“The military’s aviation community attracts talent through the Blue Angels,” said Lt. Cmdr. Arthur Anderson, of the Naval Systems Sea Command. “Well, HACKtheMACHINE is our Blue Angels for geeks. We want to attract the attention of talented people who might have not thought of serving in the Navy, whether as a Sailor or civilian.”The program’s most famous “track” is its cybersecurity challenge, where the final “game” every year is “breaking in” to a warship or a Navy testbed. But this year, its third track is all about 3D printing. The exact goal of the “Heavy Metal” track is not explained on the HackTheMachine website, only that it will be a metallic 3D printing challenge “related to the Covid 19 pandemic.” Participants will be asked to make a data package and send in a printed prototype to be tested.

This year’s Heavy Metal track, focused on metallic 3D printing, will award $30,000 in prize money (Image via NAVSEA).

While HackTheMachine is best-known for its cybersecurity challenge (where participants “hack” into Navy ships) this year’s competition features a track focussed around metallic 3D printing (Image via NAVSEA).
“Although the competition’s goal is for teams to showcase their talent, the ultimate goal is to leverage the data and techniques from the challenges to build a roadmap with which the Navy can expand its cybersecurity practices,” says Anderson.
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