Bosch UK team challenge students to develop the solutions of tomorrow
In November 2017, the Bosch UK Mobility R&D team hosted the very first ‘Mobility Hackathon London’; an event designed to bring ‘hackers’ together to tackle some of the most important issues surrounding urban mobility in the capital. Having seen a huge turnout for the event in Chicago, the team was very excited to host the event in London, and had over 30 students signing up from prestigious universities in London, including Royal College of Art and Imperial College.
The event coincided with the UK government’s announcement that they are committed to supporting the development of connected and automated vehicle technology. This is unsurprising, seeing as more than 50% of our population currently live in urban environments, putting this topic at the top of our government’s agenda.
“The main focus for us is building out our city interface and understanding more deeply the challenges that are at work within a city”.
The event kicked off with all six teams developing their ideas, creating solutions based on one of the main topics surrounding urban mobility: traffic flow, multi-modality, environment, and accessibility.
Bosch UK and Bosch USA representatives based in the Chicago Connectory also attended the event, supporting the teams to further develop their ideas for the final showdown to win prizes for overall best idea, best pitch, and best technical solution.
The teams experienced first-hand the very real challenges that Bosch UK is facing, from combatting congestion to improving transport accessibility for the most vulnerable. The hackers pushed the boundaries and came up with innovative and inspiring solutions to help tackle the mobility challenges cities are facing today.
Team members reconvened for the second and final day preparing their pitches and ideas for the judges’ panel, which included senior officials from TFL (Transport for London), Future Cities Catapult, CCAV (Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles), and Direct Line Group.
The winning teams will receive mentoring from Bosch associates and could possibly see their ideas become a reality, if successful.