On 4 May 2026, Clermont Auvergne INP, the engineering institute of Clermont Auvergne University, hosted a hackathon focused on the remanufacturing of deformable industrial products, with particular attention to the footwear sector.
Held within the framework of the REMAIN project, the activity brought together fourth-year engineering students for a full day of collaborative work aimed at exploring innovative solutions for the remanufacturing, sorting and automated reuse of footwear through advanced technologies.
During the hackathon, participants worked on the design of a robotic system capable of detecting, identifying and classifying shoes according to their condition. To this end, the proposed system used a camera mounted on a UR3e robotic arm to visually inspect the products, apply artificial intelligence-based methods for defect detection, and automatically sort the footwear into different areas according to its condition.
The initiative addressed key technical challenges related to the automation of remanufacturing processes, such as system calibration, visual perception, defect detection, robot control, bin-picking and overall system integration.
A total of 22 students, organised into five working teams, took part in the development of functional prototypes and technological concepts linked to robotics and artificial intelligence. Throughout the day, the teams combined their knowledge of engineering, programming, computer vision and automation to respond to the challenges posed by the project.
The hackathon concluded with a final demonstration open to teaching staff and students, where the teams presented the results achieved and showcased their proposals for automated footwear sorting systems. This session helped raise awareness of the REMAIN project and share the progress made during the activity.
Overall, the event highlighted the potential of collaboration between academia, technology and innovation to move towards more sustainable solutions for managing industrial products at the end of their life cycle. It also underlined the role of robotics and artificial intelligence as key tools to promote new models of remanufacturing, recycling and circular economy in the Sudoe area.
Project partners
The REMAIN project is coordinated by Inescop – Footwear Technology Centre, with the participation of the Universities of Zaragoza, Alicante, Coimbra, and Clermont Auvergne INP; the Federation of Spanish Footwear Industries (FICE); and the companies SMA-RTY, Automática y Control Numérico S.L., and AIDA CCI, with the social association Proyecto Lázaro acting as a collaborating partner.