Vitebsk students created a unique robot for messaging
Vitebsk student programmers created robots for handwritten messaging and won the 44-hour republican hackathon "What The Hack 2.0" held in Minsk for specialists from various areas of software development (programmers, designers, managers).
Initially, a hackathon is a hacker marathon, but over time, the narrow focus of such programming forums has disappeared. Currently, within the framework of such events, participants develop either startups with a commercial component or entertainment projects. "What The Hack 2.0" falls into the latter category. Vitaly Sadovsky and Alexey Korotkevich are 4th-year students of the Faculty of Mathematics at VSU named after P. Masherov, and at the same time, they manage to work in the IT field – they write commercial software (software for computers, smartphones, and other gadgets), and they also constantly improve in their future profession, participating in various specialized competitions and projects. Last autumn, the guys already worked together at one of the hackathons. Then the main goal was to present a product capable of generating maximum profit in the future, but they made many mistakes and could not sufficiently monetize the development. Although the experience came in handy in the future.
In Minsk, for “What The Hack 2.0.”, the guys went to showcase their skills and have some fun, as for 44 hours, mobile and web developers, other developers of various skill levels, specializations, ages, genders, and views worked on projects of their choice, including, as they themselves put it, “for fun.” The event was organized to acquire new knowledge and establish connections among specialists in the field, as well as to develop and promote Belarusian IT as a creative brand. Following the hackathon, various robots and programs emerged. For example, an anti-crisis motivator, whose main task is to educate its owner by burning their money, located in a special compartment, as punishment for indiscipline. If you want to stop swearing, the system reacts to specific words. It can also be programmed for the prevention of truancy from work or study, in which case it will monitor your location at a specific time. However, the best work, according to the audience and the expert jury, was created by programmers from Vitebsk. Vitaliy and Alexey, along with their team, created “Plot Chat” – robots for handwritten message exchange over the Internet. Its principle of operation: one of the interlocutors types a message on their computer, and a special robot manipulator writes the text with a marker on paper for the other chat participant.
– We found out about our victory on our way home. The award ceremony was a bit delayed, and the tickets were bought in advance. Not seeing our names among the winners, we decided we hadn't made it and left, asking them to send us a consolation souvenir afterward. When we were already on the train, Minsk friends called and informed us that our project had been recognized as the best, – says Vitaliy.
For their invention, the boys received a prize – a new robot "Lego Mind Storm", which can be programmed independently for any needs, and many different IT gifts and "gadgets".
Natalia Kamleva, "Vitebskiye Vesti"