The results of #AimtecHackathon 2025: Its best projects will help children with autism and doctors

20/3/2025

#AimtecHackathon 2025 has once again made it clear that programmers can lend a helping hand just like doctors and physiotherapists. That’s because the goal of year nine of this event, which has grown into a tradition, was not mere technical innovations, but rather projects that help real people deal with handicaps. This year’s event brought together 60 participants, as well as 13 technological challenges assigned by nonprofits and individuals. That’s a brief rundown on #AimtecHackathon 2025, an event with the tagline “Helping through Code” held on 14–16 March at Pilsen’s Moving Station.

#AimtecHackathon 2025: When code helps people with disabilities

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The eleven battling teams could expect challenges such as animating a teddy bear that can provide some company to seniors, or creating a VR app for people who are suffering from long-term illnesses or forced to stay nonstop in a hospital. Participants were given forty hours and tasked with delivering a solution prototype ready for real-world deployment.

The winning team gave a voice to children with autism

The team named Plajta with its Sisyphus communicator won the most hearts and votes among the jury. The communicator was created at the direct request of nuns who work with children on the autism spectrum and need a device that’s easy to use and above all inexpensive. The hackathon’s winners met all the requirements perfectly, and their card-printing application can even work alongside competing products.

Second place and the audience prize went to FAVoriti. This university team came up with a way to simplify studies for students with long-term illnesses, as well as for teachers. With help from AI, they created a simple space where lecture recordings and summaries, quizzes and the materials for covered subjects are all in one place.

The “bronze” went to a team named Undefined, with a smart voice recorder for doctors. It simultaneously converts audio recordings into both text and the format of medical reports, which it stores under the specific patient’s profile.

The winning projects didn’t end at the Hackathon. Not at all!

Most of the competitors hope to be able to bring their projects across the finish line in direct cooperation with the project submitters so that they can be deployed in practice. The organisers are no idlers here, and in many cases they go on to directly participate in the projects, mentor them or jump in and resolve any problems the project submitters may encounter.

“This time was the first time when our tagline, ‘Helping through Code’, grew beyond the event itself. When thinking up challenges for our hacking marathon, we found one problem we were able to resolve even before the Hackathon. With the use of a filament from the event partner PrusaResearch, we at Aimtec were able to provide tools for the Elementary School and Preschool for the Visually Impaired and Speech Impediments in Pilsen,” notes Jiří Dobrý, one of the event’s main organisers. Another project submitter likewise received a helping hand even outside of the projects being addressed. “One surprise of the opening night was the gift of a pair of VR glasses from one of our partners, INFINITE Production. We donated them on the spot to the Na Dvorku Therapy Centre, which will be using them for client rehabilitation,” said Petra Šteklová, the organiser for #AimtecHackathon.

Among the traditional participants of this hacking tourney are students at technical schools, who often run into their professors here in the role of mentors.

“#AimtecHackathon is an opportunity for both us as teachers and our students. The competing teams can make practical use of what they’ve already learned at university – for example how to lead a project, or how to effectively program an AI. They can try out technologies we normally don’t have room for in lessons. I personally highly appreciate this chance for active cooperation with students in an additional, far less formal environment,” explains Přemek Brada from the University of West Bohemia’s Faculty of Applied Sciences, who has himself become a mentor.

Visitors appreciated the tech presentations and children’s programme

The Saturday TechTalks mini-conference attracted a number of tech fans who wanted to learn more about today’s cybersecurity threats. Topics such as hacking attacks on the City of Pilsen, the use of artificial intelligence in cyberwars and defence against prompt injection awaited them. Jakub Bělka from SITMP, City of Pilsen’s IT services company, jiří Gogela from Trend Micro, David Žahour from among the international CTF competitors, Marek Šottl from HackiHub and Daniel Čech from Revolgy Business Solutions all passed on their experience. These publicly accessible presentations offered not only a look into current security risks, but also practical defence tips for individuals and firms.

On Sunday, the Moving Station was taken over by the YoungHackers children’s programme, which worked with educational and hobby organisations to present tech gadgets and our region’s educational opportunities.

About #AimtecHackathon

#AimtecHackathon is organised by Aimtec. Through this event, the firm supports technical education and IT awareness among the general public and, with its Helping through Code concept, shows how programmers can make life easier for people with handicaps. 2025 marks the ninth year of the event, which includes – besides the HackIT programming marathon – the TechTalks tech-presentation series and the YoungHackers children’s programme. For more information on this project, visit https://www.aimtechackathon.cz.