HortiHeroes Hackathon 2024 brings sector and students together
On November 21, 2024, more than 140 students and professionals worked on innovative solutions for an autonomous eggplant greenhouse during the HortiHeroes Hackathon at the World Horti Center in Naaldwijk. With robotics and AI as central themes, the day resulted in 22 practical ideas, developed by multidisciplinary teams. The event emphasized the power of collaboration between education, business and knowledge institutions and strengthened the ecosystem that NXTGEN Hightech Agrifood is building together with partners. A groundbreaking concept was declared the winner by the jury.
An autonomous eggplant greenhouse as a challenge and goal
The participants were tasked with coming up with solutions for a 100% autonomous eggplant greenhouse, with a focus on practical innovations in which robotics and AI played a central role. Multidisciplinary teams of students and professionals from various fields got to work to tackle this challenge. The goal was not only to advance the horticultural sector, but also to contribute to a future-proof ecosystem in which collaboration and technology go hand in hand.
What has been achieved?
During the hackathon, 22 innovative and directly applicable solutions were presented. The participants worked together in an inspiring environment, supported by experts from Lencon, jem-id, Festo and Tomatoworld, among others. Idea generation tools, a tour of the Vertify greenhouse and pitch training ensured that the teams were able to develop and present their concepts in just one day.
"This hackathon has aroused my curiosity about the sector. I had never been in a greenhouse before today, but now my fingers are itching to get started in the horticultural sector."
Niels Beukers - student of Industrial Engineering and Management
Collaboration as the key to innovation
The hackathon emphasized the importance of collaboration between education, business and knowledge institutions. Thanks to the multidisciplinary approach, creative ideas and new connections emerged between participants, which contribute to further developments in the sector. These types of initiatives are created by and simultaneously strengthen the ecosystem that NXTGEN Hightech Agrifood is building together with partners and contribute to technological innovations within the Agrifood sector.
The winner is Team Eggplant Evolution
The main prize of €1,000 went to Team Eggplant Evolution, consisting of students from MBO Westland and Hogeschool Inholland. Their concept, Flying Tables, uses autonomously moving tables to increase efficiency in the eggplant greenhouse. This system, inspired by potted plant cultivation, offers advantages such as labor savings, optimal use of space and less chance of contamination. According to the jury, the concept was convincing because of its practical applicability and the strong pitch of the team.
Initiators and goal of the hackathon
The HortiHeroes Hackathon is an initiative of HortiHeroes, in collaboration with RoboCrops, World Horti Center, NXTGEN Hightech, Katapult and various other partners. The event is set up to inspire talent for the challenges and opportunities within the Food & Flower industry. By bringing students and professionals together with the business community, we are working on a future-proof ecosystem that stimulates innovation and strengthens the agrifood sector.