployed within the SNCB organisation.
Track 2 – “Innovators”: Students who like to think up creative solutions and want to work on a business case, could really shine in this track.
The participants were able to develop their idea or solution from A to Z during five sprints. In order to do so, coaches from Ypto and Microsoft were available to provide them with tips and advice. Each team was then able to pitch their solution in front of a jury. Finally, the winners were announced.
The team that won first place in the “Experts” track was De Zachte Dolfijntjes. The team developed an application for scanning the parts and components of trains that not only collects the data digitally so that it can be consulted at any time, but also adapts the data. Moreover, the centralised digital database can also identify causes of failure (e.g. a production error), provide better insight into purchasing decisions (where is the best place to buy?) and, in a preventive and automatic way, bring the stock back to normal and schedule maintenance/replacement. Below, their pitch.
Team Halhei Clan won second place in the “Experts” track. This team developed an app that (automatically) sends an emergency signal when a collaborator experiences an incident (e.g. faint). Through geolocation, an automatic signal is sent to the supervisor, for example, so that they can alert the emergency services. In addition, an audible signal draws the attention of passers-by to the incident. The team went one step further and hit the idea of digitally mapping incidents using artificial intelligence. This heatmap highlights potentially dangerous spots where preventive safety measures could be taken to avoid future incidents.
Below, their pitch.
In the “Innovators” track, first place went to the team Matrix Boys, whose members were sixth-year students from the Sint-Paulus secondary school in Waregem. These students devised a solution to determine the occupancy rate of each coach before the train even arrives at the station, so that passengers know in advance where to hop on. They also devised a solution whereby passengers can scan QR codes specific to each coach in order to indicate if something is damaged.
Below, their pitch.
Mixed-I-Grill 2 took second place in the “Innovators” track. Their team had a very nice presentation and a warm, inclusive message. It talked about moving society forward by leaving no one behind. At SNCB, we also strive to ensure that all people, including people with disabilities, can access our services and new solutions. So, this team came up with a buddy platform where passengers can offer help to people with disabilities. Below, their pitch.
In addition, the jury spontaneously awarded a special incentive prize to Veta, a very young team that took part in the “Experts” track and whose members understood their task very well despite their young age. Below, their pitch and the awards.
For daily train passengers like us, it is interesting to discover what goes on behind the scenes. We are amazed at how advanced SNCB is in terms of IT. Did you know that Ypto has been involved in the development of 2,000 applications? That’s unbelievable!
We are amazed at how digitised train maintenance already is. As a train passenger, you can only see the mechanical part. The processes behind it are invisible. We found the desire to code again.
We came up with the following idea: to be able to see where your friends are on a train. It is super cool that we can fully work that out with Power Apps!
At school, we are not given assignments that we can work out from A to Z. Here, we were allowed to choose the use case we wanted to work on and we were given the space to be creative.
At school, one of our subjects is innovation. We study more or less the same thing. But here it is completely different, much more realistic. We can really make an impact.
In a word: phenomenal! You find yourself completely immersed in the world of the railways. We learned to think beyond just what is convenient to design. We had to think about the client, SNCB. Very interesting!
We did not know about Ypto, so it was very interesting to see how technology is used behind the scenes at SNCB. We learned a lot about the apps and about the technology.