2026 Hackaday Supercon: Workshops Are Open!
Supercon is Hackaday’s annual gathering, and also you completely should be there.
Today, we’re happy to announce our lineup of workshops, and it’s greater than we’ve ever supplied, because of shifting to an even bigger venue and to our superior group of hackers stepping as much as give them. There’s one thing right here for everybody, so if something strikes your fancy, you should definitely book yourself a slot soon. Workshops at all times refill quick, because of the small and hands-on nature of the beast.
If you’ve by no means been to Supercon, the brief model of the story is that it’s three days of hacking, hanging out, meals, drink, merriment, and nice talks all rolled into one lengthy weekend. Fridays are chilled out, and easily a good time to get to know everybody and begin enjoying round with no matter {hardware} hacks you’ve introduced alongside. Saturday and Sunday are full of talks, actions, and naturally much more hob-nobbing with the globe’s coolest nerds.
Basically, it’s all one of the best of Hackaday, made even higher by being stay and in individual. All that’s missing is you.
We have one other spherical of audio system and hopefully a badge reveal developing quickly, so keep tuned!
Josh Martin
Making 3D Images (Lenticulars) and 3D Cameras
In this workshop, members will be taught what a 3D picture seems like, the historical past behind 3D pictures, and learn how to take 3D pictures utilizing movie and digital cameras. The workshop will stroll members by way of making their very own 3D digicam with off the shelf elements, a 3D printer, and customized software program we’ve written.
Building on this basis, the workshop additionally covers the method of learn how to take the 3D pictures captured with a 3D digicam and rework them right into a bodily print referred to as a lenticular.
Everyone will get to take their very own lenticular print dwelling on the finish of this workshop.
Darcy Neal
Explore the EMF Around You
This workshop explores what EMF frequencies are, the place they arrive from, how we are able to take heed to them, and learn how to construct your personal sensing system.
Sessions finish with a sound exploration the place members go uncover what distinctive sounds they will discover. The EMF Explorer Badge is a hands-on soldering package that turns the invisible electrical exercise of on a regular basis electronics into sound. Walk round, hear, examine gadgets, and construct instinct for the alerts hiding within the fashionable globe.
If time permits, we are going to open the board file in KiCad and learn the way everybody could make their very own artistic PCB designs.
Shawn Hymel
Reinforcement Learning for Robotics
Reinforcement studying is reshaping how robots be taught to maneuver: it’s driving breakthroughs at labs like ETH Zurich, Boston Dynamics, and Disney Research, enabling robots to deal with environments and challenges they had been by no means explicitly skilled for. The excellent news is that you just don’t want a completely geared up analysis lab to get began. In this hands-on workshop, members will practice an AI agent from scratch to steadiness a two-wheeled robotic, then watch it run on actual {hardware}.
We’ll sort out two of the commonest real-world challenges in robotics: learn how to make an agent that’s truly strong and learn how to switch a coverage skilled in simulation onto a bodily robotic. By the tip of the session, attendees will depart with hands-on instinct for contemporary robotic studying.
Alessandra Noelting
Exquisite Circuit: Exquisite Corpse for Electronics
What occurs when a circuit is designed by a room full of people that can not see the entire circuit?
In this hands-on digital model of Exquisite Corpse, every participant provides a stage to a shared low-voltage circuit, conceals their work, and passes it to the following builder. Participants inherit standardized energy and sign connections – however no schematic, rationalization, or design overview.
At the tip, we reveal the entire creations, try and reconstruct their collective logic, examine them for security, and apply energy from a strictly current-limited provide. Functionality is non-obligatory. Surprise is assured.
Bob Hickman and Estefannie
Bling It On: Programming Your Own Generative Art Matrix
This is a repeat of our wildly fashionable “Bling It On” workshop kind 2025. In this intermediate-level maker workshop, you’ll be taught the basics of generative algorithms and apply them utilizing both Circuit Python or C++ to create a dynamic show that may pull knowledge over WiFi from a number of APIs and use the information to visualise some generative artwork.
The outcomes shall be stunning and sensible, and attendees will depart with a tremendous 130 mm x 130 mm LED matrix. If you missed out on our offered out workshop final yr, that is your likelihood to Bling It On!
Nathan Jones
Badge Hacking for Beginners
Calling all nerds, newbies, and first-time attendees to the world-famous Hackaday Supercon! You simply acquired your tremendous duper, neato convention badge… now what?
“Badge hacking” is a seminal a part of the Supercon expertise, however it will probably really feel intimidating to aim should you’re new to embedded programs. In this workshop, I’ll break down these obstacles for you, by explaining precisely how the badge works and what you are able to do with it.
Then I’ll stroll you thru your very first badge hacks, one software-focused and one hardware-focused, so that you just’ll have the ability to stroll round along with your very personal, one-of-a-kind, personalized convention badge. Maybe I’ll even have the ability to persuade you to indicate it off throughout the “Badge Hacking Competition” on Sunday!
Debra Ansell
Powered Flowers and Prismatic Stars: LED Wearables with Illuminated Appliqué
This workshop goes past conductive thread and sewable LEDs. Participants will learn to improve clothes and niknaks with assemblies of discreet 3D printed diffusers linked by mesh material and illuminated by addressable string lights. The result’s engaging, versatile, sturdy, and versatile, and the method will be tailored into completely different configurations and results to boost all kinds of wearables.
All elements and instruments essential to create, energy and animate LED patterns on an illuminated star- or flower- formed applique are supplied, in addition to a hat or bag to stitch the applique onto. Participants can also choose to deliver their very own merchandise to brighten. If bringing your personal piece of clothes or accent, please select one made out of sturdy material akin to denim or canvas that may help an electronics meeting.
An overview of controlling patterns and playlists with WLED will happen on the finish, that may cowl as a lot element as time permits. Participants will wish to deliver a laptop computer (best) or smartphone to hook up with and customise their wearable.
Ayesha Wilson and Alex Lynd
We have TCSM at Home! (Learn to construct your personal Antenna + Wireless Bug Hunting Tools)
Ayesha will stroll you thru the basics of antenna design – we use OpenEMS to discover antenna geometry, impedance matching, and S-parameter simulation earlier than importing the design into KiCad for PCB format. You’ll be taught to make use of a VNA for evaluating your antenna’s efficiency!
Alex will lead a brief lesson on wi-fi monitoring and a foxhunting train the place attendees will use an ESP32 based mostly console + customized antennas to find Bluetooth beacons hidden across the venue!
This workshop is newbie pleasant and can train you the fundamentals of wi-fi intelligence + PCB design, and attendees will stroll away with an academic software that may discover the RF panorama round them after the convention.
Pat Deegan
Tiny Tapeout
In this workshop, members will get the chance to design and manufacture your personal design on an ASIC!
Participants will be taught the fundamentals of digital logic, the fundamentals of how semiconductors are designed and made, learn how to use an internet digital design software to construct and simulate a easy design, and learn how to create the GDS information for manufacture on the open-source Sky130 PDK.
You could have the choice to submit your designs to be manufactured on the following shuttle as a part of the Tiny Tapeout undertaking. (Thanks to sponsorship from ChipFoundry.io.)
