Price: Free
Join CoCreate+ for the Kick-Off Day of Hacky Racers, a high-energy, hands-on hackathon that fuses puppetry, animatronics, robotics and racing! Over a series of creative workshops and online sessions, young innovators aged 12–18 will design, build, and program their own semi-autonomous RC rovers — bringing imagination to life through movement, mechanics, and performance.
The project combines STEM, art, and storytelling in a way that’s as fun as it is educational. Whether you’re into coding, 3D printing, crafting, or creative design, there’s a place for you on the Hacky Racers starting grid!
Kick-Off Day
Kick off the Hacky Racers challenge! Teams will form, race rules will be shared, and the building begins.
Across three immersive sessions, you’ll design, code, and create your own unique racing machine:
1️⃣ Build Your RC Car
Assemble your RC Car chassis and learn the basics of wiring (materials provided).
2️⃣ Level Up – Semi-Autonomous Rovers
Upgrade your RC with sensors and microcontrollers to enable self-driving capabilities and smart navigation (using Scratch or Python).
3️⃣ Create Interactive Puppets & Models
Bring creativity to life! Using cardboard, LEGO, or 3D printing, design and animate your model with servos and sensors to add personality and motion.
Image provided by CoCreate+
What happens next?
Participants will be invited to join evening online meetups to collaborate with their team, refine the design, code their microcontrollers, troubleshoot sensor setups, and perfect the project before race day on Saturday 29 November.
Monday 24 November - 6-7.30pm
Online RC Build
Wednesday 26 November - 6-7.30pm
Automate builds
Friday 28 November - 6-7.30pm
3D modeling puppets
About Hacky Racers
Hacky Racers is a project by CoCreate+ commissioned by Culture Within Newham, with support from University of the Arts London (UAL) and London Design & Engineering UTC. Learn more about Hacky Racers on their Project page.
Hacky Racers was commissioned as one of Culture Within Newham’s Micro-Commissions for Newham. Meet the rest of the Micro-Commissions.
About CoCreate+
CoCreate+ is a social venture led by Leon Barker that originated at University of Arts London with the aim of creating experiential learning modules for people of all ages. CoCreate+ was founded in 2025, and Leon Barker has previously presented work at Venice Bienalle, and worked with London Fashion Week, Punchdrunk, Les Enfants Terribles, Hitatchi, Science Museum London, Google, and more.
Access information
Please refer to our venue’s Accessibility Plan, and their dedicated SEND (Special Educational Needs & Disabilities) Policy.
UTC also has an “Access Arrangements Policy” on their site.
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