Hacking the National Museum of Computing with Intelligent Industries and Particle.io
On June 1st, 2024, The National Museum of Computing (TNMOC) at Bletchley Park hosted an exhilarating 12-hour hackathon aimed at inspiring the next generation of software and hardware engineers, fostering teamwork, education, and creativity.
Organized by TNMOC in collaboration with Essex based Intelligent Industries and San Francisco-headquartered Particle.io, the event welcomed over 50 participants. These innovators gathered to build their dream projects, learn from mentors, and compete for top honours in the first of two collaborative events with Intelligent Industries and Particle.io scheduled for the week.
Participants competed in unique categories, including:
- Museum Magic: Best project tailored to the Museum
- Creative Use of Technology: Most original/creative project
- Accessibility: Best accessibility-focused project
This dynamic hackathon, focused on creative applications of Particle’s IoT development boards, was free to join and open to all skill levels, from beginners to seasoned developers. Attendees had the chance to engage with expert mentors from Intelligent Industries and Particle.io, collaborate with peers, and present their innovations to a panel of judges.
Amidst historical artifacts like the Enigma code breaker, Colossus, Bombe, and Witch, participants drew inspiration from the museum’s rich history.
Reflecting on the event Colleen Lavin, Developer Relations Team Lead at Particle, said, “I was overjoyed by the enthusiastic turnout and impressive projects built for ‘Hack the Museum’. For many of the developers it was their first hackathon and they blew me away with their creativity and passion. What they were able to accomplish in just 12 hours is nothing short of remarkable. Particle is proud to have partnered with The National Museum of Computing on this hackathon.”
James Brand, Director at Intelligent Industries, echoed this sentiment, stating, “It was fantastic to inspire the next generation of software and hardware developers. We were also pleased to see such a diverse group of attendees. Intelligent Industries is proud to have supported this event and looks forward to future collaborations with The National Museum of Computing.”
A special thank you to Frank Fu from the Oxford Robotics Institute for stepping in as a guest judge. His expertise and insights added significant value to the judging process and were greatly appreciated!
On June 5th, 2024, Intelligent Industries and Particle.io returned to Bletchley Park to run the “Save the Museum” workshop for World Environment Day. The museum hosted five different workshops throughout the day, welcoming 64 students.
The “Save the Museum” workshop tasked students with building Particle.io environmental sensor kits to be deployed around the museum, housed in a World War II prefab building, to monitor air quality. For many students, this was their first experience programming and constructing a device. The museum faces significant challenges in maintaining conditions suitable for its historical artifacts due to the buildings construction methods. Using Elastacloud’s Intelligent Spaces software, the museum can now visualize their buildings in a virtual 3D representation, overlaying sensor data and configuring alerts for when conditions deviate from acceptable parameters.
Intelligent Industries and Particle.io are committed to supporting and inspiring future generations through innovative educational events and continuing their collaboration with The National Museum of Computing.
Amidst historical artifacts like the Enigma code breaker, Colossus, Bombe, and Witch, participants drew inspiration from the museum’s rich history.
Reflecting on the event Colleen Lavin, Developer Relations Team Lead at Particle, said, “I was overjoyed by the enthusiastic turnout and impressive projects built for ‘Hack the Museum’. For many of the developers it was their first hackathon and they blew me away with their creativity and passion. What they were able to accomplish in just 12 hours is nothing short of remarkable. Particle is proud to have partnered with The National Museum of Computing on this hackathon.”
James Brand, Director at Intelligent Industries, echoed this sentiment, stating, “It was fantastic to inspire the next generation of software and hardware developers. We were also pleased to see such a diverse group of attendees. Intelligent Industries is proud to have supported this event and looks forward to future collaborations with The National Museum of Computing.”A special thank you to Frank Fu from the Oxford Robotics Institute for stepping in as a guest judge. His expertise and insights added significant value to the judging process and were greatly appreciated!
On June 5th, 2024, Intelligent Industries and Particle.io returned to Bletchley Park to run the “Save the Museum” workshop for World Environment Day. The museum hosted five different workshops throughout the day, welcoming 64 students.
The “Save the Museum” workshop tasked students with building Particle.io environmental sensor kits to be deployed around the museum, housed in a World War II prefab building, to monitor air quality. For many students, this was their first experience programming and constructing a device. The museum faces significant challenges in maintaining conditions suitable for its historical artifacts due to the buildings construction methods. Using Elastacloud’s Intelligent Spaces software, the museum can now visualize their buildings in a virtual 3D representation, overlaying sensor data and configuring alerts for when conditions deviate from acceptable parameters.
Intelligent Industries and Particle.io are committed to supporting and inspiring future generations through innovative educational events and continuing their collaboration with The National Museum of Computing.