Hackaday's 2017 Sci-Fi Contest

Build an awesome Sci-Fi Project, win a prize

Contest Details

Official Rules:

Contest entry deadline is Monday, March 6, 2017 09:00 pm PST (+8 UTC)
Entries must be Sci-Fi themed
Entries can be anything from cosplay to code on a micro, but must include some type of electronics
Existing projects, or projects that were entered in previous our previous Sci-Fi contest but did not win a prize are eligible for submission as entries in this Contest with the following restrictions:
1. A new project page must be created
2. The project must be significantly different from when previously entered and show meaningful development during the course of the Contest.
Projects must fill out the description, details, components, and project logs.
Use of time travel devices to extend contest deadline is prohibited.
Projects must be open source. 3D CAD files, Source code, schematics, and board layouts for the project software must be either posted in the files section, or include a link to a public repository such as Github.
All entries will be judged by Hackaday staff.
Contest is open to residents of Planet Earth only. Extraterrestrials must obtain planetary citizenship before entering.
Hackaday Staff, Employees of SupplyFrame, Judges or the family of any of the preceding are not eligible to take part in this contest. Everyone is still encouraged to build awesome stuff and show it off though.

Judging Criteria:

How novel or interesting is the entry?
How well is the project documented? (Can it be replicated and built upon by the average hacker?)
How complete is the entry? Projects don’t have to be complete or working to enter, however those which are finished and working by the deadline may be judged higher.

Contest Logs

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STARFISH CAT, BOWLING BALL BOT, AND STARGATE ALL CLAIM PRIZES
Adam Fabio • 03/17/2017 at 00:56 • 0 comments

We saw a huge outpouring of builds for the the Hackaday Sci-Fi Contest and it’s now time to reveal the winners. With 84 great themed projects submitted, the judges had a tough task to pull out the most impressive both in terms of creativity and execution.
Here are our four winners. Two come from the Stargate universe. One is a cuddly yet horrifying character of unknown origin but unarguably Sci-Fi. The other is the best use of a bowling ball we’ve seen so far.
GRAND PRIZE
The grand prize goes to [Jerome Kelty] with Animatronic Stargate Helmet. [Jerome] has built a replica prop that looks like it just came out of a Hollywood shop. It’s almost a shame that this helmet won’t be worn on film – though it certainly could be. If you remember the film and the television show, these helmets have quite a bit of articulation. The head can pan and tilt. The eyes glow, as well as have irises which expand and contract. The “wings” also open and close in a particular way.
[Jerome] built the mechanics for this helmet. He used radio control servos to move the head, with the help of some hardware from ServoCity. Most of the metalwork was built in his own shop. Everything is controlled from a standard R/C transmitter, much like the original show. [Jerome] is taking home a Rigol DS1054Z 4 Channel 50 MHz scope.
FIRST PRIZE
First prize goes to [Christine] with
Starfish Cat: Your Lovecraftian Furby-like Friend. Starfish Cat is one of those odd projects that finds itself right on the edge of the uncanny valley. We are equal parts intrigued and creeped out by this… thing. The bottom is all starfish, with a rubber base poured into a 3D printed mold. The top though, is more cat-like, with soft fur and ears. 5 claws hide under the fur, ready to grab you.
Starfish Cat detects body heat with 5 bottom mounted PIR sensors. The sensors are read by the particle photon which acts as its brain. When heat is detected, Starfish Cat activates its claws, and also blows or sucks air through its… uh… mouth hole. [Christine] is taking home a Monoprice Maker Select Mini 3D printer.
Click past the break to see the rest of the winners
SECOND PRIZE
Second Prize goes to [Jochen Alt] with Paul. Paul is a balancing robot. He rides on a ball by driving 3 omnidirectional wheels. You might think he was inspired by BB-8, but [Jochen] has been working on balancing robots for years now — even longer than BB-8 has been around.
Paul is powered by a pair of Atmel ATmega644 microcontrollers. One handles balance and motor drive. The other micro drives the speakers, LEDs, and takes commands from an XBee radio.
Did we mention that Paul recites somewhat depressing poetry while riding on his ball? He might be related to Marvin the paranoid android. [Jochen] is rolling away with a complete Blu-Ray box of Star Trek: The Next Generation.
THIRD PRIZE
In third place, we have [shlonkin] with Ma’Tok staff weapon from Stargate. Who knew we had so many Stargate fans among our readers?
[Shlonkin] didn’t have access to all the composites [Jerome] used, so he carved the staff entirely out of wood. A hidden trigger allows the Ma’Tok’s wielder to arm and fire the weapon. Sequenced LEDs take the place of the electrical discharges in the real thing. The Ma’Tok is controlled by an Adafruit Pro Trinket, which also drives a servo hidden in the head. The servo allows the Ma’Tok to “fire” a small projectile. The projectile was built from a tiny flashlight. It almost looks like a bolt of electricity when fired.
[Shlonkin] is taking home a Lego Millennium Falcon.
So that’s another contest all wrapped up. Congratulations to all the winners! We’d like to thank everyone who entered, as well as the judges who toiled through the night to pick the best entries.
Judge Time!
Adam Fabio • 03/09/2017 at 17:19 • 0 comments

This is a quick note to say thank you to everyone who entered the Sci-Fi contest. The project database was backed up exactly on time. The entrants are now on a spreadsheet which the judges are using as they review each project.
Look for a winners announcement next week!
How to submit your entry to the contest
Adam Fabio • 02/08/2017 at 04:59 • 0 comments

A few people have asked - so here are the full instructions on how to submit your project to the Sci-Fi Contest:
(Thanks to @RoGeorge)
- Login to your hackaday.io account
- On the upper bar, press "+Add a Project" to create your new project. At this point it is not mandatory to finish documenting your whole project. You can came later and edit/add what's new.
- After you create your project, click on your new project
- In the left side of your project, under the project picture you will see a drop-down button named "Submit Project to...". Choose the contest name and submit your project.
- By now, you should see your submitted project listed somewhere in this page:
https://hackaday.io/submissions/2017-sci-fi-contest/list
Prizes
Adam Fabio • 01/23/2017 at 17:07 • 2 comments
Great work reaps great rewards. Here’s what we’ve got for this contest:
- Grand Prize is a Rigol DS1054Z 4 Channel 50 MHz scope.
- First Prize is a Monoprice Maker Select Mini 3D printer
- Second Prize is a complete Blu-Ray box of Star Trek: The Next Generation
- Third Prize is Lego’s latest rendition of the Millennium Falcon.

View all 4 contest logs

Discussions

ByteTech wrote 03/19/2017 at 17:35

Have the winners been posted yet?

Are you sure? yes | no

davedarko wrote 03/19/2017 at 19:17

check the latest log on https://hackaday.io/contest/19541-hackadays-2017-sci-fi-contest

Are you sure? yes | no

Brandon wrote 03/07/2017 at 17:00

when are the winners posted?

Are you sure? yes | no

Dr. Cockroach wrote 03/07/2017 at 07:44

Cardware should be on the submissions list and I see several double entries...

Are you sure? yes | no

davedarko wrote 03/07/2017 at 07:49

I think thats because the results are displayed randomly and page two doesnt know what page one showed.

Are you sure? yes | no

Dr. Cockroach wrote 03/07/2017 at 07:18

A submission was made on 03/06/17 at 6pm PST and is not on the list after the closing time of 9 pm? A little worried.

Are you sure? yes | no

davedarko wrote 03/07/2017 at 07:48

Don't be, judges are human and database has been mirrored on end of contest. What's your doWant / mustHave?

Are you sure? yes | no

Dr. Cockroach wrote 03/07/2017 at 07:49

Thanks, about three hours sleep and coffee is not working yet

Are you sure? yes | no

haydn jones wrote 02/27/2017 at 22:49

An e-mail yesterday said we had 6 days to enter, is this right? not the same date as this page

Are you sure? yes | no

Ante Medić wrote 02/14/2017 at 16:15

When will Hackaday staff vote on project?
After deadline or sometime after?

Are you sure? yes | no

davedarko wrote 02/16/2017 at 10:28

There will probably be a server dump at the end of the deadline, on what the judges will be working on.

Are you sure? yes | no

Adam Fabio wrote 02/23/2017 at 06:22

Yup - we save the state at the deadline, then spend a few days judging

Are you sure? yes | no

aimthiazz wrote 02/14/2017 at 08:24

Can a team of two people submit a project?

Are you sure? yes | no

DL101 wrote 02/14/2017 at 21:28

You can create a project and invite teammates.

Are you sure? yes | no

davedarko wrote 02/14/2017 at 21:37

can you share an oscilloscope?

Are you sure? yes | no

MortenW wrote 02/23/2017 at 13:50

Is is 4 channels, can you take two each ? :-P

Are you sure? yes | no

John Duchek wrote 02/10/2017 at 00:05

So can I have a scientific data collecting project that points the way to a solution to scientific problem? Since the problem has not been solved, the solution would be at this point 'fiction'

Are you sure? yes | no

Adam Fabio wrote 02/11/2017 at 06:57

Sure - there is no real limit on entering. However, not having a sci-fi theme may impact your changes of winning. We have plenty more contests coming in the future though!

Are you sure? yes | no

jeromekelty wrote 02/09/2017 at 07:57

How can I delete an entry? Forgot I entered it in a previous one and there won't be any more development on it since it's already been completed. Sorry and thanks!

Are you sure? yes | no

Adam Fabio wrote 02/11/2017 at 06:56

Message me with the entry you want to remove .

Are you sure? yes | no

Alexandre wrote 02/06/2017 at 15:44

Is it me or are this year's prizes less big than all the previous years?

Are you sure? yes | no

AVR wrote 02/01/2017 at 07:08

is a fictional game console that's a parody of a real one scifi enough?

Are you sure? yes | no

kaushikwavhal wrote 02/01/2017 at 06:06

How do i register for this contest or make a submission ? I cannot find any button other than follow/unfollow.
I am new to this website. I am obviously missing something.

Are you sure? yes | no

RoGeorge wrote 02/01/2017 at 09:58

- Login to your hackaday.io account
- On the upper bar, press "+Add a Project" to create your new project. At this point it is not mandatory to finish documenting your whole project. You can came later and edit/add what's new.
- After you create your project, click on your new project
- In the left side of your project, under the project picture you will see a drop-down button named "Submit Project to...". Choose the contest name and submit your project.
- By now, you should see your submitted project listed somewhere in this page:
https://hackaday.io/submissions/2017-sci-fi-contest/list

Good luck!

Are you sure? yes | no

kaushikwavhal wrote 02/01/2017 at 10:25

Ohh great. Thanks a lot :)

Are you sure? yes | no

Adam Fabio wrote 02/08/2017 at 05:00

Just added that as a contest log - thanks RoGeorge!

Are you sure? yes | no

ByteTech wrote 01/31/2017 at 23:41

Are we allowed multiple submissions?

Are you sure? yes | no

ActualDragon wrote 01/31/2017 at 23:42

see below \/

Are you sure? yes | no

ByteTech wrote 01/31/2017 at 23:47

Great! Thank you ActualDragon! I knew you wouldn't let me down. Or turn around and desert me for that matter.

Are you sure? yes | no

ActualDragon wrote 01/26/2017 at 20:41

are walking robots scifi?

Are you sure? yes | no

ActualDragon wrote 01/26/2017 at 20:41

sorry it's so big

Are you sure? yes | no

Adam Fabio wrote 01/31/2017 at 19:09

Anyone can enter - but a basic walking robot wouldn't be sci-fi enough to win. Skinned like the one you've posted though, i think you've got a robot-fighting chance!

Are you sure? yes | no

Mars wrote 01/26/2017 at 20:12

I'm surprised there's no entries yet.

Are you sure? yes | no

RoGeorge wrote 01/26/2017 at 20:21

But they are!
https://hackaday.io/submissions/2017-sci-fi-contest/list

Are you sure? yes | no

Mars wrote 01/27/2017 at 21:59

Then this page is broken :-) , it still says Submissions (0)

Are you sure? yes | no

Max Jackson wrote 01/26/2017 at 19:32

Is is possible that a smart-watch can tell with relative accuracy if you are sleeping or not?

If so, free idea for you! Make a talking home-computer, or mirror, or something, connected to your smartwatch via bluetooth, that waits until you are up to start telling you things about your upcoming day.

Are you sure? yes | no

Riley wrote 01/24/2017 at 17:34

hey

Are you sure? yes | no

FiveseveN wrote 01/24/2017 at 14:47

Can one user submit multiple entries?

Are you sure? yes | no

davedarko wrote 01/24/2017 at 14:57

Probably like the last contests: sure! It's highly unlikely that you would win all four prizes, just because there are human judges ;) and if they would find 4 projects of yours would deserve the prizes, I'm sure they'd be reevaluating the rules for the next contest, but that didn't happen so far :)

Are you sure? yes | no

Sophi Kravitz wrote 01/29/2017 at 06:56

yes!

Are you sure? yes | no

davedarko wrote 01/23/2017 at 19:18

for non-terrestrials http://www.worldservice.org/reg.html

Are you sure? yes | no

Adam Fabio wrote 01/24/2017 at 02:07

You win the internet for today, Dave :)

Are you sure? yes | no

RoGeorge wrote 01/24/2017 at 14:19

ROFL!

Are you sure? yes | no

danjovic wrote 01/24/2017 at 14:57

Thanks! Now I'll be able to participate !

Are you sure? yes | no

Anool Mahidharia wrote 01/27/2017 at 07:44

I'm hoping Asgardians will participate in large numbers.

https://asgardia.space

Are you sure? yes | no

Frank Buss wrote 01/23/2017 at 11:34

Sounds interesting and as always, the journey is the reward and the most fun, but are there prizes?

Are you sure? yes | no

Adam Fabio wrote 01/23/2017 at 17:07

Yup! the prize list is up now!

Are you sure? yes | no

Elliot Williams wrote 01/24/2017 at 12:07

Is it wrong that I'd be aiming for Third Prize?

Are you sure? yes | no

Hackaday's 2017 Sci-Fi Contest

Contest Details

Official Rules:

Judging Criteria:

Contest Logs

Collapse

STARFISH CAT, BOWLING BALL BOT, AND STARGATE ALL CLAIM PRIZES

GRAND PRIZE

FIRST PRIZE

SECOND PRIZE

THIRD PRIZE

Judge Time!

How to submit your entry to the contest

Prizes

Submissions View all 113 submissions »

Self-Satisfied Door

LARP Gaming Computer Bracer

Relay-based water irrigation controller

Space Observatory System

Discussions

Hackaday's 2017 Sci-Fi Contest

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Contest Details

Official Rules:

Judging Criteria:

Contest Logs Collapse

GRAND PRIZE

FIRST PRIZE

SECOND PRIZE

THIRD PRIZE

Submissions View all 113 submissions »

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