Neurotech@Berkeley Hackathon Culminates in Winning Project

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neurotech at berkeley
Photo Credit: Neurotech@Berkeley

The undergraduate club at UC Berkeley, Neurotech@Berkeley, hosted their hackathon at the Bakar BioEnginuity Hub, marking a significant milestone for our community. Sponsored by NVIDIA, Joinable, Inc., OpenBCI, and the Neurotech Collider Lab, the event was not only a testament to the burgeoning interest in neurotechnology, but also a showcase of the remarkable creativity and dedication of the next generation of neurotech innovators. With the prompt “How can Neurotech be used to increase accessibility?” teams embarked on a journey to explore the intersection of technology and accessibility, utilizing NVIDIA’s GPU Hardware to bring their ideas to life.

The atmosphere was electric as participants delved into a diverse range of challenges, from harnessing the power of AI and machine learning to devising sustainable tech solutions.

Among the standout projects was the winning entry—a groundbreaking EEG YouTube solution. This project, spearheaded by Ludovico Federici, Augustin Tsang, Parth Desai, and Jason Yang, leveraged the Muse S 4-channel EEG Headset in conjunction with the OpenAI API to enhance the accessibility of online lectures. By analyzing EEG signals, the system detected moments when viewers were either fully engaged or experiencing confusion. At the conclusion of the video, the program utilized the video transcript to provide simplified summaries of sections where user focus was deemed insufficient, supporting comprehension of complex content.

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Photo Credit: Neurotech@Berkeley

The success of this project not only underscores the impressive technical abilities of the winning team but also highlights their unwavering commitment to inclusivity and accessibility in education—a theme that resonated throughout the hackathon.

The spirit of the event extended far beyond the realm of competition. Participants embraced collaboration, freely sharing ideas and knowledge, and offering encouragement to one another. It was a testament to the supportive and inclusive nature of the community we hope to cultivate at the Neurotech Collider Lab—a community driven by a shared vision of harnessing technology for positive change.