Former Manhattan Beacher Part Of Global Engineering Challenge

MANHATTAN BEACH, CA — A former Manhattan Beach resident is part of an international trio that is working to solve a challenge, "Automated Options for SuperAdobe Building Processes." The SuperAdobe system is regarded as "a very laborious method of construction" with an intensity of labor that accounts for the vast majority of building expenses, according to a post on the CalEarth team's web page as part of the Hackaday Prize's Dream Team program. The program has awarded four teams of three a $3,000 monthly microgrant during the two-month program to aid them in their efforts.

Alex Whittemore, an electronics engineer with expertise in design for manufacture, is working with Sameera Chukkapalli and Jason Knight. Chukkapalli is an advanced architect and director of Needlab in Barcelona, Spain. Knight is a product designer interested in biological fabrication and design who lives in Eindhoven, Netherlands. All four Dream Teams are "already deep into an engineering sprint to pull together a design."

The Dream Team program is a new element of the 2020 Hackaday Prize, in which 12 people are accepted to work full-time on a specific problem for a non-profit partner this summer. Dream Team project pages detail each team's challenge and work. Whittemore, Chukkapalli, and Knight are charged with finding efficiency gains that can produce "more housing at reduced time and expense."

The Hackaday Prize is a worldwide hardware design challenge focused on globally impactful innovation. For 2020, they've partnered with leading nonprofits to tackle some of the world’s toughest problems across conservation, disaster relief, renewable resources, and assistive devices. The Hackaday Prize connects engineers, expert mentors, and other powerful resources to develop dynamic solutions for those who need it most.

Hackaday.com serves up "Fresh Hacks Every Day" from around the internet. "Our playful posts are the gold-standard in entertainment for engineers and engineering enthusiasts."

EDITOR'S NOTE: Manhattan Beach Patch reached out to Alex Whittemore after publishing the article only to find out the online Hackaday information is incorrect: Whittemore used to live in MB and has lived in Redondo Beach since 2014. MB Patch thinks this story is still an interesting story for all budding engineers.