NeuroVR Hackathon 24

McGillXR's first hackathon brought students together to integrate neuroscience with emerging XR technologies, with 50 students building VR applications in teams.

McGillXR’s first hackathon gathered students across Montreal to learn and build together, integrating neuroscience with emerging XR technologies. Students gained technical knowledge and practical skills by developing VR applications as a team.

We received 107 applications for 70 places. Fifty students competed in a 24-hour hackathon and formed nine teams — and although most had little or no XR experience, every team submitted a project and presented it to the judges. Half were first-time hackers, and over a third were graduate or postgraduate students.

Meta supplied Quest 3 headsets for the weekend, and the Gorillazilla course gave participants a grounding in Unity and XR development before they started.

Winners

• First place — Mission Control by XRgonauts helps children prepare for MRI scans by simulating a rocket landing, reducing anxiety and movement during the procedure. The team went on to show it at the Shriners Hospitals for Children.
• Second place — MatriXReality, built for the scientific exploration track.
• SilicoLabs sponsor prize — Tipsea Dipsea uses music-induced movement and cognitive training to counter motor decline in Parkinson’s disease.
• Third place — Neural Navigators turns a child’s surroundings into the inner workings of the brain, teaching neural cell types through play.