The AI model which aced the race: Team HardCoders | National Runners-Up of Philips Code to Care Challenge
What really gave the competition its life was the fact that the themes were completely open-ended. Without restrictions, the participants came up with some really creative ideas. A total of 10 teams were selected for the finals. Most of them had done stellar work, combining technology and creativity. The winning submission was probably the best of the bunch, in terms of how many people it could benefit. We liked how their solution aimed to solve a problem about an important topic that the society refuses to talk about.
Our team and the solution
Our solution used an AI model. When working on a medical application of AI, it is very important for the model to be accurate enough for its predictions to be trusted. So, our main aim from the start was to make our AI model as accurate as possible. The challenges we faced were pretty much the ones expected from the real-world data. The model had to overcome a few obstacles during training but we were good to go after that.
Our team brought together people with varying skills. With three members who specialised in different things, we were able to create a solution that was not only technologically innovative but also practical to implement in the real world. The strength of our team was that it was well balanced in terms of skills. All members had some knowledge of AI, but I specialised in it. One of the teammates was skilled in web development, while the other excelled in ideation and giving presentations.
The learnings we garnered
The judgement was done well despite how some solutions came too close to winning the trophy. To make the process unbiased, the judges were provided cards for marking each team according to the decided categories. This was especially important because the competitions saw submissions across 3 themes: AI, Smart Devices and Software. The judges took into account the number of people that would be benefited, the overall impact and innovation behind the solutions and the technical difficulty in implementing the solution.
Visiting the Philips Innovation Campus was a great learning experience for the entire team. We got insights into how technology is being used in the industry to come up with better healthcare solutions. We also visited the labs and interacted with technicians and researchers, in addition to having an insightful discussion session with the best minds at the Philips Campus. Coming out of academia, we got a feel of how things actually work in the industry. Last, but not the least, we came across some great ideas and got inspired by learning about the solutions of the other participants through their presentations.
The competition framework
The competition was very well organized and handled by Unstop (formerly Dare2Compete)and Philips. Participants did not have to worry about their travel, to and from the Philips Innovation Campus. The team at the Philips Campus were well prepared to receive the participants. From setting up standees for each team to taking time out of their busy schedules to organize lab visits, the team did everything in their power to make the hackathon fun for the students.
The best moment of the competition for us was definitely when we were declared the National Runners-Up of Philips Code to Care. It was a really tense moment, where every team was hoping to win. We were overjoyed when we heard our team name. Two months of rigorous hard work had finally paid off. From walking onto the stage to receiving our trophies to shaking hands and being congratulated by people as important as the CEO of the Philips Innovation Campus, it was a giddy experience.