SafetyHACK 2023SSafet
The construction industry has been an instrumental driver of economic growth and enabler of social development, with the annual construction expenditure in Hong Kong expected to increase to over HK$300 billion in the coming years.
A core aspect of the challenge ahead is focused on the significant volume of predicted construction activity. While a healthy and growing pipeline is encouraging, the industry is faced with some deep-rooted issues: construction accidents and near-miss incidents at varying degrees of severity occur almost daily; fatal construction accidents claimed approximately 20 lives each year over the past decades. The need to improve construction safety performance is of utmost importance. An increasingly ageing construction workforce, a lag in adoption of advanced technologies, as well as being labelled one of the most expensive construction markets in the world contribute to questions surrounding the capabilities and resources available to deliver against this pipeline.
Supported by our Innovation Partner, The Construction Industry Council, SafetyHACK 2023 invites the community to explore ways to build a “Zero Accident” construction site, through innovative new ideas and adoption of new technologies.
The four pillars to construction safety are
(1) Remove the safety risk occurrence,
(2) Reduce the accident severeness,
(3) Safety Monitoring and Detection, and
(4) Enhance safety awareness through management and training.
Common examples of effective safety measures include:
(1) Deploying drones and remote control technologies to remove the risk of working at great heights;
(2) Using exoskeletons, robots and automatic machinery to carry out construction work at high risk locations; and
(3) Utilising remote sensors, AI cameras, AR/VR technologies to enhance safety monitoring and training.
(4) Smart textiles and textile-based advanced materials to improve protection for construction staff
June 2 – 3, 2023
Powered by MIT Hong Kong Innovation Node and HKPC, this 2-day hackathon welcomes university students and professionals with diverse backgrounds across all disciplines. This will be an in-person program for all participants.
Join us to gain:
- Cash prizes
- Exclusive Mentorship & Industry Network
- A platform to showcase innovative ideas
Congratulations to our winners of SafetyHACK 2023!
- Ideation Stage: Halo
- Early Stage: Skybotics
- Innovation Award: Epoxland
Testimonials
“My team very much appreciate the opportunity and we learned a lot from the mentor session, pitch training, and interactions with other teams. Actually, I still keep the connection and continue discussions with some of them after the event. This was the first hackathon for some of my teammates, they quite enjoyed the brainstorming and fast pace hacking process. It was also a fun team building activity for us. Very fruitful experience. Thank you!” – Yixing Yuan
“I wanted to express my sincere gratitude for organizing such a remarkable hackathon. The experience was immensely valuable as it allowed us to delve into unfamiliar territory and conduct extensive research. Moreover, we had the opportunity to connect with numerous individuals, engaging in enriching conversations and exchanging innovative ideas.” – Nuraaly Toktonazar Uulu
“ I have gained a lot of valuable opinions from industrial experts. This event provides us with opportunities to seek advice and consultations from the construction industry experts , entrepreneurs, professionals, and experienced researchers. We can learn more about the industry’s practices and current pain points, which help us to refine our strategies and modifies our solutions.
SafetyHACK has a strict time limit, which requires us to address the unsolved problem, brainstorm our solution, and carry detailed business analysis within 2 days. It requires us to work efficiently and manage our time effectively.
In this hackathon, we have connected with different industry experts and potential clients, which could be helpful to promote our technologies to the industries. We would also appreciate the industry recognition we gained during the hackathon, which drive us forward to develop a product that can really serve the industry and society.” – Dickson Li
“My father works in the construction industry and I am concerned about his safety at workplace, so I have been eager to help enhance safety awareness and reduce the frequency of fatal and non-fatal accidents in this industry. In this Hackathon I met my other passionate team members who have different skillsets. I could see how our goals and visions align and how their expertise helped enhance the feasibility of our solution. Since the competition, we have continued developing the idea and exploring ways to contribute to the construction industry.” – Phoenix Liu
About Construction Industry Council (CIC)
The main functions of CIC are to forge consensus on long-term strategic issues, convey the industry’s needs and aspirations to Government, as well as provide a communication channel for Government to solicit advice on all construction-related matters.
FAQ
Who is it for?
- We welcome university students, engineers, scientists, designers, developers, and business…you name it!
How do I register?
- Interested individuals or teams are required to register online by May 29 (Mon), 12 PM (extended). Click here for the registration link.
What’s the team size?
- The ideal team size is 4-5 people. Teams are recommended to have individuals from different disciplines to maximize the knowledge and skill sets.
How will we form teams?
- We will be hosting an in-person evening team formation mixer on June 1, 6:30 – 8:00 PM at the Node for individuals who need to form teams or for teams who need to recruit more members.
What do we provide?
- In addition to mentorship, we will also host guest talks and workshops on design thinking and pitching. Ultimately, a great opportunity to learn from each other!
What are the deliverables?
- We expect teams to do a 5-minute pitch that can demonstrate a great problem-solution fit in front of a judging panel of professionals on the last day.
What are the prizes?
- Winning teams will receive cash prizes and access to mentorship and industry network! Total cash prizes of HKD 50,000 will be given to the top 3 winners!
Any other questions?
- Email hkinnovationnode@mit.edu for more information.