HOW THE HACKATHON TRANSFORMED SAHILS CAREER
Sahil Raut walked into the SICK Solution Hackathon with a solid foundation in engineering, but he walked out with something far more valuable: a newfound confidence and a transformative experience that would shape his professional journey.
“Walking out of the SICK Solution Hackathon, I felt a newfound confidence as an engineer,” Sahil recalls. “The experience pushed me out of my comfort zone and allowed me to apply my knowledge alongside some truly amazing talents.” This boost in confidence has been instrumental in his professional growth, enabling him to take on more challenging projects and responsibilities.
The hackathon’s impact extended beyond the event itself. Sahils team, Robopilinguis, tackled the challenge of revolutionizing trash sorting. In just 48 hours, they developed a fully automated trash-sorting unit using an impressive array of technology, including the SICK Visionary-S 3D vision camera, SIM 4x00 Sensor Integration Machine, YOLO v8-based classification network, Azure Custom Image Classifier from the hackathon partner NTTDATA and the ABB GoFa CBR 15000 Cobot. “Our solution aims to ease the burden on individuals by empowering waste management companies with efficient sorting capabilities,” Sahil explains.
The hackathon also opened doors to valuable opportunities at a later stage. “It led to a valuable sponsorship opportunity, where I secured a SICK TiM 2D LiDAR sensor for myself and SICK picoScan100 2D LiDAR sensor for my Formula Student team at UWE Bristol,” Sahil says. These resources have been crucial in advancing their projects and expanding their capabilities in sensor technology and autonomous systems.
Perhaps most importantly, the hackathon experience deepened Sahil’s understanding of what it means to be a good engineer and entrepreneur. “It taught me the value of collaboration, innovative thinking, and pushing boundaries,” he reflects. “I now feel more confident in presenting myself as an engineer and approaching complex problems with creativity and determination.”