Scores of techies and self-declared geeks gathered to share ideas and practice hacking at the Providence Hackathon in the Jewelry District this past weekend. The event, called Digital Meets Physical: A Hardware Hackathon, highlighted the growing presence of the technology industry in Providence.
The hackathon, hosted by Betaspring — a startup accelerator and a recent arrival in the Jewelry District — did not feature hacking in the colloquial sense of the word. The hackers who attended took a regular object and modified it, thereby changing its function. Matt Gillooly '04, for example, hacked the children's game Hungry Hungry Hippos — which featyres four hippos facing each other in an arena filled with plastic balls, each trying to swallow as many as possible — by attaching the controls of one hippo to his computer. "I want to be able to hit my spacebar to make a hippo bite," Gillooly explained. The game, called Hungrypotamus, won the event's grand prize.
The event featured a number of hackers from outside of Providence, including representatives from New York, Connecticut and Massachusetts. Joe Flaherty, who drove down from New Hampshire to attend the event, caused a particular sensation with a previously purchased 3-D printer he brought. The printer uses a spool of plastic rope as ink and can print anything Flaherty designs on his computer. "You could always print photographs," Flaherty said. "Now you can print the frame."
Flaherty is currently printing a heart for his wife for Valentine's Day. "She let me buy a $1,000 3-D printer so I thought I should give her something back," he said. The price, though it might seem steep, is vastly cheaper than the $50,000 he would have spent on a similar printer a few years ago, Flaherty said. He stressed that though he uses his machine for fun, a reduced-price 3-D printer also allows small businesses to create cheaper prototypes, which aids faster innovation.
Hackathons have recently become more common throughout the technology community. This one was unique for its combination of the digital and physical realms. Often hackathons consist of writing computer code and creating programs, but at this weekend's event every project had a physical component.
Betaspring wants to promote physical technology, said Melissa Withers, director of marketing for Betaspring. Considering the major success of technology like the iPod, the general lack of investment in the field of innovative technology is surprising, she added.
Betaspring promotes high-tech industries in Providence. They accept companies in their nascent stages that only have a basic product or idea and give them funding and support. The company has recently expanded, prompting its move to a new location in the Jewelry District. From their new 9,000-square-foot office, they will welcome 17 different start-ups to Providence from around the country Feb. 6, and once again in the fall. These young companies will spend 12 weeks in Providence improving their product with Betaspring and seeking investors. After the program ends, Betaspring encourages the companies to remain in Providence.
Several local organizations partnered with Betaspring for the event. Chris Walker attended the event to promote Netduino, an open-source electronics platform that translates a computer's coded instructions into physical action. Hackers also worked with KippKitts, another open-source platform, which allows users to write code that can heat, measure and move objects remotely.
GreenGoose — an alum of Betaspring's development program — also helped sponsor the event. GreenGoose produces a sensor that allows a user to see online if an object has moved. The sensor could help people remember if they have taken their pills or monitor the amount of exercise household pets are doing, Withers said.
AS220 Labs — a subset of a non-profit organization that works to bolster the presence of the arts in Providence — also opened its labs as additional "hackerspaces" during the event.
Providence endorsed Betaspring, singling out the investment company as one that will significantly revitalize the city. "This is tomorrow's economy, and we want to encourage these businesses and jobs right here, in Providence," said James S. Bennett, director of economic development for the city of Providence, in a press release.
