Dear SMC2017 Attendees:

You are invited to join a Brain Hackathon team at SMC2017 with over $5,000 in prizes to win! You do not have to be a BMI expert to participate on a team! Interdisciplinary teams with a combination of BMI and non-BMI skills (e.g., robotics, AR, VR, machine learning, sensors, human-machine interface systems, control, signal processing, big data, haptics, rehabilitation, and similar areas) often find successful solutions and produce working prototypes. ace is limited, please register and then email me ASAP so space can be reserved for you. The Brain Hackathon is free for everyone. Graduate students and professionals are welcome to participate and there is a limited number of slots for selected undergraduate and high school students.

This is the second year that the IEEE SMC BMI Workshop is hosting a Brain-Computer Interface Hackathon. The BCI Hackathon is a brainstorming and collaborative marathon designed to rapidly produce fully functional BCI prototypes.

The BCI Hackathon will take place on October 7-8, 2017 during the IEEE SMC 2017 Conference and provides an environment for innovation and entrepreneurship. By putting creative minds from multiple disciplines together in teams of 5 people each for a short period of time, we have the opportunity to discover and uncover possibilities for using BCI-related hardware and software not readily thought of. Hacks and innovation developed from hackathons have great potential for commercialization. There will also be a reception for all Brain Hackathon participants during the evening of Friday, July 6^th. Judging and awards will take place at the end of the day on Sunday, October 8^th.

You can participate in the IEEE SMC2017 BCI Hackathon!
Both SMC2017 attendees and non-SMC2017 attendees with interest in this area can participate - you do not have to be a BMI expert to join a team. You can also form and lead a team at the Brain Hackathon and invite colleagues at home to join your team (remotely) online. They can participate via the Internet (we have secured a 100 Mbps dedicated line) during all two days of the Brain Hackathon.

Learn more about the IEEE SMC2017 BCI Hackathon projects and teams, how to form or join one, and how to register at: www.br41n.io/Banff-2017 .

Students can compete for a spot on a team!
The student competition is still open for a few high school and undergraduate students. If you know of any qualified students, please ask them to register online: BCI Hackathon Students Competition .

Do you have other hackathon projects in mind you want added to the SMC BCI Hackathon?
Professional or other teams can also participate to develop applications (or projects) to demonstrate the full potential of either the sponsored hardware/software or their own hardware/software during the Brain Hackathon. If you are looking for team members, your team project can be added online as a SMC2017 BCI Hackathon project - where people can then apply to join your team. You may also have colleagues who not attending SMC2017 join your team (remotely) online.

The official Call for Participation: Call for Participation.
Read more about the hackathon projects: IEEE SMC 2017 BCI Hackathon .

Over $5,000 in cash and hardware prizes to win!

You and your team can win a $1,000 USD IEEE SMC Prize, a $1,000 USD IEEE Brain Initiative Prize, a $1,000 USD Qusp Prize, a $1,000 USD BR41N.IO Prize from g.tec, a $500 CAD Prize from NIRx, as well as assorted hardware/software prizes. Additional prizes are expected to be added in the future.

If you have questions, please do not hesitate to contact me or Christoph Guger at guger@gtec.at

Please also check other activities at the SMC 2017 BMI Workshop: http://go.epfl.ch/smc2017_bmi

Cheers,
Michael H. Smith
Chair 2017 IEEE SMC BMI Workshop

Senior Advisor, IEEE Brain Initiative
Past President, IEEE SMC Society
email: m.h.smith@ieee.org