The “Garage48 Hardware & Arts” hackathon, happening already for the 4th time on 17-19th of February in Tartu, brings together skilled individuals all across the Baltics to build ideas into working prototypes.
For 48 hours the Tartu University Institute of Physics building will be taken over by 180 participants: mechanics and electronics engineers, product and graphic designers, software developers and programmers, representatives of hard sciences and marketeers – both working professionals and students. Garage48 Hardware & Arts 2017 is brought to life by the joint project of Tartu University, Estonian Academy of Arts and Garage48 Foundation.
“On one hand the development of technology has created a big demand for well-designed and intuitive user interfaces and user experiences. On the other, there is a growing wish among designers and architects to integrate electronics and mechatronics into their creation. Garage48 Hardware & Arts has gained a remarkable role as the developer of a co-operating culture among design and technology fields”, highlights Kristjan Mändmaa, the Dean of The Estonian Academy of Arts Design Faculty.
Supporting the synergy is also highly important in the opinion of one of the event organizers, Tartu University professor Alvo Aabloo: “This event creates prerequisites for cooperation between the people in natural sciences, design and creative industries, various engineering, also the military field and business people. From the education field we have included Tartu University, Estonian Academy of Arts and Estonian National Defence College.”
The participants of the Garage48 Hardware & Arts 2017 will get to use different electronics and design materials and tools. Tartu University Digilab and SPARK Makerlab will open their working rooms for the building process. Mass Portal offers 3D printers, Eccom lazer cutters and the Rohde & Schwarz electronic devices together with their skills and knowledge in using them.
Garage48 co-founder Priit Salumaa says that the event offers a challenge also to software developers. “The most influential technology companies of today have based their products upon hardware. Tesla, Apple and Estonia’s own Starship Technologies have combined hardware, software and design in very skilful ways,” comments Salumaa on the attractiveness of the hottest technology companies of this day.
Garage48 Hardware & Arts 2017 final event that will showcase all the physical prototypes that have been built during the 48 hours of the hackathon can be watched live through Postimees and Garage48.org homepage on Sunday, February 19th, starting at 18.00.
Event sponors: Estonian National Defence College, University of Tartu, Estonian Academy of Arts, the Estronics cluster co-funded by the European Union’s Regional Development Fund measures and member of the EAS cluster program, Cultural Endowment of Estonia, Elisa, Gambling Tax Council, City of Tartu, Milrem, Embassy of Latvia in Estpnia, Startup Estonia.
Event supporters: MassPortal, Eccom, SPARK, SPARK Makerlab, Rohde & Schwarz, Made By, Latitude59 and Hedgehog.