MIT Reality Hack Has Become a Focal Point for US East Coast XR Devs & Entrepreneurs

Whereas the XR business’s main hubs are targeting the West Coast of the US, the MIT Actuality Hack hackathon has change into a focus for XR builders and entrepreneurs on the East Coast of the US. Now in its eight yr, the occasion has expanded with new alternatives for business dialogue and networking because of the concurrently held EXPERIENTIAL Convention. Govt Director Maria Rice presents an outline of this yr’s hackathon and winners.

Visitor Article by Maria Rice

Maria is the Govt Director of MIT Actuality Hack. For the final eight years, she has been instrumental in positioning the Hack because the world’s main experiential expertise group by the event of packages just like the EXPERIENTIAL Innovation Convention, the Actuality Students variety fund, and the startup-focused Actuality Hack Founders Lab.

From January 23–27, lots of of high hackers-for-good—together with a roster of tech OGs and startup founders—descended on the MIT campus to attend the eighth annual MIT Actuality Hack, the premiere hackathon for experiential expertise.

The Hack was sponsored by a spread of worldwide gamers on the intersection of XR, AI, and deeptech. With AI growth help from Lambda Labs, contributors constructed purposeful prototypes utilizing Meta Quest 3, Snap Spectacles, Qualcomm’s RB3g2 robotics kits, ShapesXR, Cognitive 3D, and STYLY.

Some of the notable traits of this yr’s MIT Actuality Hack was the introduction of latest {hardware} kits, together with MEMS-based AR lenses from Maradin, a haptic exoskeleton from Haptikos, and an array of neurosensing gear from OpenBCI, together with the Galea biosensing headset.

With an unapologetic mission of hacking for good, MIT Actuality Hack is most memorably distinguished by the dynamic vitality generated by its contributors and organizers. The five-day occasion stretched the hacking skills of some 600 contributors to the restrict, producing 78 progressive use circumstances and functions in XR and adjoining tech.

Successful tasks included YEIGO, an AR software for guaranteeing that mobility aids (like walkers) are used with appropriate posture; CAREGIVR, an immersive platform for making ready households and caregivers for end-of-life care; and Tac-Man, a haptic enter gadget for sculpting in VR.

Take a look at the complete listing of the 2025 winners in all {hardware} and software program classes.

EXPERIENTIAL Convention Expands MIT Actuality with New Alternatives for Trade Dialogue and Networking

Held alongside the MIT Actuality Hack occasion, international attendees introduced on the first-ever EXPERIENTIAL Innovation Convention at MIT; a one-day occasion envisioned as a ‘Davos of the spatial tech business’. Reducing-edge analysis into essentially the most difficult deeptech was demonstrated and debated inside the context of studying innovation, vertical functions, and international growth.

EXPERIENTIAL Convention was sponsored by IEEE Spectrum, Qualcomm, and Helsinki-based pioneer Distance Applied sciences.

Partially to help the ‘hack-to-market’ initiative of the Founders Lab (one in all Actuality Hack’s group subprograms), EXPERIENTIAL featured two thrilling firm launches:

Restrict Labs, based by the leaders of VR/AR MIT, launched RoomSeed, a groundbreaking genAI software knowledgeable by rigorous analysis.

Haptics firm Haptikos launched with a brand new hand exoskeleton that brings a way of contact to XR apps at a dramatically low value level with twice the precision of earlier options.

Startup demos additionally included MIT spinout Three Area Lab and AI merchandise from AUR+A, and Taiwan-based Meta Intelligence.

EXPERIENTIAL is formed by the mandate set forth to increase Actuality Hack’s inclusive expertise focus past hacking and into the zeitgeist in the direction of the promotion of creator economies. This system journeyed deep into the realms of each tutorial analysis and the enterprise market.

The convention kicked off with a fireplace chat between two well-known names within the business: Tim Bajarin, founding analyst and Chairman of Inventive Methods and Anshel Sag, principal analyst at Moor Insights & Technique, who expounded over the course of an hour on the state of the XR business, as moderated by AR pioneer Dan Cui.

Bajarin additionally participated as a first-time choose on the Hack and wrote up his ideas on Forbes, calling his expertise “one of many highlights of my profession”, after 40+ years within the tech business.

The EXPERIENTIAL keynote was give by Qualcomm’s Senior VP & GM of XR, Ziad Asghar who explored the rising synergy of AI capabilities in XR gadgets, and the significance of occasions like MIT Actuality hack in incubating the concepts and expertise that drive quickly evolving industries.

Later within the convention a panel protecting International Initiatives In the direction of a Sustainable Future, noticed MIT Senior Lecturer Ken Zolot reasonable a dialog between keyholders representing the United Nations (UNICC), The World Financial institution Group, Inclusive AI Lab, and Qualcomm, and futurist & International VP at HTC, Alvin Wang Graylin.

Panelists shared how they leverage experiential expertise and hackathon initiatives to empower creator communities, drive financial progress, and allow new, extra inclusive human experiences throughout industries and areas.

As famous by AWE co-founder and Actuality Hack associate Ori Inbar: “XR goes mainstream, however to totally obtain this purpose we’d like extra seasoned XR builders and newcomers of every kind to create numerous spatial experiences that matter to each single particular person on the planet. That’s the way you conquer the mainstream!”

Firms interested by taking part within the 2026 MIT Actuality Hack and the EXPERIENTIAL Innovation Convention could attain out to the convention by contacting me right here.