The West Coast's largest hardware-focused hackathon.

For the sixth time, UCLA IEEE and UCLA Chapter of Theta Tau are pleased to present IDEA Hacks, one of the few college hackathons that provides an emphasis in hardware and the largest of its kind on the West Coast. We provide you with tools, such as 3D printers, soldering stations, and other equipment free of charge. IDEA Hacks is a platform for you to experiment, collaborate, and develop tangible products from scratch in 36 hours.

This year our theme is “College Lifestyle”. This means you will be challenged to create something that focuses on enhancing students’ daily routines, whether that means increased sustainability, comfort, and more. Spend the weekend with us to innovate and create.

View full rules

Hackathon Sponsors

Prizes

$3,685 in prizes

IDEA Hacks 1st Place Grand Prize

1x Bose Noise Cancelling Wireless Headphones for each team member

IDEA Hacks 2nd Place Prize

1x Amazon Echo Show 5 for each team member

IDEA Hacks 3rd Place Prize

1x Nimble Wireless Charging Pad for each team member

IDEA Hacks Best Education Hack

1x Marley Portable Bluetooth Speaker for each team member

IDEA Hacks Best Sustainable Hack

1x Aquio Speaker Water Bottle for each team member

Advantech Best of Show Prize

$50 Cash Prize for each team member

(Note: Must use Advantech Product to opt in)

Digi-Key/STMicroelectronics Best Hack using ST Boards

Digit-Key Website Feature and STMicroelectronics Drone (STEVAL-DRONE01)

Eligibility

Participants: University and community college students (ages 18 and over)

Team Size: 4-5 members recommended, 5 max

Requirements

Project submissions must integrate at least two hardware components for submission.

Projects should be submitted before 8:59 AM (PST) on Sunday, January 12, 2020. A submission includes a Devpost submission to IDEA Hacks and a demonstration to judges on Sunday, January 12, 2020.

Don't forget a short description of your project, a list of components used, your team number, and the names of all team members!

Judges

William Kaiser
UCLA Professor, ECE

Mike Briggs
UCLA Professor, ECE

William Goodin
UCLA Professor, ECE

Clarice D. Aiello
UCLA Professor, ECE

Greg Caguimbal
UCLA Alum, Lockheed Martin

Bryan Emerson
UCLA Alum, Viasat

Calvin Cam
UCLA Alum

Alex Sin
UCLA Alum, Viasat

Cullen Quine
UCLA Alum

Westley Martinez
UCLA Alum, Keysight Technologies

Kari Graham
UCLA Alum, Raytheon

Hanan Kamal
UCLA Alum, Southern California Edison

Ambarish Kowluri
UCLA Alum, NextGen Aeronautics

Robert Nelson
Digi-Key Rep

Marco De Fazio
STMicroelectronics Rep

Jo Sunga
Advantech Rep

Joseph Su
Advantech Rep

Scott Calonzo
Advantech Rep

Clarice D. Aiello
UCLA Professor

Judging Criteria

Relevance
Our theme this year is "College Lifestyle". The hack focuses on enhancing students' daily routines, whether that means to increase sustainability, comfort and more. Is the hack relevant to the theme?
Innovation/Creativity
Is the hack a creative solution to an existing problem? Does it contribute something entirely new?
Technological Achievement
Is the implementation of the technologies clever or complex? The team should demonstrate a developed understanding of the technologies utilized in their hack.
Product Potential
We love it when the hack is aesthetically pleasing and novel, but we also look for practicality. Is the hack generally functional and bug-free? How feasible is the hack as a real-life application?
Strength of Pitch
Is the approach of your hack well-defined? Why is the hack something people should care about? The team should deliver their pitch with confidence in a thorough and concise manner.
Environmentally Friendly Evaluation (Optional)
Projects under the Best Sustainability Hack will be evaluated with one additional metric: potential environmental impact.
Education Evaluation (Optional)
Projects under the Best Education Hack will be evaluated with one addition metric: does the hack improve learning efficiency or enhance the learning experience?