Over 1,600 teams, comprising university students, startups, corporate engineers and Hexagon employees, enthusiastically registered for Hexathon 2023. The sole focus of the hackathon was sustainability. Any idea or proof of concept (POC) that contributed to the planet’s well-being was welcome, echoing Hexagon’s commitment to enhancing sustainability in all aspects of our business.
A hackathon possesses the remarkable ability to unleash the boundless imagination of its participants. Hexathon 2023, a 24-hour hackathon, was hosted by Hexagon in India, our largest R&D hub in the world. The prize money for Hexathon 2023 was set at one million INR, with runners-up receiving 50,000 INR.
The announcement of Hexathon 2023 generated tremendous excitement within the city’s tech community. Over 1,600 teams consisting of startups, corporations, students and Hexagon employees registered for the event across five key tracks: Sustainable Energy, Environment, Manufacturing, Assets and Green Tech Disruptors. Following a rigorous selection process, the top 163 teams were chosen as finalists.
Erik Josefsson, CEO of R-evolution, took the stage and addressed the crowd to kick off the event. “We are extremely excited to have you all here,” he said. “Over 500 amazing rockstars coming together to hack to save this planet.” Notably, the event boasted great diversity, with 130 women participants and a team of enthusiastic high school students making their mark.
The atmosphere sizzled with excitement as teams unleashed innovative ideas. The symposium ignited a wave of inspiration, from generating electricity using ocean waves to revolutionising waste disposal and plastic reduction, to pushing the boundaries of automation in forestation accounting through aerial imaging.
Contest judges engaged with the teams and posed questions regarding their projects. A dedicated volunteer team of over 150 Hexagon employees helped with the overall operations and logistics, including IT, facilities and a smooth and efficient experience.
Hexagon also provided workshop masterclasses on Hexagon platforms, including Xalt, Nexus and Luciad to enable participants to leverage Hexagon’s technologies in enhancing their solutions.
The Winners
Following an intense 24 hours, the teams presented their projects across 10 parallel panels. Each panel, featuring two judges, selected 12 teams to advance to the final round. Among the esteemed judges was Erik, alongside Prof. Sireesh Saride, Chairperson of Greenko School of Sustainability & Climate Change at IIT Hyderabad, and M. Srinivas Rao, CEO of T-Hub, India’s largest startup incubation center.
There were two winners for the top prize. Enigma, a team of third-year engineering students from CBIT, won for their automated system to reduce energy waste, pollution and waste generation in industrial processes. Strat Masters, a team of Hexagon employees, also won for their sustainable assets solution, optimising equipment maintenance in industrial plants.
Anshul Agarwal from the Strat Masters team said, “It was an amazing experience. The kind of drive we [had]in those 24 hours, working continuously, sleeping for a few hours, engaging with the teams – the discussion, the brainstorms – it was amazing.”
Mokshitha Mandadi from the Enigma team expressed similar enthusiasm, saying, “It was one of the most memorable experiences. We will never forget it.” Her teammate, Sindhu Yamsani, added, “We just entered to give it a shot, and here we are.”
In addition, five teams won special recognitions. Their solutions included blockchain-based carbon credit tracking, solar panel power monitoring, construction design optimisation, AI-driven plastic recycling scrap management and optimised deep learning for defect identification in manufacturing.
“This is a wonderful day,” said Navaneet Mishra, Senior Vice President and Head of Hexagon R&D India. “We’re trying to work for the planet. We’re trying to achieve sustainability for the whole world, not only for Hexagon.”
Hexathon 2023 unveiled a remarkable display of innovations by hundreds of engineers that brought forth many unique solutions, showcasing their ingenuity and resourcefulness. Moreover, their exceptional work underscored the transformative power of collaboration, technological advancement, and a shared vision for a brighter tomorrow.
Hexagon’s forward-thinking approach and commitment to corporate social responsibility make us a pioneer in driving positive change in sustainability. As we move forward, events like Hexathon will continue to shape a more autonomous and sustainable world.
