In this presentation, we will discuss a hackathon event focused on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a social issue, which employed AI and IoT technologies using the M5Stack microcontroller series. The event was organized by faculty members from Kanazawa University, Kanazawa Institute of Technology, Hokuriku University, and National Institute of Technology (Ishikawa College), along with several local companies. The hackathon consisted of three stages.

The first stage was a one-day ideation workshop, during which participants learned about Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and technology, chose the SDG topic they wanted to address, and engaged in team building.

The second stage was an online training session, where each participant received hands-on training on how to use the M5Stack.

In the third stage, lasting two days, participants worked on creating solutions to SDG-related problems. Throughout the hackathon, 27 participants worked on seven different projects.

Although Raspberry Pi is a well-known hardware platform for learning AI/IoT, and many hackathons have used Raspberry Pi, this event utilized the M5Stack. The M5Stack is a compact microcontroller module that integrates peripherals such as an ESP32 with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth wireless communication capabilities, color LCD display, buttons, speaker, microSD card slot, and battery into a 5cm x 5cm square package.

The M5Stack can be developed using UIFlow, a visual programming tool with a GUI, which allows even inexperienced programmers to learn from the documentation. There are numerous modules, such as sensors and actuators, that can be easily connected to the M5Stack. Additionally, a wide variety of libraries are available for using the sensors, making it accessible for those with no experience in electronics design to tackle the project.

This presentation shows the prototypes created by the students and the feedback received from the event. According to the results of a questionnaire given to the participants, more than 80% of the respondents rated the event as excellent, while the rest considered it good. All participants answered feedback expressing their satisfaction with attending the event.