Hack The House
BEAKERHEAD

Hack The House

An exciting and engaging challenge for individuals aged 14-21.

WHAT

Design challenge to transform a piece of furniture

WHEN

Culminates at Beakerhead on September 22, 2024

GRADES

Best for high school and beyond

COST

No Cost

Calling all engineers, creatives, and fun-lovers!

Hack The House challenges teams to ‘hack’ a piece of used household furniture and transform it into a rideable machine that is ready to tackle a special obstacle course at TELUS Spark!

Teams are invited to create a build with a purpose, whether it’s to entertain and delight audiences, or send a powerful message about an issue they care about, there is room for all!

Teams will receive mentorship and support from Spark Educators and up to $1,000 to fund the builds. The culmination of Hack the House takes place TELUS Spark, where teams navigate an obstacle course specifically designed by experts.

Grab your best buds and hit the drawing board. It's time to start planning something AMAZING!

The Build: 

We want the machines to tell a story; will your machine solve a problem, or does it send a message about an issue you care about? Who would use your machine, and for what purpose?

The machine must:

Have a human pilot. Pilots are required to wear a government-approved safety helmet and wrist guards.

Include an element of sustainability. Examples include: how it’s powered (pedaling, solar power, etc.), the materials used (made fully from recycled objects), or its use (converts kinetic energy into electricity). Extra points awarded for the most sustainable build.

Be no bigger than a twin sized bed, and no smaller than a kitchen chair, as it must be able to fit a human pilot.

Be designed, constructed and piloted by registered team members only.

The Teams:

Minimum of 2 members.

Have a team lead (more details below).

If all team members are under 18, one adult (18+) may serve as the team lead.

The Team Lead responsibilities include:

Serve as the primary contact with TELUS Spark’s Hack the House Coordinator.

Attend all meetings organized with the Hack the House Coordinator.

Provide the Hack the House Coordinator with progress updates and photos that can be used to promote the program.

Keep track of the budget by recording all expenses in a provided form and send receipts to the Hack the House Coordinator within one month of the final event.

If teams are not on track to meeting milestones, it is the responsibility of the team lead to inform the Hack the House Coordinator, who will assist and supporting the team.

Bring innovation to the classroom!

Spark has programs that can be ordered direct to school classrooms for an hour, a day, a full week or an entire semester!

Learn More