“Technology is pushing our brains to new limits”

The SICK Solution Hackathon is giving more than 100 young talents from 16 countries a chance to use their creativity and ingenuity to solve challenges in daily life and industry. Supported by well-known industry leaders such as Bosch Rexroth, SAP, Phoenix Contact, SUSE, and Trumpf, they will have 48 hours to work on these challenges using state-of-the-art hardware and software. Leading up to the event, which takes place from October 4th to the 6th, we are talking to Berkay Uzuner (22), a bachelor's student at Istanbul Technical University. He shares with us his expectations, his methods to deal with new challenges and what fascinates him about IT topics.

Berkay, what are your expectations for the SICK Solution Hackathon?

Berkay: I believe it is a lot about teamwork. If people want to improve, they should do it together with others and learn from each other. So, at the Hackathon I hope to meet lots of people from all over the world to exchange ideas and benefit from each other. Other than that, I want to test myself in a larger environment and create something new at the end of the competition.

A main part of the SICK Solution Hackathon will be to deal with challenges that nobody has ever tried to tackle before. What is your strategy to cope with challenges like these?

First: I just relax (laughing). Because I love these kinds of challenges! Many people are getting nervous when facing problems. But, I am happy about them because they are opportunities for me to grow and to learn something new.

I think, working in a team and combining all kinds of skills from different areas is one solution. Also, I always try to face challenges by looking at them from different perspectives to really understand the problem.

“Technology makes me believe that everything is possible”

In this field of technology and IT – which aspects fascinate you the most?

Technology is pushing our brains to new limits. I think it is really fascinating because it makes things possible that no one ever thought would be possible. We don’t know the future, but technology makes me believe everything is possible. Maybe, one day we will be visiting new galaxies - who knows. But until then, there are still lots of things to do with technology.

You’ve also founded your own start-up called “Milu”. What is the purpose of it?

It’s a mobile app that is supposed to solve daily life problems. If you have a certain problem, you can share it in the app. People can vote for the problem so that it’s getting a higher score and is placed at the top of the feed. If a problem gets to the very top, institutions can solve it and then share the solution in the app. Also, volunteering for social projects is possible via the app. In short, we encourage institutions, people, and companies to work together for our world. Currently, we are running a pilot phase on my university’s campus to see if it works out fine. Then, we’ll keep going with the municipalities and companies considering our pilot phase feedback.

“I want to be creative, productive and add value”

What are your plans for the future? Do you want to continue being an entrepreneur?

This is a really big question. I have many targets and dreams. One of them is creating my own business. My start-up is a great opportunity for me to reach my dream of creating something new. I want to be creative, I want to be productive, and I want to add value to the world. And I want to do this together with others who share the same vision. That’s why the Hackathon is a great opportunity for me to get one step closer to my dreams.

What is the main challenge you see out there that can be solved by technology and IT?

I see two main challenges: improving the environment and solving daily problems. We have to figure something out to make the world better and take care of it. But we also need to help each other with daily problems. That is something I want to contribute to.

Thank you so much for your time and the interview! We are looking forward seeing you at the SICK Solution Hackathon!