September just might go down in DLabs.AI folklore. We held the Hackuna Matathon 2021. an internal hackathon tied to our team building meeting.
So if you want to learn.
- What we did
- Where did we go?
- What we’ve been working on
- Who won?
You will find the answers right here.
This is a lighter read, we hope you enjoy it 🙂
The hackathon
Most of the DLabs.AI team works remotely. While that’s great in many ways, the setting limits how much interaction we have with each other. In fact, the only way to see colleagues is often on the screen.
Fortunately, some generous souls decided it was time to meet up and we spent a few sunny September days together. We used the time to launch an integration with an internal hackathon event, which meant combining business with pleasure.
Meet Krzysztof. our JavaScript technology lead and the mastermind behind Hakuna Matathon
“I really wanted to see and meet as many DLabs.AI members as possible. we have not had such an opportunity for a long time. Besides, I’ve participated in hackathons before, and I know how much valuable things could be produced during those events.”
Krzysztof, organizer
The first two days were all about the now infamous event; Hakuna mataton. We split into four teams, each working on their own project.
Team 1: It’s not rocket science – WBT Calculator
Team members: Emilia Brzozowska, Marta Sudol, Cornelia Kobiela, Mateusz Kachorek
The first project was a barcode scanner for the WBT Calculator. The app can scan any product, find it in a global database, and use the related information to calculate WBT and WW factors, so a person with diabetes doesn’t have to do it manually.
The next steps the team wants to take to improve the app are:
- Integrate functionality to add products that are not in the global database
- Add a user panel with more features (like adjusting product grammar)
- 10g/12g switch for WW calculation
Team 2: Suguard Marines – SuguardScout Chatbot
Team members: Mark Silva, Zuzanna Sieja, Mate Kalman Nagy
The main goal of the project was to create a chat-bot dedicated to parents of children with diabetes. It aims to provide reliable and simple answers to questions or phrases related to diabetes.
The application was compiled using the following tools:
- Google Cloud Dialogflow (chatbot engine)
- Python + FastAPI – A REST API backend that connects the client application to the chat engine
- Typescript + Redux + React + React Native – thanks to its modular architecture, it was possible to create a web and mobile interface at a low cost
Team 3: Locksmiths – AI platform
Team members: Tomasz Izycki, Jaroslaw Piotrowski, Marcin Baczynski, Antoine Naud, Tomasz Mackowiak
The next project involved deploying a time series forecasting model to GCP using TFX. In order to improve the model lifecycle and fully automate training tasks and future deployments, the team decided to build an ML pipeline based on Tensorflow Extended (TFX).
By combining TFX with Tensorflow, Kubeflow and Google Vertex AI, the team was able to create a fully automated pipeline that enabled:
- Automated processing
-
- Loading data
- Data transformation
- Model training
- Model deployment
- Served model as a REST API
- Serverless pipeline
- Common design for local or cloud training
The model also provided several important advantages.
- Reduced development time
- Fully automated learning and training process (number of models can be easily scaled)
- Resource optimization (serverless computing)
- Automated deployments
Team 4: Food AI – WBT Calculator
Team members: Filip Skurniak, Wojciech Sojka, Barbara Cieszynska, Marcin Konecka
The main goal of the project was to build another new feature for the WBT calculator app. The feature allows users to scan packaged products, such as juice or chocolate, and then see information on calorie, protein, fat and carbohydrate content.
Processing works like this.
- An ML model for nutrient table discovery
- OCR:
- The module extracts nutrient values from raw text
- A module wraps everything in an API with a “broken” front end
“The hackathon was a great opportunity for us to get to know each other better, spend time learning new things and improving our own products. We really liked the professional approach of this competition. basic rules were established, juries were chosen. Everyone was fully focused on the goals, received valuable feedback and found time to grow together as a team. The work-life (and education) balance was spot on.”
Tomas, The Plumbers
While working on the projects, the team still had time to chat and get to know each other, as well as taking time to welcome two new employees, Basia and Marcin.
“I liked the family atmosphere and the fact that there was a ‘zero waste policy’ (it works pretty well in practice). Everyone was happily talking about their projects and it was obvious that they enjoyed working here. Also, the fact that the company was born from the concept of helping people with diabetes is fascinating to me.”
Basia, Food AI
Time for informal team building
Saturday was our time to relax. After listening to the results in the morning (while enjoying a nice breakfast), we visited a nearby town. We arrived, settled into our cottages and then headed straight to the sea to soak up the sun and enjoy some screen time.
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The evening then turned, giving us a moment to warm up once again, this time next to a roaring fire, before the main event began…
Hackuna Matathon 1st Awards Ceremony
In 3rd place…
Ex aequo Suguard Marines and Food AI
In 2nd place…
Locksmiths and their AI platform
The winners!
It’s not rocket science. Inventors of the WBT Calculator
“And what about the prizes?”you ask.
Well, the organizers sure made sure we enjoyed the sweet smell of success. But in addition to the sweet treats to smother us with, they also gave free access to hundreds of online courses and streaming platforms, helping the team further hone their skills.
In addition, we have been given time to develop our projects in the future, hopefully one day they will turn into a singing, dancing product.
“The hackathon was a great opportunity to meet people in person for the first time and learn a lot, all while solving a business case for people with diabetes. I’m very proud of the team’s progress as it was their first day on the job for most of them. During the hackathon, setting up of accounts and environments took place live.”
Filip, Food AI
“The hackathon was two days where everyone could find something for themselves, both backend and frontend, DS and non-technical people. Very interesting topics. it’s a good time to integrate with people and tools you don’t work with every day. I liked that the organizers took into account people’s preferences (whether someone is not eating due to illness or by choice). I was very motivated to do new exciting things. Probably the best memory is that the whole event made us do good things and increased our motivation to do them. I wish there were more such things.”
Martha, it’s not rocket science
Once the awards ceremony was over, we took more time to chat. And before we knew it, Sunday was here. It’s time to say goodbye and go home, and despite the sleepiness, we were all happy to have spent these four days together.
“The renovation of the office itself left a great impression on me. everything looked great. I can assume that the hackathon itself was good. Very interesting projects, most of which we will develop further. The teams themselves were well organized and motivated to work. The integration and the trip were a great opportunity to spend time together in a friendly atmosphere and forget the employee-employer relationship. All in all, I was sad to leave on Sunday.”
Shammi, president of the jury
Summarize…
The event provided the perfect opportunity to build a stronger team bond while having fun. I think it’s safe to say that everyone had a great time and we all feel a lot more connected.
“The hackathon went off without a hitch (somewhat to my surprise). Everything worked like clockwork, most of the company was there, we managed to meet people in teams. As a result, we have many new projects to work on. Together with the rest of the organizers, we even managed to overcome some unexpected obstacles. I can only say. we know what to expect next year.”
Krzysztof, organizer
Now — on behalf of the DLabs.AI team, I want to thank our irreplaceable organizers Eva, Gosia, Kasia and Krzysztof.
What kind of event did you organize…
You absolutely rock!
If you liked what you read, why not join us at our next hackathon? We have lots of career opportunities so take a look and apply for any that pique your interest.