On Thursday, June 14, the Faculty of Computer Science at the Technion officially kicked off its annual hackathon: 2026 CS Hack – Doing Good.
The event opened with a lecture by retired Commissioner Roni Alsheikh, former Chief of the Israel Police. Following the lecture, approximately 140 determined students set out alongside an outstanding team of mentors - including engineers, emergency response professionals, and industry technologists - to tackle one of the most important and sensitive challenges of our time: developing life-saving technologies for emergency situations.
Over the course of an especially intense 24 hours of social innovation, teamwork, and creativity, participants demonstrated an impressive ability to transform theoretical ideas into practical solutions. By the end of the hackathon, no fewer than 25 projects had reached the finish line, each featuring a tangible proof of concept and the potential to make a real impact in the field.
After careful deliberation by the judging panel, the winners of the hackathon were announced:
First Place: Matan Gerstman, Rotem Harel, Yoav Fox, and Yanai Zehavi developed a system that utilizes real-time Bluetooth signals from mobile phones to locate and rescue missing persons in extreme emergency situations, such as earthquakes.
Second Place: Ofek Amir, Tami Ashur, Uri Pardo, Dor Mandel, and Tal Ben-Ami developed an advanced hands-free documentation system powered by voice technology and artificial intelligence. The system transmits critical real-time information directly from the field to hospitals and command centers, reducing major bottlenecks in the emergency response chain.
Third Place: Ofek Israel, Agam Berger, Amir Surni, Yair Yanai, and Avner developed a real-time decision-support system for water search-and-rescue missions. The system generates an intelligent probability map and an optimized search plan, enabling rescue teams to operate more efficiently and respond more quickly.
Judges’ Choice Award: Eden Avidan, Roi Carmel, Shir Belson, Naor Shweit, and Linoy Geva won the Judges’ Choice Award for ADAR, an end-to-end system for locating and rescuing missing persons in open terrain. The system generates a dynamic probability map based on the last known location and environmental conditions, and directs autonomous drones to scan the area and continuously update the map until the missing person is found.
A huge thank you to all the students who participated, and to the incredible team of mentors who guided, supported, and helped refine ideas into practical solutions while sharing their professional and operational expertise throughout the entire process.
See you next year!
Photo: Nitzan Zohar
Full photo album: https://photos.app.goo.gl/RuSanqDt49QcRnVDA