Orthodox women`s hackathon offers solutions for the elderly, abuse victims

First place in the hackathon was won by a team who designed technology that uses vision tech to detect when an elderly person falls, offering a solution to the nearly 25% of senior citizens in Israel who live alone.

Third place was awarded to a team who used image processing to develop a system that would enable cameras in public places to detect a universal symbol for domestic abuse and alert authorities. The hand symbol was created in 2020 by the Canadian Women's Foundation and is meant to be used by whoever feels threatened but does not have regular contact with the outside world in order to report it. 

The hackathon took place in a hybrid model with most participants on-campus in Jerusalem and Ramat Gan. Others participated remotely from around Israel.

“These women who participate in the hackathon are truly amazing,” said Orlee Guttman, co-founder of the LevTech Entrepreneurship Center. “Every year we become more impressed with the innovation and execution. We are excited to invite them to continue these wonderful ideas and turn them into products through our accelerator program.”

“An incredible amount of creativity and mental fortitude was displayed at this hackathon,” said Dr. Shay Fleishon, CEO of the Jerusalem Development Authority's BioJerusalem Company. “The women approached the various challenges that arose with a high level of innovation and professionalism.”

JCT is a college that focuses on science and technology and offers exclusive programs for ultra-Orthodox men and women and other demographics that may not otherwise be able to study science and technology.

https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/orthodox-womens-hackathon-offers-solutions-for-the-elderly-abuse-victims-670179