AI+VR Rise Hackathon

Is it possible to program a personable chatbot in VR without the Uncanny Valley feeling? Is narrow artificial intelligence able to enhance our experience in virtual environmets?

AI+VR Rise Hackathon is the place where we aim to answer these questions. This is a hands-on brain smashdown where the best mentors, data partners and judges will guide the teams through a set of challenges:

• Can you build a smart avatar for VR games?
• How would you enhance VR/MR simulations using deep learning, SpatialOS, and computer vision?
• Given state of the art gear, and access to interesting data sets, what's the best application of AI in VR in merely 24 hours?

Mentors

We have carefully selected and invited mentors in both AI and VR to guide you through, and help you get set up quicker. 

Dr. Harish Narayanan, computational science Ph.D, Lead Engineer at @Edgefolio TensorFlow & deep learning teacher

Mihai Suteu, Data Scientist @Status Today, working in research on Machine Learning, Neural Networks and Time Series

Ph.D Daniel Duma, based at Alan Turing Insitute, expert in Natural Language Processing and data retrieval, selected for the Amazon Alexa prize

Shaun Dunne, Co-founder at Studio Zero

Gear and technologies

You will have access to pre-trained smartbots, data sets and VR headsets, kindly provided by our event partners. More details will be provided after signing up for the event, in the weeks preceding the hackathon.

Additional technologies provided by our partners, including SpatialOS and Microsoft Cognitive Services, will be available. 

Hack schedule

The hackathon is 24 hours long, and all registered participants will receive a detailed schedule a few weeks prior.

Day 1
9am - Arrive and get your kit set-up before hack begins. Coffee + Breakfast
10am - Welcome & brief. Teams pitch ideas, pick challenges from the Idea Box. Team matchmaking. The Realities Centre Team will introduce mentors, topics and the rules for the next 24 hours.
12pm - Hacking begins
1pm - Lunch break
4 - 6pm - Mentorship 1:1s
7pm - Dinner and mingling
9pm - Hack & Snack

Day 2
9am - Coffee + Breakfast
12pm - Last mentor sessions 1:1s
3pm - Hack ceases.
Teams take 1 hour preparation time for demos and presentations.
4pm - The Realities Centre Team will introduce judges. Demos begin.
5pm - Deliberation. Winners announced
6 - 9pm - Party time!

Partners

Can I contact the organiser with questions

Join as a partner, sponsor, speaker or mentor for either AI+VR Rise Conference or AI+VR Rise Hackathon. For sponsorship, get in touch with Thomas Gere. For everything else, get in touch with Catalina Butnaru.

FAQ

> Do I need to know how to code to join?
Diversity is key in a team! Hackathons are focused on the creation that includes a variety of competencies, If you have any doubts, don’t hesitate to get in touch.

> I don’t have a team, can I join by myself?
Teams will be formed on site so just bring yourself and meet the rest of the attendees on Saturday morning.

> Do I need to bring my own laptop/PC?
Please bring your own computer, only the HTC Vive Virtual Reality kit will be provided.

Can’t join us? Stay tuned on social media @RealitiesCentre and follow our Facebook live stream. We will share many insights using the hashtag: #AIVR.