AtkinsRéalis recruits hackathon winners as digital specialists

Twenty teams competed in the HackaFuture final, a two-day hackathon staged by AtkinsRéalis in Manchester as part of the city’s digital skills festival. The competition attracted entries from hundreds of people across the UK from all age groups and backgrounds, from babysitters and software developers to car park attendants and data scientists. More than a fifth of the finalists are university students in Manchester, Salford and across the North West.

The hackathon challenged finalists to build data solutions that could incorporate AI, robotics and gaming engines. The judges were so impressed at the standard of entries that two teams were jointly awarded the prize.

The Straw Pirates team explored how to use live or recorded 360-degree video footage captured on sites by people and robots to improve onsite safety. They used “novel techniques” to create an interactive experience on a video gaming platform accessed through VR, building a “slick” interface and programme over the course of the weekend. Users could navigate through a construction site and identify hazards – the type of solution that could be used to train workers before visiting sites, or deployed by sites to conduct site safety assessments virtually, according to AtkinsRéalis.

Meanwhile, the Rebel Innovators team developed an AI model to help predict when equipment failures and issues might occur. “Predictive maintenance is already being adopted by the sector, using machine learning to prevent breakdowns and improve the performance of technology, but the team explored how solutions used in the automotive sector could be applied in the nuclear sector. The team impressed the judges with their machine learning model with an impressive user experience and market strategy behind it,” AtkinsRéalis said.

All eight members of the two winning teams have been offered a permanent position as digital and technology specialists with AtkinsRéalis, based at the company’s new North West hub in central Manchester.

Sam Stephens, digital director for nuclear at AtkinsRéalis, said: “The HackaFuture is the first recruitment challenge of its kind for a sector that might not be front of mind for those interested in digital careers. We’ve had a phenomenal response to the challenge and hopefully helped to reframe nuclear and engineering as a whole: this is an exciting industry that needs digital skillsets to help develop new solutions to complex challenges for a net zero future.

“Our teams are already deploying technology on major projects across the country and it’s exciting to think what the successful candidates will be able to contribute when they apply their creative mindsets to our clients’ challenges in their new roles at AtkinsRéalis.” 

Don’t miss out on BIM, information management and digital construction news: sign up to receive the BIMplus newsletter.

Twenty teams competed in the HackaFuture final, a two-day hackathon staged by AtkinsRéalis in Manchester as part of the city’s digital skills festival. The competition attracted entries from hundreds of people across the UK from all age groups and backgrounds, from babysitters and software developers to car park attendants and data scientists. More than a fifth of the finalists are university students in Manchester, Salford and across the North West.

The hackathon challenged finalists to build data solutions that could incorporate AI, robotics and gaming engines. The judges were so impressed at the standard of entries that two teams were jointly awarded the prize.

The Straw Pirates team explored how to use live or recorded 360-degree video footage captured on sites by people and robots to improve onsite safety. They used “novel techniques” to create an interactive experience on a video gaming platform accessed through VR, building a “slick” interface and programme over the course of the weekend. Users could navigate through a construction site and identify hazards – the type of solution that could be used to train workers before visiting sites, or deployed by sites to conduct site safety assessments virtually, according to AtkinsRéalis.

Meanwhile, the Rebel Innovators team developed an AI model to help predict when equipment failures and issues might occur. “Predictive maintenance is already being adopted by the sector, using machine learning to prevent breakdowns and improve the performance of technology, but the team explored how solutions used in the automotive sector could be applied in the nuclear sector. The team impressed the judges with their machine learning model with an impressive user experience and market strategy behind it,” AtkinsRéalis said.

All eight members of the two winning teams have been offered a permanent position as digital and technology specialists with AtkinsRéalis, based at the company’s new North West hub in central Manchester.

Sam Stephens, digital director for nuclear at AtkinsRéalis, said: “The HackaFuture is the first recruitment challenge of its kind for a sector that might not be front of mind for those interested in digital careers. We’ve had a phenomenal response to the challenge and hopefully helped to reframe nuclear and engineering as a whole: this is an exciting industry that needs digital skillsets to help develop new solutions to complex challenges for a net zero future.

“Our teams are already deploying technology on major projects across the country and it’s exciting to think what the successful candidates will be able to contribute when they apply their creative mindsets to our clients’ challenges in their new roles at AtkinsRéalis.” 

Don’t miss out on BIM, information management and digital construction news: sign up to receive the BIMplus newsletter.