LIDA Immersive Technologies Virtual Brain Bus Hackathon 2026

LIDA Immersive Technologies Community invites you to join us for a one-day interdisciplinary hackathon to design and advance a prototype for the “Brain Bus” - a mobile, interactive neuroscience outreach platform. Building on an existing virtual model, this event aims to bring together developers, researchers, UX specialists, and evaluation experts to refine the prototype and create a clear roadmap towards a deployable vehicle.

Places are limited and selection is based on ensuring a balanced mix of skills.

Prize money totalling over £2000 will be awarded for outstanding contributions.

🚌 What is the Brain Bus?

The Brain Bus will be a mobile, immersive brain health platform designed to bring interactive neuroscience directly into communities whilst collecting high-quality brain health and wellbeing data.

So far, a virtual model has been developed using Unity. The purpose of this hackathon is to:

• Strengthen and improve the current prototype
• Define a clear evaluation framework to test the experience with real users
• Identify practical, ethical, and strategic considerations for real-life deployment
• Produce a clear roadmap for developing the Brain Bus from prototype to scalable product

By the end of the hackathon, we aim to have a structured development plan covering technical improvements, evaluation design, deployment considerations, and next-stage funding opportunities.

💻How will the hackathon work?

Participants will work in small, mixed-expertise groups across three interconnected working groups:

1. Unity & Technical Development

Improving the virtual model, refining interactivity, enhancing usability, and strengthening overall design architecture.

2. User Evaluation & Impact

Defining target audiences, designing evaluation protocols, selecting behavioural and experiential measures, and planning data capture and ethics.

3. Product Roadmap & Deployment

Addressing scalability, sustainability, governance, partnerships, community delivery models, and pathways to full implementation.

The day will combine short framing inputs, two focused sprint sessions, cross-group critique, and a final synthesis session to consolidate and condense outputs into a practical roadmap.

🔬Who should apply?

We are looking for a mixed cohort of up to 20 participants, including:

• Unity and immersive technology developers
• Neuroscience, psychology, data science, or brain health researchers
• UX and user research specialists
• Evaluation and impact researchers
• Public engagement and community research colleagues
• Individuals with experience translating prototypes into deployed products

You do not need to attend with a pre-formed team. Groups will be structured on the day to ensure complementary skills.

📚Application & Selection Process

This is a selection-based event.

To ensure the right balance of technical, evaluation, and strategic expertise, participants will be selected based on:

• Relevant skills and experience
• Indicated area of interest

• Contribution to overall group balance

When registering, you will be asked to provide:

• Your role and affiliation
• Relevant skills and tools (e.g. Unity, UX methods, evaluation design, data analysis)
• Which strand you would prefer to contribute to
• Any dietary or accessibility requirements

Selected participants will receive confirmation by email with preparatory materials and access to the current virtual model before the event.

🏆Prizes

We have over £2000 in total prize money to recognise contributions made during the day.

Prizes will include:

• Team awards for exceptional outputs
• Individual awards for outstanding contribution, creativity, collaboration, or problem-solving

Awards will be announced at the end of the day.

⏰ Provisional Schedule

09:30 - Arrival and coffee
10:00 - Welcome and Brain Bus prototype demonstration
10:45 - Challenge framing and group formation
11:15 - Sprint session 1
12:30 - Lunch
13:15 - Sprint session 2
14:45 - Cross-group sharing and critique
15:30 - Roadmap synthesis
16:15 - Awards and closing
16:30 - End of hackathon

🔧Practical Information

• Please note that this is an in-person event only. No hybrid working is possible.
• Catering will be provided throughout the day.
• Please bring your own laptop!
• Venue details will be confirmed to selected participants ahead of the event.

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Host or Publisher Leeds Institute for Data Analytics