10 October 2016

On October 8, 2016, the HTP business incubator hosted TRIZ Hackathon for school students for the first time in Belarus. 18 teams from all regions of the country participated in the hackathon. Students aged 15-17 from different educational institutions – schools, lyceums, gymnasiums, colleges, and centers for kids' creativity were supported by their teachers and parents.

TRIZ Hackathon was organized to encourage and develop students' interest in creative and research activity. The participants had to think unconventionally to solve inventive problems.

In the first round, students have to create a device to demonstrate as many physical laws and phenomena as possible. There was a restricted set of materials to be used. Then, using a laser pointer and mirrors, the participants tried to create a device displaying geometric shapes.

Also, the students measured the ceiling height in the HTP business incubator with a laser pointer and two sheets of paper (the accuracy was required to be 4.6mm). The participants had to present their technique to the judges first and only then make a measurement.

After a break, the participants began solving second-level inventive problems. They had to construct scales with the capacity of 5 g, achieve maximum voltage of a potato, and create a random number generator with a resolution no less than 3 powers of ten.

The team of Novopolotsk Secondary School No.12 became the winner. The students surprised the judges with creative solutions, accuracy, good knowledge of physics and mathematics. The team of Minsk Gymnasium No.6 was the second best, and the team of Novogrudok Secondary School No.5 took the third place. All the participants received certificates.

The winners were awarded prizes and gifts from the HTP resident company Ideanomix Digital: optical head-mounted displays (first prize), stereo headphones (second prize), and portable battery chargers (third prize). The winning schools received Lego robotic kits.

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TRIZ hackathon was organized by the Hi-Tech Park and the HTP resident-company Ideanomix Digital.