By Shammamah Hossain

Think about the word “hackathon”; what comes to mind? Probably an image of people huddled over their laptops, illuminated only by the bluish light from their screens, typing at superhuman speeds made possible only by a constant stream of energy drinks. This is not entirely inaccurate, but it’s not close to correct, either. We have a tendency to see our hypothetical “hackers” as technology specialists- but we fail to see such traits in ourselves. Their milieu can appear to us instead only as an exclusive niche. Why is that?

Many of us born at some point right around the turn of the millennium have personally experienced an exponential growth of technology. We’ve been able to effortlessly transition from using the simple consumer electronics of the early 2000s, to mastering the powerful smartphones that have almost become extensions of our own bodies. Technology has quickly established for itself a near-ubiquitous position in our daily lives. This newfound accessibility provides a brand-new medium of expression for anyone with an innovative idea and a strong desire to see it come to life.

McGill Robotics aims, first and foremost, to foster interest in and enthusiasm for the field — “to inspire students to build robots, and to build robots to inspire students.” This year, these efforts to propagate interest in robotics across broader audiences have taken the shape of our own hackathon: RoboHacks. A total of 150 students will join us in our first year, and our pool of participants comprises an incredibly diverse range of skill levels and backgrounds. Undergraduate students who have never written Arduino code in their lives may find themselves working at a table right beside PhD candidates who quite possibly know how to build an Arduino themselves.

RoboHacks is not a conventional hackathon; instead of being purely software-oriented, it is mainly focused, unsurprisingly, on robotics. It is distinguished by the integral role of hardware in the process of designing and creating a robot – and in turn by its dissolving of the seemingly impermeable interface between software and hardware. Through this incorporation of a physical medium, participants may build projects that interact with their immediate environment, making the end product as tangible and easy to conceptualise as possible. This foundational accessibility may enable even those who think of themselves as total novices to create projects that they can fundamentally understand and relate to.

Try thinking about the word “hackathon” again. Now, you may be seeing a room full of young, enthusiastic inventors simultaneously building their knowledge, and applying it (still, of course, fuelled by energy drinks). They are not necessarily well-versed in the details of how computers operate. They might not even know how to use a soldering iron. However, excitement is contagious — and, as they see the dedication and determination of their peers, they are further motivated to learn, dream, and create themselves.

-ROBOHACKS TEAM