VRS Hackathon 2025

VRS Hackathon 2025 Challenge – Feel the future!
Teams have 30.5 hours to develop a VR application that uses the provided haptic gloves (mandatory) to improve some aspect of the experience. Haptic cushions are available but optional and limited in number and possibly be shared with others.

The Task

• Prototype in context: Create a coherent interactive scenario, not just a “tech demo” with placeholders or cubes. Interactors (objects, buttons, tools, etc.) should look and behave as intended in their environment, with haptics integrated meaningfully. The environment does not need to be large or complex, but it should provide context that makes sense for the haptic interactions.
• Pitch & justify: Explain what improves, why it matters, and why haptics make it better. Argue why your use of haptics is novel, whether by inventing new interactions or creatively improving existing ones like those part of the template. Describe what measures you would include in a proper experiment to show that your implementation improves the experience (e.g., task performance, realism, presence, enjoyment).
• Demonstrate a comparison: Each team must implement conditions that allow the jury to directly compare their implementation against a baseline, to let the jury experience the improvement themselves. This could be: with vs. without haptics, or original template interactor vs. improved interactor. The conditions must be functional and switchable so the jury can directly experience the claimed improvement.

Judging Criteria

• Technical execution (50%): Quality of haptic integration, stability, fidelity of feedback, and polish of the interactive scenario.
• Pitch & rationale (30%): Clarity of the improvement claim, why it matters, and strength of the proposed measures for testing it scientifically.
• Novelty (20%): Originality of haptic use, either through new interactions or meaningful improvements of existing ones.

Constraints

Gloves are mandatory; cushions optional. Teams are not penalized for not using them. If cushions are integrated in a way that coherently enhances the glove-based interaction, this can positively contribute to the novelty score. Content must remain appropriate (no violent or sexual themes). In case of doubt, talk to the hackathon team.

In short: Show us your haptic idea in context, explain why it matters, and let us feel the difference against a baseline.