Thursday, 18 September 2025 Computer Science Students Once Again Gaining New Knowledge and Ideas at the Second FAMNIT/HTW Dresden Hackathon

Between September 15 and 18, the second hackathon in collaboration with the University of Dresden – HTW Dresden (Mechlab) took place at UP FAMNIT. As part of the hackathon, young computer science enthusiasts, together with the experienced Prof. Dr. Toralf Trautmann from the Automotive Mechatronics Lab and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Branko Kavšek from the Department of Information Sciences and Technologies (UP FAMNIT), developed new functions designed to assist both drivers and vehicle automation.

Dr. Trautmann shared his expertise in automotive software development and technology with the students, who later split into teams and delved into the assigned projects, testing and presenting them on the final day.

At the end, Gregor Ahlin , a Computer Science student, shared his experience with us. Throughout the event, he discovered and learned new techniques he had not encountered before:
"This is my second time at a hackathon. This year, as part of the hackathon, we're also going to Dresden for the first time. The end product — at least for our team — is to have a good user interface that a remote teleoperator can use to stop the vehicle in case of any issues with the autonomous system. We're going to develop a user interface that allows the teleoperator to monitor the vehicle’s cameras, data from the lidar, location, video, speed, and more."

Dr. Trautmann was also very impressed with the successful execution and final results of our students' work. He believes the event has opened doors for further collaboration.
" I was impressed by the students' strong participation in the Hackathon. They were highly motivated and completed the first stage of the project in just two days. The final presentation is coming up, where we will review the initial solution. Next week, we will implement it in our test area and evaluate its performance in real-world scenarios," he added.