Around 120 people were gathered in ORBIT Lab on September 12th for the fourth edition of The Orbies – an event that showcases some of the best and most ambitious projects where the common denominator is the implementation of innovative solutions based on emerging digital technologies. A high-profile Panel of Judges from industry and tech startups evaluated the projects and awarded Orbie statuettes in five of the seven categories.
During the months leading up to the event, employees and students were able to nominate projects from the past semester that had made a particular impression, e.g. projects that display a high level of technical skills and a creative approach to solving problems. The students presented their projects as pitches, demos or videos and apart from the statuettes awarded by the Panel of Judges, the audience could also vote for their favorite project to win the Audience Award. Finally, the ORBIT Lab team gave out a Community Contributor award in acknowledgment of a special effort in the ORBIT Lab Community.
And the winners are …
Best Pitch: Imagine Talking – Kristoffer Stampe Villadsen.
Best Video: Consibio, Monesco – Emil Jakobsen, Søren Jessen Kjær, Johan Egsgaard Thomsen, Thorbjørn Bøgh Jensen and Ivan Markov.
Best Demo: FI Bots – Jakob Grimm Hansen (Anna Sophia Sørensen and Jakob Halskov).
Best Overall Project: AR Wizards – Rasmus Hemmingsen, Nicklas Nielsen and Anders Meidahl.
Best Startup Potentiale: Don’t Waste It – Kristin Lie Aas, Christiane Nørkjær Svendsen, Rikke Ivang Henriksen and Stella Veronica Schultz Jørgensen.
Audience Award: Consibio, Monesco – Emil Jakobsen, Søren Jessen Kjær, Johan Egsgaard Thomsen, Thorbjørn Bøgh Jensen, and Ivan Markov.
Community Contributors: Rasmus Hemmingsen, Nicklas Nielsen and Anders Meidahl.
Read more about the winning projects.
Keynote about Machine Learning
Stefan Veis Pennerup, Machine Learning & Google Cloud Tech Lead at Trifork, delivered an impressive keynote about Machine Learning – packed with exciting examples of possibilities and potential pitfalls.
It was Stefan’s first time participating in The Orbies, and he is describing his experiences:
“It was great to see the passion and pride that the students had for their projects. Their energy was contagious and I hope it will motivate them in their continuous technological journey.”
The Panel of Judges
Apart from Stefan Veis Pennerup, the Panel of Judges were:
- Helena Marie Meyer, Software Engineer, Toitware.
- Janne Jul Jensen, Lead UX Designer, Elsevier.
- Louise Overgaard, Head of Internetweek Denmark and Chair of Coding Pirates.
- Thomas Braad Perret-Gentil, Enterprise Business Unit Technical Leader, IBM.
- Tommy Dejbjerg, Developer Evangelist, Tradeshift.
Read more about the Panel of Judges.
Kasper Løvborg Jensen, who is the Leader of ORBIT Lab and Professor, says:
“This is the fourth time we are hosting The Orbies and it is fantastic to feel the level of commitment and interest – both from our partnering companies and from the tech startup scene, but also among the students ranging from 1st to 10th semester. It is also great to see that many of the students chose to apply their energy and skills to solutions that address the UN’s Global Development Goals. We look forward to February 2020, where the 5th round of The Orbies will take place, and to yet again marvel at the technical and creative abilities of the students.”
About the ORBIT Lab community
ORBIT Lab is an interdisciplinary and tech-savvy community centered around the interest in the creative use of emerging digital technologies, such as mobile, wearable, cloud, Internet of Things, machine learning, virtual reality and augmented reality. ORBIT Lab is based in Aarhus University School of Engineering and works closely with other departments and centers across Aarhus University. Together, we rethink the way of developing the creative tech talents of the future and inspire students to build an innovative and entrepreneurial mindset. Read more about ORBIT Lab.
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