Welcome to the CareXR Hack!

Welcome to McGillXR’s CareXR Hackathon 2026, where innovation meets collaboration! We are excited to present a range of challenge areas to inspire and challenge participants.

Challenge Streams

Child & Family Wellbeing 

1. Healthcare

Participants in this track are invited to develop immersive tools that improve the quality of health care for children and families or address challenges in health care delivery, resources, and processes.

Projects might include therapies for pain management, immersive training for healthcare providers, or tools for children and their families to understand medical treatments. The goal is to leverage technology to create brighter, healthier futures for patients and families.

2. Education

This track challenges participants to design solutions that support learning and equitable access to education for children and families.

Projects might focus on creating tools that help individuals with ADHD train their attention and focus, or tools that transport learners to historical places or allow them to interact with ancient artifacts. These innovations will make learning and education more accessible, engaging, and impactful for diverse audiences.

3. Society

Participants in this category will aim to address social justice challenges and issues that impact children and families in the greater society. 

Projects could include immersive environments that foster social connection and mental well-being for the elderly, or create an experience that allows someone to better understand what it's like living with a disability. This track aims to help all individuals to thrive in their communities.

Sponsor Tracks

Snap Spectacles : Dream it. Build it.

Challenge Description

Create a Lens on Spectacles that pushes the boundaries of wearable AR. Whether it's leveraging AI, promoting health, building dream worlds, or solving everyday problems, showcase how Spectacles can enhance real-world experiences in innovative ways.

Requirements

What to Build

Build a Lens on Spectacles that showcases one or more of the following:

● The power of AI on AR glasses with experimental camera access

● How Spectacles can be used to be fit and healthy

● How one can create a world of their dreams

● How to get everyday utility around the house or office

Centre for Digital Brain Therapies (CBDT): Cooperative Brain Health

The Centre for Digital Brain Therapies is sponsoring a prize for immersive/interactive tools that strengthen brain health across the lifespan. Projects should promote cognitive and emotional wellbeing through play, communication, and healthy routines, and may be designed for home, school, clinic, or community settings.
Projects might include family-based cognitive games or personalized apps that build either attention, executive function, sensory function, memory or cognitive engagement in people with disabilities and/or older adults; solutions that reduce caregiver burden and burnout for families; accessible tools that help families understand and support brain-related disabilities (e.g., interactive, collaborative or personalized experiences that build empathy and practical strategies for living with a brain condition).

• Functionality
  Project is functional and components work smoothly.
• Creativity and Innovation
  Project proposes novel concepts or solutions.
• Art and Audio
  Art and audio quality, distinctiveness, and the extent to which it enhances the user experience.
• Delivery (Pitch)
  States the project's strengths and value propositions clearly and persuasively.
• Impact
  Project has far-reaching impact or addresses critical problems.