BR41N.IO Designers' Hackathon
BR41N.IO Designers’ Hackathon is a brainstorming and collaborative marathon designed to be a learning experience for developers, technologists, engineers, students, artists, and scientists who cram and build brain-computer interface (BCI) applications together in teams.
Who can participate?
Anyone can participate who has interests in BMI, BCI, robotics, AR, VR, machine learning, computing, sensors, human-machine interface systems, control, signal processing, big data, haptics, rehabilitation, and similar areas. Even better: it is for FREE. Participants do not have to be a BMI expert to participate on a team! Interdisciplinary teams with a combination of BMI and non-BMI skills are often successful in building solutions and producing working prototypes.
What’s in there for me?
Be creative, think outside the box. The BR41N.IO Designers’ Hackathon is fun and gets you to network and collaborate with other Geeks. The best projects will be awarded cash prizes (in USD):
BCI GAMING PROJECT:
- 1st BR41N.IO Prize: $ 1000
- 2nd BR41N.IO Prize: $ 600
- 3rd BR41N.IO Prize: $ 400
BCI DATA ANALYSIS:
- 1st BR41N.IO Prize: $ 1000
- 2nd BR41N.IO Prize: $ 600
- 3rd BR41N.IO Prize: $ 400
BCI PROGRAMMING & ARTS:
- 1st BR41N.IO Prize: $ 1000
- 2nd BR41N.IO Prize: $ 600
- 3rd BR41N.IO Prize: $ 400
BCI Award Winner Presentations
Monday, October 5 | 8:00 a.m. | Grand A
Three past BCI Award winners will present their award-winning research, followed by the announcement of the next BCI Award.
Vishal Choudhari — Columbia University, USA
Real-Time Brain-Controlled Selective Hearing Enhances Speech Perception in Multi-Talker Environments
Giacomo Valle — Chalmers University, Sweden
Cortical Touch for Brain-Controlled Bionic Hands
Valeria Spagnolo — EPFL, Switzerland
An Implantable Brain-Spine Interface Restoring Lower Limb Movements After Complete Spinal Cord Injury
The session will be introduced by Christoph Guger of g.tec medical engineering GmbH. The BCI Award Winner Presentations will be broadcast at the BMI Workshop on October 5th 2026 and will be accessible online as part of the BR41N.IO 2026 Hackathon program at this link.
BMI Workshop Networking Events
Walk & Talk
Sunday, October 4 | 2:00–4:00 p.m.
Join us for an informal, self-guided walk through downtown Bellevue, with stops at Downtown Park, Meydenbauer Bay Park, Old Bellevue and several public artworks. Participants will have plenty of time to walk, explore and talk with fellow workshop attendees.
Meet outside Grand A at 2:00 p.m. No RSVP is required. The event is weather permitting.
Download the Walk & Talk information and map (PDF)
BMI Workshop Networking Lunch
Tuesday, October 6 | 12:15–1:15 p.m. | Grand A
Join fellow workshop participants for an informal networking lunch between the morning and afternoon paper sessions.
Advance registration was required for the networking lunch.