Purdue IBE + ID Innovation Hackathon
Real-time Global Collaboration Design Workshop
Purdue and the IBE/ID programs are appreciative of Caterpillar’s involvement in the IBE+ID Innovation Hackathon. To ensure the event remains on schedule, we wish to provide the following guidelines for student team coaching from Caterpillar:
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- Industrial Design (ID) students will serve as student team leads, and Caterpillar will engage with the teams, but should not act in an effort to ‘lead’ the teams
- Coaches can be assigned to teams at the request of Caterpillar, but this is not a requirement for the event
- Coaching, feedback, and student team engagement should be reserved for designated work times, open team discussions, and meals, and not when content is presented directly to students.
- Communication with students should take place during the IBE+ID Innovation Hackathon; we encourage Caterpillar to connect with Ryan Case or directly with students via LinkedIn outside of the IBE+ID Innovation Hackathon.
Objective
The objective of the 2025 Caterpillar Hackathon is to develop a rapid-response genset trailer for disaster relief, engineered to provide reliable power to communities in need during emergencies. The Genset should be designed for swift deployment, with an operational setup that can be completed in under 15 minutes. Key objectives include:
Ease of transport: Ensure the trailer is compact and easy to move in challenging environments.
Rapid setup: Integrate a system for fast-access cabling and a durable, weather-resistant protective enclosure, enabling quick and efficient setup.
Safety: Prioritize safety in both the transport and activation processes to ensure the Genset operates reliably in disaster-stricken areas.
Ruggedness and durability: Ensure the Genset and its components can withstand harsh weather conditions and rough terrain.
Ease of use: Make the Genset user-friendly, ensuring that minimal training is required for deployment and operation.
Schedule
0.0 Setup and Check-in
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Participant Check-in Starts at 7:30 / Breakfast
1.0 Intro
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8:00 - 9:00 Welcome / Introduction to the Hackathon / All Participants
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Introduction of the team leaders and faculties
Introduction of the problem/ research persona will be presented (Created by ID students)
2.0 Design Thinking
9:00 - 11:00 Team activities
Empathy research/ persona
Brainstorming / Ideation using digital whiteboard (Miro)/sorting and grouping
Each group has to come up with three big ideas for the final directions
Sketch note of the 3 big ideas
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11:00 - 12:00 Working Lunch/ Team
Teammates meet to discuss potential topics, decide on a final direction, and plan upcoming prototyping sessions.
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3.0 Design Making 11:00 - 2:00
Visual Prototyping
Storyboarding / Each group has to come up with 1 detailed sketch of the final concept and Vizcom rendering
Physical Prototyping of the concepts
Building 1 Final mockups
cardboard, tapes, hot glue guns, Sharpie, etc.
4.0 Design Evaluation and Presentation prep 2:00 - 4:00
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User testing
User testing and team discussion
Please take video clips of the concept in use
Presentation prep
The Presentation will be created as a video presentation
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qrELN5O0sTs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgR9ma1eaU0&feature=youtu.be
need to be uploaded to a youtube channel below
https://www.youtube.com/@designgoodnow2161
5.0 Final Presentation
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Industry experts will judge each team by watching the videos
6.0 Announcement of the winners ( 1 week after)
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Winners will be announced and awarded in the class