Fostering Innovation: Hackathon on Smart and Safe City Application Development Held in Fergana

Photo: yeiferr / Rihabay

According to the competition organisers, participants in a youth hackathon proposed ways to use artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to create a smart and safe city.

Eighteen teams from Fergana Oblast and various regions of Uzbekistan participated in the hackathon organised by the Technovation Girls program and Yandex Uzbekistan. The teams developed prototype AI applications to enhance accessibility, comfort, and safety in urban environments.

The winning projects included innovations for people with disabilities, applications for smart parking and waste bins, a social services aggregator for motorists, an AI algorithm to optimise road traffic, and an application that alerts drivers to road hazards.

Each team was comprised of young men and women aged 14 to 25. Lectures and masterclasses on creating startups and accelerating application development using AI technologies were provided for the hackathon participants, with Yandex Uzbekistan employees serving as lecturers and mentors.

After the hackathon, six winning teams received prizes from the organisers.

In 2025, participants in the hackathon will be able to compete in the Technovation Girls Uzbekistan IT competition, with registration opening in January.

Kursiv Uzbekistan reports that IT Park seeks 1,500 employees proficient in foreign languages.