What’s a Makeathon?

A Makeathon is an intense, fast-paced design sprint where students collaborate with local businesses to solve a real-world problem within five days. That’s what happened for the first time at NuVu High School the week of February 24, with two companies offering up the inaugural challenge: Cherish Health and BETA Technologies.

Cherish Health, a Boston-based startup revolutionizing home healthcare, challenged the students by asking for imaginative ideas to extend the audio capabilities of their Serenity Home Hub device—a smart speaker that can monitor health. The goal was to enhance the user experience for elderly and disabled individuals.

Although the Cherish device currently uses intelligent wall penetrating radar to track activity and biometrics across multiple rooms—its audio functions are limited. One team of students designed an extender that snaps onto the Serenity, allowing it to function in multiple rooms. The students developed multiple prototypes, designing a bundle of accessories—such as a clock, speaker, and night light—each serving a unique function in different rooms.

Cherish’s Founder and CEO, Sumit Nagpal, shared that the company is now considering an audio range extender as an accessory based on the students’ work. “We think this will help bring two-way communication, streaming music, and important sensing capabilities into additional rooms at a low expense,” he says.

Overall, Cherish was excited about the design sprint results. “The Makeathon was a resounding success for Cherish,” says Sumit. "In one short week, we co-created concepts that will move our work ahead - and we had great fun while doing it.”

BETA Technologies, a leader in sustainable aviation, asked NuVu students to design a human-centered, gamified user experience that integrates advanced tracking technologies. The goal was to improve efficiency, boost employee engagement, and ensure that team members felt empowered, respected, and excited to use the data.

One group of students recognized that constant surveillance can lead to skepticism and unease regarding tracking technologies. In response, they approached BETA’s challenge through a privacy-centric approach.

Noticing that BETA has electric scooters in their factory, the students proposed tracking scooters rather than individual employees, to provide anonymous data regarding worker centric tasks throughout the large facility. During a Zoom call from an airport between flights, BETA CIO Blain Newton enthusiastically recognized the system’s potential to enhance efficiency

BETA's Product Coordinator John Benoit (also on Zoom) acknowledged his love for the scooter idea. “By getting data from the scooters, you're respecting our team members' privacy, and getting them involved in a fun kind of way—all the while securing data that's going to help us to make better decisions and begin conversations.”

Another group of students proposed the idea of a tracking device linked to BETA ID badges. Fully anonymous, data would be translated into live maps, offering a view of flow and productivity.

"The NuVu students tackled this challenge with the kind of entrepreneurial drive and respectful collaboration that we value deeply at BETA,” says BETA CIO Blain Newton. “They weren’t afraid to take risks, ask tough questions, and iterate quickly—exactly what it takes to make meaningful progress. The process is a testament to what happens when fresh perspectives meet real-world challenges."

The inaugural NuVu Makeathon not only provided students with real-world problem-solving experience, but also sparked ideas that companies like Cherish Health and BETA Technologies are considering for future development.

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