Life-saving tech a key theme at AngelHack Cyprus hackathon 2019

DocDoc app that empowers patients scoops HACKcelerator and Amazon prize while AETOS fire detection early warning system wins IBM prize at hackathon powered by ImpacTech

Disaster prevention and timely medical intervention were powerful motivators driving entrepreneurs at AngelHack Cyprus 2019 hosted by ImpacTech.

Recent graduate Markos Karasamanis moves on to the AngelHack HACKcelerator competition and also won the Amazon prize for his DocDoc app. Markos has the chance to attend a mentorship program to fast-track his idea with other hackathon winners.

His app empowers patients with medical information about their condition and the treatment they are receiving. A recent medical complication following treatment involving his grandfather was Markos’ inspiration. Insufficient information about the condition meant he had to rush his grandfather to the hospital.

DocDoc uses IBM Watson chatbot for the user interface and AWS natural language processing to collect information about the treatment. After inputting the info a patient receives advice about potential complications. Markos feels DocDoc will be particularly useful for chronic illness sufferers. Many lack a complete understanding of their condition to understand the effects of the treatment or knowledge about potential alternatives.

The IBM prize-winning AETOS team opened their presentation referencing the 93 lives lost in forest fires in Greece last year. Their fire detection early warning system is a network of autonomous, real-time temperature monitors posted over a wide area that send an alert when a sensor detects fire is a high possibility.

AETOS can cover wide open areas that are notoriously difficult to monitor and enables emergency services to respond quickly. The timeliness in response by the emergency services is the key factor in damage limitation when a fire breaks out. Parks, zoos and farms, which are also vulnerable during long dry summers and difficult to monitor can benefit from AETOS.

ANGELHACK’S OBJECTIVE IS FOR SOLUTIONS TO PRODUCE POSITIVE EFFECT ON COMMUNITIES

One of the objectives of every AngelHack event is to produce solutions that have a positive effect on local communities. ImpacTech is proud to put on an event that focuses on innovation and its benefits to communities. It’s the reason why ImpacTech became main hosts for this year’s event following our role as joint hosts last year.

One of the key principals at Impactech is to further innovation and to give talented innovators the opportunity to excel.

There was an abundance of talent at this year’s AngelHack Cyprus. Chain of Charity is another example of how innovation helps a community and was runner-up for the main HACKcelerator prize. It continued the life-saving theme at AngelHack Cyprus with its blockchain based platform for getting aid to disaster affected areas.

The key objective behind Chain of Charity is to ensure charity donations get to victims more efficiently. The team behind the platform also identified the general public’s fear that donations do not always reach the people they are intended for. Their project aims to bring greater transparency and security to charity and aid work.

This year’s hackathon drew a highly motivated field with most entrants making full use of the excellent facilities at University of Cyprus over the June weekend. Everyone who entered the competition earned $100 in AWS credits as well as invaluable experience and knowledge.

Taking advice and guidance from the ImpacTech mentors at the event, every team worked until late on Saturday until the 13:00 “code freeze” deadline on Sunday before pitching their ideas to the judges.

ANGELHACK’S JUDGES FACED A DIFFICULT CHOICE

After their pitch every team faced the judging committee’s questions to ensure fairness and originality. It also gave the teams the opportunity to demonstrate how they could monetise their idea and how revenue streams could expand in the future. Additionally, they were asked technical questions to ensure their code was ‘fresh’ and that genuine innovation would be acknowledged.

The AngelHack Hackathon series travels all over the world in its quest to encourage young talent to come together to pool their skills and produce innovative solutions.

Given the level of the competition at this event it’s not too early to prepare for the next AngelHack Cyprus hackathon. Follow ImpacTech on social media to stay up to date about future events.