RSU and Exonicus Team Come 3rd in Coronavirus Hackathon

The results of the HackForce hackathon were announced on Thursday, 19 March. The company Exonicus collaborated with the Rīga Stradiņš University (RSU) Medical Education and Technology Centre (METC) and placed 3rd among 28 teams from all over the world.

The METC, together with their industry partner Exonicus, pitched an idea for how to keep medical personnel caring for COVID-19 patients safe at the virtual hackathon HackForce, which was held from 17 to 19 March. The team developed a virtual reality simulator to teach medical personnel the proper way to put on and take off personal protective equipment while caring for patients with COVID-19. The solution developed by Exonicus is intended for medical students and medical professionals.

Within the next few days the team will be working on a video simulation that can be used at hospitals in Latvia. Remote training on the use of protective gear is essential to prevent the spread of infections at hospitals.

HackForce was held online simultaneously over 16 time zones. 800 people, among them 70 mentors from the industry and various public institutions, participated in the event. The Investment and Development Agency of Latvia, various ministries in related fields and large companies awarded the prizes. At the hackathon, teams worked on ideas that addressed the challenges posed by the coronavirus crisis and would mitigate consequences.

HackForce was organised by volunteers from the start-up sector.

Exonicus (previously known as Anatomy Next) is a medical training technologies start-up that develops virtual reality training for emergency medical care and trauma simulation programs.

For more information about the hackathon, see techchill (in English) and kursors.lv (in Latvian).