The Hackathon Hong Kong challenge

Here, you won't just solve theoretical problems – you'll tackle real-world challenges inspired by the Hong Kong Policy Address. We've designed each challenge to push your creativity and develop solutions that could make a genuine impact on society. This is your chance to build, innovate, and create a better future. 

Choose your challenge

• Challenge 1: Sky-High Solutions: The Low-Altitude Delivery Challenges
• Challenge 2: Silver Tech for Golden Years: Innovating for Elderly Well-being
• Challenge 3: From Waste to Resource: The Circular Economy Challenge
• Challenge 4: Wildcard: Your idea, your impact

Skills and requirements

No advanced skills or prior experience are necessary to participate. All teams, regardless of their background, can contribute to one of the following challenges.

A high school-level understanding of fundamental subjects such as mathematics, physics, biology or chemistry is sufficient.

This is a great opportunity to learn new skills. We will signpost optional guides and resources to help you with areas such as prototyping, design, and basic data analysis. 

Challenge 1: Sky-high solutions: the low-altitude delivery challenge

Background

The 2024-25 Policy Address (Para 81-82) promotes a low-altitude economy for GBA logistics, with 15% of urban deliveries delayed.  

Problem statement

In Hong Kong, medical supply deliveries (such as insulin kits) can face delays of over 2 hours due to heavy traffic, creating risks for patients who need timely access.  

Your challenge is to propose an innovative solution to improve the speed, reliability, and sustainability of medical or other sensitive deliveries over short urban distances (around 5 km).  

Possible directions include (but are not limited to):  

• Exploring alternative transport methods (e.g., drones, bikes, robotics, hybrid systems).
• Designing sustainable construction and packing to protect supplies and reduce waste.
• Using data, artificial intelligence (AI), or smart logistics to optimise delivery routes and reduce delays.
• Considering practical constraints such as cost, safety, and environmental impact.

Your solution should aim to demonstrate how these innovations could reduce delivery delays and improve outcomes.

Student scope

This challenge is designed for students from a wide range of academic interests. Teams of 4–5 should combine different strengths to create innovative solutions.

Possible contributions include:

• Engineering: Designing stable and efficient delivery systems, exploring prototypes, or modelling logistics.
• Natural Sciences:  
  • Biology: Exploring eco-friendly or biodegradable materials.
  • Chemistry: Investigating protective coatings or packaging solutions.
  • Mathematics: Developing algorithms to optimise delivery routes.
  • Physics: Considering aerodynamics, flight dynamics, or material strength.
• Medicine: Ensuring the safe transport of medical cargo, such as temperature-sensitive supplies and equipment that are sensitive to shock and vibration. 

Challenge 2: Silver tech for golden years: Innovating for elderly well-being

Background  

The 2024-25 Policy Address (Para 195-199) targets the Silver Economy, with 30% of elderly falls linked to walking aids and assistive devices.  

Problem statement

In Hong Kong’s Tuen Mun district, nearly one in four elderly residents (aged 70+) who use walkers experience a fall each year, and many require hospital care. These falls often stem from instability, fatigue, or undetected health concerns.  

Your challenge is to develop an innovative solution that improves the safety and comfort of elderly lives, such as smart walking aids or tools to use at home and/or in public.  

Possible directions include (but are not limited to):

• Designing creative solutions (e.g. lightweight, foldable, and ergonomic frames for walking aids) that reduce strain and increase stability.
• Exploring sensors or simple monitoring tools (e.g., heart rate, balance, or movement detection) to alert users or caregivers of risks.
• Considering materials that are safe, durable, equitable and sustainable.
• Using data, AI, or smart systems to detect risks and support safer mobility.

Your solution should aim to reduce the likelihood of falls or mishaps while remaining practical, affordable, and accessible to the community.

Student scope

This challenge welcomes contributions from a range of disciplines. Teams of 4–5 should combine different skills, and no prior medical device experience is required.

• Engineering and Design: Creating ergonomic, user-friendly structures. Exploring different materials and their properties. Using technology to monitor and manage risks.
• Natural Sciences:
  • Biology: Considering human factors and ageing physiology. Chemistry: Exploring safe and lightweight materials.
  • Mathematics: Analysing risk data or optimising design features.
  • Physics: Understanding stability, balance, and mechanics.
• Medicine and Health: Exploring vital-sign monitoring and user safety needs. 

Challenge 3: From waste to resource: The circular economy challenge

Background

The 2024-25 Policy Address (Para 51-55, 75-89) pushes green tech, with HK’s 35% recycling efficiency and 65% contamination.

Problem statement

Hong Kong currently faces major challenges in recycling: while efficiency stands at around 35%, contamination levels reach as high as 65%. In districts such as Sham Shui Po, household waste is often mis-sorted, meaning valuable recyclables like plastics and paper become unusable.  

Your challenge is to design an innovative recycling system, for example, one that improves sorting accuracy and reduces contamination. 

Possible directions include (but are not limited to):

• Engineering durable and practical collection or sorting mechanisms (e.g., conveyor or other creative systems).
• AI or data-driven approaches to improve classification of recyclables.
• Simple sensors or monitoring tools to support more effective waste handling.
• Community engagement strategies that help households sort correctly from the start.

The goal is to create a solution that increases recycling accuracy, reduces contamination, and supports Hong Kong’s long-term sustainability goals.

Student scope

Teams of 4–5 should bring together a mix of skills. No prior recycling technology experience is needed.

• Engineering: Creating durable systems for waste sorting or collection.
• Natural Sciences:
  • Biology: Understanding ecological impact of recycling and waste.
  • Chemistry: Identifying materials and contamination issues.
  • Mathematics: Designing sorting logic or data analysis.
  • Physics: Mechanics of movement, sorting, and system stability.
• Medicine: Considering hygiene, user safety, and public health. 

Challenge 4: Wildcard: Your idea, your impact

Have a brilliant idea that doesn't fit our existing challenges? This open-ended track is for creative thinkers who want to combine Science, Technology, Engineering, Medicine, and Business (STEMB) to build something innovative and meaningful. We’re looking for solutions that make real impact - and we invite you to tap into Imperial’s ecosystem to make it happen.

Your challenge: Define a meaningful problem that matters and deliver a solution that cuts across disciplines. We want ideas that are technically strong, scalable, sustainable, and socially meaningful. 

Your project could involve: 

• Designing a new device, system, or sustainable technology. 
• Applying insights from maths, physics, chemistry, or biology to a real-world problem. 
• Developing a tool or approach to improve human health or healthcare delivery. 
• Any combination of the above - the most powerful ideas often exist at the intersections. 

Whether your solution is AI-driven, a physical prototype, a data model, or a novel process, what matters most is its creativity, scientific or technical rigour, and potential for tangible impact. 

Deliverables (for all teams)

• 150-word proposal: Outline your team’s solution, highlighting the key ideas or technologies involved, its potential impact, and a short plan for how it could be implemented (aim to keep costs reasonable). 
• 5-minute video: Introduce your team, explain the challenge you’re addressing, and present your solution. You may choose to include a visual demonstration, but this is not required. The video should be narrated in English. 
• Prototype (optional): Prototypes are encouraged but not essential. Teams may showcase their ideas in any form they prefer - this could be a physical model (e.g., Arduino/sensors/LEDs), a digital simulation (e.g., Tinkercad or other design software), or even a static model or visual mock-up. Creativity and clarity of concept are most important.