NEW: Betaspring To Hold Hardware Hackathon This Weekend
Friday, January 27, 2012
Betaspring continues to breathe fresh air into the local entrepreneurial scene this weekend, when it hosts Digital Meets Physical: A Hardware Hackathon, at its new offices at 95 Chestnut Street in Providence.
The event, which has already sold out to thinkers and doers across the Northeast, will feature "24 hours of tool and technology maker madness," according to the company, placing registrants "elbow to electrode." The common factor? "An urge to build and create."
First event of its kind in Providence
This is the first event of its kind in Providence, and it will bring together makers, hackers, DIY industrialists, designers and basement builders alike to demonstrate their skills turning raw materials and blind ambition into something special. After a day of intensive building, builders will demo their work to win prizes and the title of "Hardware Hackathon Champion."
It's a lighthearted pitch, but it enforces the incubator's serious dedication to growing business in Rhode Island. "From start-ups and family shops to global companies that serve international markets, Rhode Island has a proud history as a place where makers and builders drive economic growth," says Betaspring's Melissa Withers. "Betaspring believes that physical technologies will drive the next wave of economic recovery. In addition to running a dedicated track to accelerate and launch physical technology companies, Betaspring is committed to showcasing Rhode Island's position as a great place to grow physical technology-based ventures."
Partnerships
Betaspring is partnering with several forward-thinking companies in this weekend's Hackathon: Netduino, KippKitts and GreenGoose on the technology side, and AS220 Labs, which is making its fabrication tools available to participants.
Netduino is an open source electronics platform uses the .NET Micro Framework and features a 32-bit micro controller and a rich development environment that's fully open to users.
KippKitts, created by local entrepreneur Kipp Bradford, enable devices to heat, cool, measure, move, and control things around you. KippKitts products currently include low-voltage, high-efficiency vapor cycle heat pumps, remote controlled battery powered solenoids, high-power PID servo actuators, and Netduino compatible shields for motor control, temperature management, lighting control, wireless interfaces, among other cool things.
GreenGoose sensors are wireless stickers that measure action and activity. Stick them on anything and they automatically report and record what's happening. GreenGoose founder and Betaspring alum Brian Krejcarek will be providing sensor kits for the Hackathon.
For a glimpse at a hardware hackathon, check out the following sites: instructables.com, hackaday.com, netduino.com/projects and arduino.cc/playground.
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