SAIL Hackathon “AI in Health Sciences”

From 7–9 November, we hosted the SAIL Hackathon “AI in Health Sciences” at Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences (HSBI). Over three intensive days, students from HSBI, Bielefeld University, and beyond worked on a challenging task: developing AI models that detect movements and movement intentions from EEG brain signals.

The hackathon focused on machine learning for brain–computer interfaces, exploring how neural signals can be translated into interpretable commands, with potential applications in prosthetics, orthoses, and rehabilitation.

Guided by Prof. Wolfram Schenck and Dr. Peter Kuchling, the teams combined a keynote on current BCI research with hands-on experimentation, teamwork under time pressure, and creative problem-solving. The developed models were evaluated both on actual and imagined movements.

The team of Abdul Samad, Suraj Karki, and Rabigh Khan successfully mastered both challenges and achieved the strongest results. Their solution demonstrated performance clearly above random baselines – a meaningful achievement given the complexity and noise of EEG data. Congratulations!

The hackathon offered an intensive insight into applied AI research at the intersection of health sciences, machine learning, and human–computer interaction and showed the value of hands-on, collaborative formats.

🔗 Learn more about the event: https://www.hsbi.de/presse/pressemitteilungen/hackathon-ai-in-health-sciences-kann-ein-ki-algorithmus-bewegungen-auf-basis-von-gehirnstroemen-erkennen