HackEPS-useit-ELCOMBO

Police have found a dead person in the middle of the main square. The police detected via DNA test that the deceased person is named Juan Martín de Gales.

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Inspiration

Our inspiration stemmed from the excitement of tackling challenges that test both our technical skills and problem-solving creativity. We wanted to embrace the spirit of exploration and innovation, using the hackathon as an opportunity to face unique puzzles and work together towards a common goal.

What it does

This project aimed to solve diverse challenges such as:

  • Decrypting encoded messages using classical and modern techniques (e.g., Caesar cipher).
  • Extracting meaningful information from images, including analyzing text and visual patterns.
  • Processing geometric data to identify specific shapes, such as squares or rectangles, based on coordinate points.

Each task contributed to solving the overall hackathon puzzle, combining different disciplines like cryptography, geometry, and data analysis.

How we built it

We utilized a variety of tools and methodologies, including:

  1. Python as the primary programming language, chosen for its versatility in handling tasks like data processing, geometry calculations, and text extraction.
  2. Specialized libraries such as Pillow for image analysis and itertools for generating data combinations.
  3. Teamwork: By distributing the tasks effectively among the team, we ensured that each challenge was approached with the appropriate skills and expertise while maintaining seamless integration of the solutions.

Challenges we ran into

Some notable obstacles we encountered were:

  • Cryptography: Understanding and correctly implementing encryption techniques, especially under time constraints, pushed us to think creatively and logically.
  • Image processing: Extracting text from images required tools we were less familiar with, and the varying image quality added an extra layer of complexity.
  • Geometric analysis: Working with coordinate data to identify specific patterns or forms, like squares, demanded a strong grasp of both logic and mathematics, as well as efficient optimization.
  • Time pressure: Balancing problem-solving, coding, and learning new techniques within limited timeframes was both challenging and rewarding.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

  • Successfully solving intricate problems that required combining skills in cryptography, image analysis, and geometry.
  • Quickly learning and applying unfamiliar tools and techniques to complete the tasks.
  • Collaborating effectively as a team to distribute work, brainstorm solutions, and deliver results under pressure.
  • Overcoming technical and logical roadblocks by staying focused, adaptable, and solution-oriented.

What we learned

  • Foundations of cryptography: We gained hands-on experience with encryption and decryption methods, such as the Caesar cipher and others.
  • Image processing: We learned to use libraries and tools for extracting text and identifying patterns in images.
  • Geometric problem-solving: Handling coordinate-based problems taught us new approaches to logic and computational geometry.
  • Teamwork and adaptability: The hackathon helped us hone our ability to collaborate effectively and divide tasks efficiently.
  • Learning on the fly: We developed the confidence to quickly grasp and implement new concepts and technologies, even when they seemed unfamiliar at first.
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