Tokyo Tech wins big at Japan’s largest student hackathon

The Tokyo Institute of Technology Advertisement and Media Art Society (TITAMAS) collected an array of awards for their efforts at JPHACKS 2016, Japan's biggest hackathon.

At the awards ceremony held at the University of Tokyo on November 19, 2016, members of TITAMAS received the Best Idea Award for developing "Walky," a handheld device to assist the visually impaired when walking. The team also took home the AbemaTV Award, Softbank Award, Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities Award, Microsoft Imagine Cup Award, and Mashup Awards Prize.

TITAMAS also won the student category at the Mashup Awards 2016 one week later.

Award-winning creation

Walky is a wand-like device for the visually impaired. The device is intended to make a leisurely stroll, something that most people take for granted, easier for the visually impaired. It was developed by fusing the concepts of "stroll" and "technology."

Walky - a smart device for supporting a person with impaired vision

Winning team members

• Shunsuke Sasaki, 4th year, Computer Science
• Hiroiki Naganuma, 4th year, Computer Science
• Keisuke Okumura, 3rd year, Computer Science
• Shun Iwase, 3rd year, Electrical and Electronic Engineering
• Kentaro Yamazaki, 3rd year, Electrical and Electronic Engineering

JPHACKS

JPHACKS, Japan's largest student hackathon, is held in six cities around the country. The event's central theme is the "discovery of innovators." JPHACKS 2016, the third event of its kind, attracted a record 300 participants.

Mashup Awards

As the name suggests, the Mashup Awards involve the mixing of various devices, APIs, hardware, people, and companies in an attempt to create new, innovative products. The biggest development contest of its kind in Japan, the Mashup Awards began in 2006 and are operated by Recruit Holdings Co. Ltd.

TITAMAS

Tokyo Tech student club TITAMAS aims to "disseminate more pop culture from Tokyo Tech." Established by students in 2016, the club creates interactive art with video and music playing a central role, and holds events to exhibit its creations.

• JPHACKS 2016 (Japanese)
• Mashup Awards 2016 (Japanese)
• Tokyo Institute of Technology Advertisement and Media Art Society (TITAMAS) (Japanese)

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This article has been updated to correct the name of team members on January 20.