PennApps Winter 2K15: Penguins and Losses
January 19, 2015 at 9:10 am
Ah, PennApps: a weekend-long hackathon reminding us that it only takes three days into a semester for Enginerds to be pulling all nighters. But instead of a good grade, it's all for something that's actually important: a chance at over $46K in prize money from sponsors like Facebook, Intel, and Comcast—an opportunity that draws pr0gr@mm3rs from all over the country to our Engineering Quad.
Of course, with a college hackathon as big as PennApps, there's gonna be Reddits, and there's gonna be forget its. So join us as we look through this season's hack harvest, after the jump.
1st Place: lifesaber
An app that allows anyone to be a first responder by guiding CPR, automatically calling 911, and alerting nearby users
+ works on Android smartwatches, which a lot of people have
- incompatibility with iOS means iPhone owners will never be able to save lives
- not sure if 'saber' was a typo or if there's actually a sword involved
2nd Place: Curiosity
An app that uses your camera to detect company logos, and then automatically displays information about that company
+ perfect for people who think Googling is a chore
- was responsible for the death of a cat at one point
- ironically forgot to design a logo for themselves
3rd Place: Fruit Ninja VR Style
A game that uses Oculus Rift to let you slash fruit in virtual reality
+ the fruit doesn't require washing beforehand
+ a penguin is throwing watermelons
- the guy in their demonstration video only got two fruit
Bright Idea: Radiant
A Bluetooth headband that uses your brain waves to change ambient mood lighting
+ basically turns your room into a mood ring
+ everyone around you knows how you're feeling at all times
- somehow manages to be less fashionable than Google Glass
Not4Every1: Tind4Me
An interface that learns your tastes and automates the online dating process
+ takes the human out of human interaction
+ a bot has conversations for you, so you have more time to be a lazy piece of shit
+ doesn't bog you down with useless information, like your date's name
Purrfect: Catify.me
An app the sends you cat pictures randomly throughout the day
+ cannot be annoying
+ the key to world peace
+ allows people with cat allergies to enjoy and appreciate cats
It's About Time: Tempofy
An app that measures the tempo of your movement, and streams a song from Spotify to match it
+ the workout companion we didn't know we wanted
- let's you know when you're dead
High Strung: UkeCopter
A program that lets you fly drones by playing a ukulele
+ can be repurposed for military use
- doesn't allow the rich and complex movement that a guitar or violin would
- whoever operates it immediately becomes too cool for school
Game Changer: Pokulus
An augmented reality Pokemon game that lets you see and interact with Pokemon through Oculus Rift
+ every kid's dream come true
- quitting school to become a Pokemon Master still not an option
On The Loose: Brand Killer
A head mounted display that uses image processing to blur brands and logos in real time—AdBlock in real life
+ challenge capitalism and shield your eyes from the sun at the same time
+ great for when you don't want to know what you're buying
- have to take it off whenever you want to watch something on Hulu
Well, that's it. Except not really.
View
all the hacks on the PennApps 2015 Submission Gallery,
or take a look at previous years' below: