01 · main focus
Humanitarian tech
Our first priority is helping people in conflict zones: warning of danger, helping the injured, supporting rehabilitation and rebuilding life after conflict.
[ student tech club · Munich · TUM accreditation in progress ]
def milch(tech):
A student tech club founded by TUM students. We use technology to reduce the human cost of war: hands-on projects, hackathons, talks, and a bridge between the Munich and Ukrainian tech scenes.
about
Why we exist
The number of armed conflicts has grown this decade. Wars like the one in Ukraine cost thousands of lives and disrupt the future of millions. For Europe, this makes two questions more urgent: how to stay safe, and how to help people affected beyond its borders.
def milch(tech): is a group of students who want to use their technical skills to reduce the human cost of war. The club is open to all students, regardless of nationality or field of study.
02 · open debate
Defence and security
Defence and security technology matters for Europe and deserves an open, informed debate. At our events we want to discuss how technology changes conflicts, how to protect civilians and infrastructure, and how to prevent future wars, with experts, researchers and people from industry. As a club, we do not develop lethal weapons.
>>> help(milch)
What's in the name
- def
- Python keyword that defines a function. Also: defence.
- milch
- German for milk.
milch != mil # care comes first - (tech)
- The argument: technology.
Takes technology. Returns protection.
what we do
Build, compete, debate, connect.
What the club is built for. We are just starting, so most of this is planned for the coming months.
- 01
Projects
Hands-on projects in ML/CV, hardware, drones and humanitarian tech, built by small student teams. The first ones start in summer 2027.
- 02
Hackathons
We plan to send teams to hackathons, including defence-tech hackathons, and to pick non-lethal, civilian challenges such as protecting people and infrastructure. We also want to run our own mini-hackathon.
- 03
Talks & debates
The def milch(tech): talks series with founders, engineers and researchers, starting in early 2027.
- 04
Network
A bridge between TUM students, Munich startups and the Ukrainian tech ecosystem, including security and resilience tech.
projects
Project ideas
Engineering problems with a humanitarian edge. These are ideas and early research, not finished products.
- P-01Idea
Finding missing people from a drone
Detect people in aerial footage from a small drone to speed up search and rescue after floods, earthquakes or in the mountains. We start with open aerial datasets and a YOLO-based detector, then move to a field test with an onboard computer.
- ML/CV
- Drones
- Humanitarian
- P-02Idea
Predicting landmine risk from 3D terrain scans
Combine drone 3D scans of the terrain with open geodata to estimate which areas are most likely to be mined. Not a mine detector, but a tool that helps humanitarian demining teams decide where to survey first.
- ML/CV
- Drones
- Humanitarian
- P-03Idea
Drone navigation where GPS fails
Under bridges, in forests, indoors or under interference, GPS becomes unreliable. We want to test visual navigation: estimating position from a downward-facing camera against a map, first in simulation (PX4, Gazebo), then on a small test drone. For civilian use: infrastructure inspection, search and rescue, and mapping indoors or under bridges.
- ML/CV
- Drones
- P-04Idea
Wearable vital-signs monitor for first responders
A low-cost wearable built on an ESP32 with pulse, oxygen and temperature sensors. A small on-device model flags dangerous changes, so paramedics and disaster-relief teams can keep an eye on several injured people at once.
- ML/CV
- Hardware
- Humanitarian
- P-05Idea
Open-source prosthetic hand
A 3D-printed hand controlled by muscle signals (EMG), building on existing open-source designs. The goal is a low-cost prototype for people who lost a hand, including survivors of landmine accidents, and a project where mechanics, electronics and ML students work together.
- Hardware
- Humanitarian
> Have an idea? Join and build it with us.
talks
Talks & debates
The def milch(tech): talks series brings founders, engineers and researchers on stage. Topics we want to put up for discussion:
- 01
Humanitarian demining with 3D scans and machine learning
Talk - 02
How bot farms work, and how to spot disinformation online
Talk - 03
Building hardware fast: short feedback loops from field tests to the next prototype
Talk - 04
Open source or closed: who should have access to powerful technology?
Debate - 05
Dual-use technology: should universities work on it, and where is the line?
Debate - 06
What can Europe's tech scene learn from Ukraine's speed of innovation?
Debate - 07
Tech sovereignty: Europe's dependence on chips and components from abroad
Panel
Want to speak or suggest a topic? Get in touch →
roadmap
Roadmap
Where we are and where we are heading in the first year.
Oct 2026
done- Core team
- Founding meeting
Nov–Dec 2026
planned- TUM accreditation application and FSR presentation
- First public event
Jan–Mar 2027
planned- Talks series
- Our own talk event during Munich Security Conference week in February (not affiliated with MSC)
- Team at a defence-tech hackathon (non-lethal, civilian challenges)
Summer 2027
planned- 1–2 own projects (e.g. finding missing people from a drone)
- Workshop / mini-hackathon
Autumn 2027
planned- Scale the format to other universities (LMU, Aachen, Berlin)
// first-year goals
Targets for year one, not achievements.
- members · goal
- 15+
- events · goal
- 4–6
- project · goal
- 1
- partners · goal
- 2–3
events
Events
Where to meet us next.
[+] Upcoming
No dates fixed yet. New events are announced here and on our channels first.
Planned, dates to be announced
- Nov–Dec 2026Our first public event
- Jan–Mar 2027Start of the def milch(tech): talks series
- Feb 2027Our own talk event during Munich Security Conference week (not affiliated with MSC)
Follow us:LinkedIn ↗X ↗Instagram ↗
team
Team
The people building the club. Want to join the club? Get in touch →
partners
Partnering with us? Let's talk.
We are just getting started, so no partner logos yet. We are a non-profit student initiative: partners support our activities, but do not decide our content. Companies, labs and initiatives can work with us by:
- 01hosting or speaking at a talk
- 02mentoring or proposing a student project
- 03supporting a team at a hackathon
- 04sharing hardware, data or compute
join
Join us
Interested in projects, hackathons or talks? Everyone is welcome, whatever your nationality or field of study. Leave your contact and we will reach out before the next event.
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