“I am going to a hackathon!”
One of our team members told us about a neurotech hackathon run by the Imperial College London Neurotech Society. It sounded like a lot of fun, with many people interested in neurotechnology. Of course, this was an opportunity our whole team wasn’t going to miss.
So, we decided to travel over the weekend to participate in the hackathon. In fact, I was joining as part of Cambridge NeuroWorks and also as a judge. We had to opt out of participating in the competition itself, but we wanted to be in an environment where everyone is passionate about supporting brain health.
Brainstorming sessions always become philosophical discussions
The event ran throughout Saturday and Sunday, and our team arrived just in time to meet with our extended team members who joined us for the duration of the hackathon. Our aim was to focus on developing the application platform’s wireframe and backend. One of the key things we wanted to work on was ensuring that the backend was developed smoothly so that we could build on top of it.
Brainstorming around what is important for us to consider when ensuring user experience quickly became a philosophical discussion about the importance of our users having a safe space that is for themselves, not for anyone else. It was a great conversation to have at 2 o’clock in the morning. 🙂
Creating a Safe Space for you
With the rapid advancement of modern technology, we are constantly overwhelmed with information and communication through social media, online articles, emails, and more. This constant influx has been shown to increase anxiety and stress, as revealed in the articles and interviews we’ve been conducting. The overstimulation caused by urbanisation adds further challenges, with individuals facing a never-ending stream of auditory, visual, and tactile input.
Rather than contributing to this outward-facing noise, we want to create something different—a space where people can turn their focus inward, away from the external distractions, and connect with their core values. A safe place for self-reflection and personal growth.
We collectively slept between 20 minutes to one hour (though we do not recommend this, as sleep deprivation isn’t good for our brains). But it’s been an incredible experience to meet and work with inspiring people who are innovating in neurotechnology—teams working on Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, mental health, and more.
We initiated our wireframe and built a backend login system. It’s just the exciting starting point for further developing our ecosystem, and we look forward to discussing it with you more soon. 🙂
A big thank you to the organisers of the event for providing us with such a valuable experience.
With lots of love,
Team LYEONS
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