At the first annual Hack-A-Thon contest to search for the next best marine debris cutting tool, seven contestants competed with their hand-made tools in front of a live audience and judge panel at the Waikīkī Aquarium.
The competition was hosted by the Papahānaumokuākea Marine Debris Project, an organization that strives to protect the natural landscapes and wildlife in the area near the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands.
The winner was University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa freshman Sydney West, who calls her tool the “makaira blade” for its marlin-type appearance. The tool is about 2 feet long with a revolving blade spinning between two sets of claws, which hold tension against the nets, making them easier to cut.
“With this hackathon, I've kind of started to learn and realize how big of a deal the marine debris problem is, and the scale of it is really bad,” West said.
“I'm really passionate about protecting the ocean, and with my engineering skill and experience, I want to use that skill to help the ocean in any way I can, and I think continuing to work on the makaira blade would be awesome and a great way to do that.”
West said she worked on the tool for a few months before the showcase, tweaking parts of it to better adapt to the different rounds of the competition.
The contest had several rounds that challenged the tools in various ways, including cutting paper towels, cutting through cake, and cutting through a tangled mess of fishing nets to uncover a “cracken” made from a balloon — without popping it.
Each round forced the contestants to hold tension on the items while being controlled enough to cut through one material but not the other, while still trying to be faster than their competitors.
Derek LeVault, PMDP’s quartermaster, said he was impressed that each contestant’s tool worked.
“I’ve made my share of tools that absolutely do not work, so it was kind of crazy to see them all be entirely functional,” LeVault said. “It shows a lot of promise, and it means there’s a lot of bright minds and ideas out there, and it’s cool this competition brought them out.”
West said she wants to continue tweaking her prototype to get rid of any kinks or faults, and will eventually waterproof it so that PMDP can use it on their trips out at sea, which have brought in over 1 million pounds of debris since 2020.
LeVault and other Hack-A-Thon organizers said they were impressed by the contest’s turnout and will be hosting another next year.
