CodeCamp 2024 in Denmark: Four days of creativity, technology and team spirit

Already weeks before CodeCamp, numerous project ideas were developed and small teams were formed. This time around 30 CAP3ers, alumni and guests came, who were looking forward to this intensive time together. This year, too, the focus was on discovering new technologies, sharing experiences, the joy of developing, the opportunity for good conversations and shared experiences.

Our colleague Nils had come up with something very special for us and brought small games that we played against each other in two large teams over the entire weekend. The third CodeCamp day was particularly varied, as thanks to our golfing enthusiast colleague Florian, we had the chance to take part in a golf crash course and swing the club ourselves.

We then drove to the beautiful expansive hen beach and were actually lucky enough to meet a small baby seal.

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In late afternoon, the individual project teams presented their results. This once again showed the endless opportunities to implement creative ideas within a very short period of time in joint teamwork. For example, a team developed the project Near Interaction, which aims to determine a position in space using iPhones and the Nearby Interaction Framework (UWB) to carry out. One possible use case in sports such as soccer, handball or basketball is to enable a type of tracking of players that could be implemented with the help of iPhones. To determine the position, several iPhones are used as stationary Beacon used, which constantly measure the distance to other iPhones in a field. The data is sent continuously to a server. Based on the measurement data, the positions in a 2D space are determined and visualized on a website in real time.

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Another project was the development of a Cap3 Game Boy game. The initial idea was to develop a game that can be used to onboard new CAP3lers in order to convey typical office situations. It should be presented in the style of an original Game Boy RPG (similar to Pokémon) and, in the best case, even be playable on a real Game Boy. It was implemented with the following software: studio — an editor that is specifically suitable for developing Game Boy gamesTiled — a tile-based level editor

• ‍Aseprite — a sprite editor and pixel art tool

In addition, self-composed music and sound effects were even integrated. The result is really excellent for short-term implementation, but it's best to see for yourself:

Another project I would like to present is Rust Robot. This team used the long weekend to look at robotics and Rust in hardware-related programming. The goal was to program a self-propelled robot so that it could recognize and avoid obstacles. The heart of the robot is Arduino board, which is connected to a motor controller for four wheels, a servomotor with an ultrasonic sensor and a gyroscope. Although helpful preparatory work such as a Hardware abstraction layer for Rust, there were exciting challenges to overcome in the limited hardware environment.

conclusion

Through CodeCamp, we create shared memories, try out creative ideas and get to know each other even better. The relaxed atmosphere in the cozy accommodation, the excellent food, the great conversations and activities make this annual event our absolute highlight. The result is great projects, stronger team cohesion and lots of experiences. We are already looking forward to next year!