Eligibility

You are eligible to enter if you meet the following requirements at the time of entry:

• You are at least 18 years of age.
• Your English proficiency is sufficient to understand basic instructions and information.
• You are not a resident of Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan, Syria, Ukraine, or Russia (due to US export regulations).

Submission requirements

To be eligible for judging, you must meet ALL the following requirements unless otherwise stated:

General Requirements.

• You must be registered as a participant in this contest.
• Your entry must be your own original work.
• Your entry cannot have been used in any other Hackster.io contest. You cannot re-submit an entry you used in the previous Build2Gether contest.
• Your entry is individual (i.e., no team entry).

Survey Requirements

For your submissions to be eligible to receive prizes, regardless whether or not you wish to receive the SUPERBOX, you must fill in our first survey:

• Your answers in the survey must be written in English—answers overusing ChatGPT or similar in the writing will be rejected.
• Your survey must be submitted by May 1, 2024 at 10:00 AM PT.
• At the end of the contest, upon submitting your solution, you will have to fill out a second survey—which will be much shorter, but also mandatory to be eligible to receive prizes.

Hardware/Software Build Requirements

• If you won the hardware superbox, you must use hardware from at least 3 different sponsors in your submissions. If you submit only 1 solution, then you should use at least 3 different sponsors in that solution. If you submit 2 solutions, then you should use at least 3 different sponsors across the submissions (e.g., 1 sponsor for 1st solution, and 2 sponsors for 2nd solution would work) If you did not win the hardware superbox, you are free to use any hardware you want.

Project Documentation Requirements

• Your project should include a project name, a short project description, a bill of materials (BOM), full instructions, images and videos, and relevant resource files (schematics, code, CAD). We highly value video demonstrations of the functioning product that effectively explain its features and capabilities.
• Your project must be written in English—submission overusing ChatGPT or similar in the writing will be rejected.
• Your project must be submitted by Sep 1, 2024 at 7:00 AM PT.

Judging criteria

INTEGRATING THE FEEDBACK: PROBLEM & SOLUTION (35 points)

In the beginning of the contest, you did a first survey (i.e., the hardware application) where you explained what was the problem and solution you identified, in order to get feedback from the Contest Masters. At the end of the contest, upon submitting your solution, you will have to fill out a second survey where you will show how your final submission integrated the feedback from the Contest Masters.

⚠️ Filling out BOTH the first survey and second survey is mandatory to be eligible to receive prizes and the SUPERBOX.

Here are the questions that will be included in this second survey:

• "What was the problem you initially identified, and what were its underlying causes?" "What was your initial proposed solution to address this specific problem?" For those 2 questions, please copy-paste what you initially wrote in the first survey. Don't worry if you lost those answers as they will be sent back to you alongside the feedback from Contest Masters via Hackster's private messaging. Do not alter the original answers (simply copy-paste them) from your survey even if you decided to do something else. Changes to these answers will lead to disqualification.
• "After integrating the feedback, could you describe the problem and its underlying causes you addressed? Please highlight how the feedback helped you to update your perspective on the problem."
• "After integrating the feedback, could you describe the solution you developed? Please highlight how the feedback helped you to update your perspective on the solution."

INNOVATION OF YOUR FINAL SOLUTION (65 points)

Explore beyond your familiar knowledge! Develop solutions that are novel and useful that help individuals with disabilities. Particularly important to us, is that you show how you integrated the feedback from the Contest Masters in your solution.

TIPS for writing a good report:

• INCLUSIVE INNOVATION. Ask yourself "How is my solution integrating the feedback that I received?" "How is my solutions effectively addressing the challenges faced by individuals with disabilities? In what ways, is my solution novel and useful?"
• PROJECT DOCUMENTATION, BOM, CODE & SCHEMATICS. Ask yourself "If I were a beginner trying to understand this project, would I understand how it works, for what purpose, and how to recreate it?"
• VISUAL COMMUNICATION. We would love to see your solution in action! To better understand your project, please provide images and videos of your project. We particularly would love to see narrated video demonstration where you clearly showcase the features and benefits of your solution and highlight its unique qualities in addressing the needs of individuals with disabilities.

Note: A participant who submitted one entry in each focus area—visual impairments and mobility impairments—is eligible to receive one prize for each focus area. Additionally, participants who developed relevant solutions in each of the two focus areas will be randomly chosen to receive lucky draw prizes.

How to enter

Step 1: Register for the Contest

• Start by creating a free account on Hackster.io (or sign-in if already a member).
• Register for the contest by clicking “Register as a participant”.

Step 2: Build and Document Your Project

• MANDATORY TO BE ELIGIBLE TO RECEIVE REWARDS: fill our survey: https://mtecethz.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bIZ8mGUQ2rjBS1o
• Build your project according to the submission requirements.
• Document your project build using Hackster’s project template. To create a new project, click “create new project” on the contest page or the “+” symbol in the top right corner of your Hackster page.

Step 3: Review and submit your project

• Review your project and make sure it meets all the submission requirements.
• Upload a previously created project by clicking “add existing project” on the contest page.
• Submit your project by Sep 1, 2024 at 7:00 AM PT by clicking “review and submit project” on the contest page.

Full rules

Common terms used in these rules

These are the full rules that govern how the contest will operate. In these rules, “we,” “our”, and “us” refer to Hackster and/or the contest host. “You” and “yourself” refer to an eligible contest participant. The full rules also include all the above eligibility, requirements, and judging criteria recorded in the “rules” tab of this contest page.

Contest description

This is a skill-based contest brought to you by Hackster.io and sponsored by Arm, Nordic Semiconductor, Blues Inc., PCBWay.com, M5Stack, Seeed Studio, DFRobot, and Valbilon. Academic partners behind this contest includes Chair of Strategic Management and Innovation of ETH Zürich, ETH Competence Centre for Rehabilitation Engineering and Science (RESC), ETH for Development (ETH4D), The Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) and ETH D-ITET Center for Project-Based Learning (PBL).

The object of this contest is to create hardware solutions for individuals with different types of disabilities, across two focus areas (mobility impairments and visual impairments). For the purposes of this contest, each idea you submit will be called a “survey submission” and each project you submit in the contest will be called an “entry”. All eligible entries received will be judged using the judging criteria above to determine the final prize winners. You are allowed to submit up to two entries, one for each focus area.

What are the start and end dates?

• The contest starts on Mar 1, 2024 at 3:00 PM PT and ends on Sep 1, 2024 at 7:00 AM PT and will consist of the following periods:
• The survey submission is May 1, 2024 at 10:00 AM PT.
• You will receive your personalized feedback from the Contest Masters between May 1, 2024 at 10:00 AM PT and MAY 15, 2024.
• Contest winners will be announced on Sep 30, 2024 at 12:00 PM PT.

Note: Contest end dates are at the sole discretion of Hackster.io and/or the contest sponsor and may be subject to change.

Can I enter?

If your participation violates ANY of the following, you may be disqualified.

• Your entry cannot have been used in any other Hackster contest.
• You must have obtained any and all consents, approvals,or licenses required for you to submit your entry.
• Your entry may not include any third-party trademarks (logos, names) or copyrighted materials (music, images, video, recognizable people, code, schematics, etc...) unless you have obtained permission to use the materials.
• Your entry must comply with your employer’s gift policies.

Survey submissions and/or project entries may NOT contain ANY of the following content:

• Content that is sexually explicit.
• Content that discriminates against individuals with disabilities.
• Content that is unnecessarily violent or derogatory of any ethnic, racial, gender, religious, professional,or age group.
• Content that is profane or pornographic.
• Content that promotes illegal drugs, firearms/weapons (or the use of any of the foregoing) or a particular political agenda.
• Content that is obscene or offensive.
• Content that defames, misrepresents,or contains disparaging remarks about other people or companies.
• Content that promotes illegal drugs, firearms/weapons (or the use of any of the foregoing) or a particular political agenda.
• Content that communicates messages or images inconsistent with the positive images and/or goodwill with which we wish to associate.
• Content that violates any law.

Note: We reserve the right to reject an entry, in our sole and absolute discretion, that we determine contains any of the above content.

Important note about Copyright

Your entire entry must only include material (including hardware, source code – both open source and third party sourced, user interface, music, video or images) that you own or that you have permission from the copyright/trademark owner to use. Your and/or your team’s entry may not include copyrighted materials (such as source code, user interface, background music, images, or video) unless you own or have permission to use the materials. Ownership is not defined as purchasing a CD at a music store for replay if playing a copyrighted recording on your guitar or repurposing an application’s user interface – your entry may be disqualified if copyrighted materials, including but not limited to these examples, are a part of your entry without appropriate licensing or permissions. If you do use permissible copyrighted materials, you must include the permissions information by citing the artist/creator and license information. Note that even material released under sites such as Creative Commons, common open source code licenses, and other similar licensing may need permission or acknowledgment as per the specific license.

Can I enter this contest as a team?

No, only individual entries are accepted in this contest.

How will my entry be potentially used?

Other than what is set forth below, we are not claiming any ownership rights to your entry. However, by submitting your entry, you agree to ALL of the following statements:

• You grant us an irrevocable, royalty-free, worldwide right and license to: (i) use, review, assess, test,and otherwise analyze your entry and all its content in connection with this contest; and (ii) feature your entry and all content in connection with the marketing, sale, or promotion of this contest (including but not limited to internal and external sales meetings, conference presentations, tradeshows, and screenshots of this contest entry in press releases) in all media (now known or later developed).
• You agree to sign any necessary documentation that may be required for us and our designees to make use of the rights you granted above.
• You understand that after the submission deadline has passed, any project that has been submitted to the contest cannot be deleted or made private and will remain on the contest page after the contest has concluded.
• You understand and acknowledge that the sponsor(s) may have developed or commissioned materials similar or identical to your submission and you waive any claims you may have resulting from any similarities to your entry.
• You understand that you will not receive any compensation or credit for use of your entry, other than what is described in these full rules.

Note: Following the end of this contest your entry may be posted on a website selected by us for viewing by visitors to that website. We are not responsible for any unauthorized use of your entry by visitors to this website. While we reserve these rights, we are not obligated to use your entry for any purpose, even if it has been selected as a winning entry. If you do not want to grant us these rights to your entry, please do not enter this contest.

How is free hardware awarded?

Limit one (1) giveaway per individual. The decisions of Hackster and our sponsors are final and binding. Hackster and/or the contest host hold the right to award less hardware than displayed if there are not a sufficient number of eligible survey submissions received. To be eligible for free hardware you must meet the survey requirements above. A submission for free hardware cannot be altered or removed from the contest page after the submission deadline has passed. Hardware giveaways will be awarded on a rolling basis—submit your survey early to improve your chances of being selected as a hardware recipient.

If you are a potential hardware recipient, we will notify you by sending a message to the e-mail address provided at the time of entry within fourteen (14) days following the completion of judging. If the notification that we send is returned as undeliverable, or you are otherwise unreachable for any reason, we may award the hardware to another contest participant.

If you are confirmed as a free hardware recipient of this contest, the following rules apply:

• You may not designate someone else as the winner of the hardware. If you are unable or unwilling to accept the free hardware, we may award it to another contest participant.
• You will be solely responsible for all applicable federal, state, and local taxes related to accepting the hardware if you choose to accept the hardware.
• By accepting the free hardware, you are entering into a contract with Hackster stating that you will build, document, and submit a project to the contest by the contest deadline. If, for any reason, you cannot complete a project with the hardware you have received, you must inform us at contests@hackster.io and may be asked to return the hardware. If you do not submit a project and do not return the hardware you may be ineligible for future hardware giveaways.

Note: Once the hardware leaves our warehouse, there is very little we can do to help locate lost or delayed shipments. Hackster.ioand contest hosts cannot be held liable for any shipments that do not arrive or are delayed, and are under no obligation to replace lost shipments or missing or broken parts. If you have questions regarding your shipment, please contact us at contests@hackster.io. Unless otherwise noted, all hardware giveaways are subject to their manufacturer’s warranty and/or terms and conditions.

How are prizes awarded?

The decisions of the judges are final and binding.

If you are a potential winner, we will notify you by sending a message to the e-mail address, phone number, or mailing address (if any) provided at the time of entry within seven (7) days following the completion of judging. If the notification that we send is returned as undeliverable, or you are otherwise unreachable for any reason, we may award to a runner-up. If there is a dispute as to who is the potential winner, we will consider the potential winner to be the authorized account holder of the e-mail address used to enter the contest. You may not exchange your prize for cash or any other merchandise or services. However, if for any reason an advertised prize is unavailable, we reserve the right to substitute a prize of equal or greater value. You may not designate someone else as the winner. If you are unable or unwilling to accept your prize, we may award it to a runner-up. Unless otherwise noted, all prizes are subject to their manufacturer’s warranty and/or terms and conditions.

How will the content I share on Discord channels be handled?

As part of our commitment to participant rights, we would like to inform you that you have the option to delete your data and retract your consent at any time following a comprehensive debriefing of the experiment's details on Discord. We plan to conduct a content analysis of message threads to gain a deeper understanding of the underlying patterns and themes in knowledge sharing in online communities. To achieve this, we will employ various methods to analyze the content of these message threads. These methods will include quantitative techniques, such as frequency analysis to determine the most used words and phrases, sentiment analysis to assess the overall emotional tone of the messages, and thematic analysis to identify recurring themes and topics. If you require further information on this matter, please let us know, and we will provide you with a detailed explanation.

What other conditions am I agreeing to by entering?

By entering this contest you are agreeing to the following statements:

• You agree to abide by these full rules.
• You agree to abide by the policies outlined on Hackster’s website, including our Terms of Service, Code of Conduct, and Privacy Policy.
• You agree that Hackster.io’s decisions will be final and binding on all matters related to this contest.

What if something unexpected happens and the contest can not run as planned?

If someone cheats, or a virus, bug, bot, catastrophic event, or any other unforeseen or unexpected event that cannot be reasonably anticipated or controlled, (also referred to as force majeure) affects the fairness and/or integrity of this contest, we reserve the right to cancel, change or suspend this contest. This right is reserved whether the event is due to human or technical error. If a solution cannot be found to restore the integrity of the contest, we reserve the right to select winners from among all eligible entries received before we had to cancel, change or suspend the contest.

If you attempt, or we have strong reason to believe that you have compromised the integrity or the legitimate operation of this contest by cheating, hacking, creating a bot or other automated program, or by committing fraud in ANY way, we may seek damages from you to the fullest extent permitted by law. Further, we may disqualify you, and ban you from participating in any of our future contests.

Whom do I contact about this contest?

If you have any questions or comments regarding this contest, please email us at cgrumbach@ethz.ch.