Ákos K. Vida

Talks, Media & Hobbies

Talks, Media & Hobbies

I give talks, from school ceremonies in Budapest to the TEDxAtlanta Youth stage. Away from engineering I throw pots, turn wood on the lathe, play racquetball and fly RC planes.

A thrown pot glazed in bright interlocking colours, held in one hand.

Public Speaking

A good idea still has to be explained well. I have spoken at year-opening and award ceremonies, MCed the Budapest III. District student mayorship’s concerts, debated, and given two TED-style talks at Milestone Institute’s Galileo Night, one on my robot arm and one on the adaptive controller, each to 100+ people. At Georgia Tech I have pitched AdaptaPlay on stage and on live television.

Speaking at a lectern during a conference presentation.

Campaign speech at year opening ceremony for 2024 Milestone Senior Year Representative position.

Hosting a student concert on stage with a co-presenter.

MCing for the Budapest III. District Mayorship’s yearly student musical performances.

The Miniventure pitch competition winners holding their trophies.

Photo taken after 2025 Georgia Tech Miniventure Pitch Competition.

Talks & Media

  • October 2026: speaker at TEDxAtlanta Youth, on what building AdaptaPlay taught me about designing gaming technology for people with disabilities.
  • April 2026: the USG competition win, covered by Georgia Tech.
  • March 2026: panelist at InnoSummit 2026 on Hungarian, European and international youth science competitions, and a finalist in the InVenture Prize finals broadcast live on Georgia Public Broadcasting.
  • 2025: after ISEF, coverage in more than 20 Hungarian outlets, with appearances on Duna TV, HírTV and Jazzy Rádió.
  • October 2023: opening presentation at the 33rd National Science and Innovation Olympiad, followed by an interview on TV2.
Split screen from InnoSummit 2026: the audience and panel stage in Budapest on the left, Ákos Vida joining by video on the right.

Joining the InnoSummit 2026 youth innovators panel by video, March 2026.

Volunteering

Hungarian Red Cross first-aid volunteers on the Danube bank.

Volunteering for Hungarian Red Cross; provided assistance and first aid to those injured on Danube beach.

Volunteers staffing the district holiday toy drive stall.

Volunteering with the student mayorship team at our winter food-drive for the homeless.

Pottery

In my first semester at Georgia Tech I started going to Paper and Clay, the campus pottery studio, and I have been working on my throwing and glazing since.

A thrown pot with a pierced outer wall and a blue glaze.
A thrown pot glazed in bright interlocking colours, held in one hand.
A thrown vase glazed in orange and yellow.

Woodworking

I also started woodworking at Georgia Tech, mostly on the wood lathe, and hold the Invention Studio’s wood lathe certification.

A ribbed grey pot thrown on the wheel.
A turned wooden vessel on its mounting block, made on the wood lathe.

Other things I do

I play drums, guitar and handpan, and I mountain bike (1st in the under-15 Balaton MTB Marathon, 2020). During the Danube flood in September 2024 I started kayaking to school along the river. At Georgia Tech I fly RC planes with the Rotor Jackets club and play racquetball.