The hackathon, organized by Microsoft and Ingenio, presented students from different institutions with various challenges proposed by companies. Competitors had approximately two days to solve one of these problems and make a final pitch. The winning team was chosen for each challenge, and the overall winner was selected among these.

Kinzbio, a biotech startup, proposed a specific challenge: to develop bacteriophage-based technologies to eliminate pathogenic bacteria in various contexts, thus preventing the transmission of infections and mitigating the problem of antibiotic resistance. The goal was to design an automated robot to sample hospital surfaces, identify specific points, and take samples with sterile swabs. The robot had to move autonomously, avoid obstacles, store the samples, and deliver them for analysis.

The team designed an MVP (minimum viable product) of the robot, presenting a comprehensive solution of how they would solve the problem along with a 3D model showing the final implementation. This robot could move within different hospital rooms, create maps of areas, avoid obstacles, identify predetermined points such as bed rails and door latches, use a sterile swab dispenser, and deliver samples to a receiving point for analysis. In less than 48 hours, the students managed to create it.

More than 700,000 people die every year due to diseases contracted in hospitals. In the hackathon, the students saw an opportunity to present a solution to a significant problem.