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Hack-A-Day's "Trip to space or $196,418" prize contest! — Parallax Forums

Hack-A-Day's "Trip to space or $196,418" prize contest!

vanmunchvanmunch Posts: 568
edited 2014-05-08 17:25 in General Discussion
Ok, so this seams a little bit big for Hack-A-Day to put on, but maybe I just never realized how big they were?


From the Contest:
We’ve been promised a future that is rich with intuitive and useful technology. The fastest route to this vision is to get as many Hackers, Designers, and Engineers working on it as possible. This is the core goal of The Hackaday Prize: start hacking. It’s the space race reimagined; non-adversarial and inclusive.

Openness is a Virtue.

The Hackaday community stands for the free and open exchange of ideas and information. By embracing open design you can make sure that we don’t keep re-inventing the wheel. It allows others to leap past the common speed bumps, and lets those just honing their design skills learn from your successes. As you design your hardware, document the process. You won’t be disqualified for keeping the secret sauce a secret, but you will be judged based on your efforts to share and make your work accessible for all. In other words: we want to reward Open Hardware and Open Source Software.

Lots of prizes...
2014 Grand Prize is a trip into space on a carrier of your choice. You also have a cash option of $196,418. Yeah, we're clever with numbers.
Now if you're considered a minor (defined in the official contest rules) we can only offer you the cash.
But hey, that's still pretty amazing for someone who has not yet reached adulthood!

Are you going to enter?

Link:
http://hackaday.io/prize/mission

Comments

  • vanmunchvanmunch Posts: 568
    edited 2014-05-05 06:55
    ...crickets chirping...


    I kind of thought a contest like this might be kind of exciting, am I missing something or is everyone just happy that winter is finally over? :)
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,256
    edited 2014-05-05 13:24
    Interesting. Purposely vague entry rules. They didn't exclude existing items, so we all could submit anything we've already built: robots et al. Kinda neat, perhaps a bit intimidating/overwhelming with the potential scope of it all. Of course, the winner could be a very basic, down to earth (sic) app, like the guy who won the Microsoft Eddie Kinect contest with a smart mobile camera tripod: http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/24/microsoft-announces-robotics-home-contest-winner-a-smarttripod/

    I must admit, I didn't see that one coming as the big idea. It was a great solution and execution, although one could argue that it might be simpler/faster to ask a friend to shoot the video. :)

    BTW, I lost track. Who won the Parallax MicroMedic contest?
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,256
    edited 2014-05-05 14:56
    erco wrote: »
    Who won the Parallax MicroMedic contest?

    Silly me! http://learn.parallax.com/contest/micromedic

    Congrats, vanmunch! Contests are your thing. Go for it!
  • ValeTValeT Posts: 308
    edited 2014-05-05 15:59
    Yeah, the winners for the micromedic contest had really cool projects. How big is Hack-A-Day? They have to be really big to be able to give away such prizes! Does anyone know what their definition for going into space is? Is it going really high up in a hot air balloon?
  • localrogerlocalroger Posts: 3,451
    edited 2014-05-05 18:11
    ValeT I'm sure the trip to space is benchmarked as a seat on SpaceShipTwo when it goes commercial. That's actual space over 100 KM and actual zero-G, but only for a few minutes. Getting to orbit costs a bit more than $200K and is likely to for a long time, SpaceX notwithstanding.
  • vanmunchvanmunch Posts: 568
    edited 2014-05-05 18:26
    In the fine print it states that they will let you choose who you want to fly with and that they are willing to actually pay $250,000 for your ticket. I think the only hard and fast rule is that it has to be connected to the internet in a meaningful way. That seams like a bit of a silly restriction since it would preclude actual spaceships....

    Thank Erco!
  • ValeTValeT Posts: 308
    edited 2014-05-06 03:25
    That clears thing up; thanks for answering my question.
  • vanmunchvanmunch Posts: 568
    edited 2014-05-07 16:47
    PS Welcome ValeT! :-)
  • ValeTValeT Posts: 308
    edited 2014-05-08 03:22
    Thanks for the welcome! I look forward to learning more and sharing any knowledge I have with other people here on the forums.
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,256
    edited 2014-05-08 17:25
    IIRC from the Hackaday beer fest in LA last January, Hackaday was recently purchased by some big company (I fergit who) with lots of $$$. Something seemingly disconnected, like a office supply or pharmaceutical company.

    Perhaps more $$$ than sense, but they sure know how to throw a party!

    http://forums.parallax.com/showthread.php/153248-Hackaday-Party-in-Los-Angeles-(JAN-21-2014)
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