ABP organizes Beef Hackathon event in 2015

The inaugural ABP Beef Hackathon in Ireland was a groundbreaking event that attracted a diverse group of participants, including ABP graduates, PhD students, food scientists, agriculturalists, and tech enthusiasts. Their mission was to tackle challenges in the food industry, such as enhancing animal welfare, improving meat quality, and boosting farm safety through innovative technology. This event aimed to integrate the Internet of Things (IoT) into the food sector. Hosted at the DCU Innovation Campus in Ireland, participants had access to an array of technological tools, including 3D printers and advanced Intel hardware. They were presented with various challenges and tasked with devising a solution and creating a working prototype for evaluation by a panel of judges. The panel comprised sustainability experts from academia, ABP Food Group staff, and industry professionals. The event kicked off with presentations from ABP Food Group and Intel, which inspired the participants to propose their ideas. After a rapid pitching session, the top 13 ideas were selected by vote, and teams were formed based on the participants' skills and the expertise needed to advance each idea. Over the weekend, teams refined their ideas with support from mentors, including ABP specialists. The event coincided with Ireland's victory in the 2015 Six Nations, adding a festive atmosphere to the proceedings. On the final day, teams finalized their projects and prototypes. They had the opportunity to rehearse their presentations with a tutor before facing the judges. The presentations were of high quality, making the judges' decision challenging. The top honor went to 'TenderScan,' which developed a device to assess meat tenderness. 'Track and Trace' secured second place with their smart tracker for monitoring beef during transportation. Third place was a tie between 'Beefcode,' which created a marketing app for Irish beef, and 'HayW!re,' which developed a safety device for farms. The Intel Galileo prize was awarded to 'Bó Selecta' for their beef tenderness traceability app, showcasing the best use of Intel’s Galileo development board.