RHDevs

AI hackathon · Upcoming · in planning

New Frontiers

Build the Future.

A 36-hour AI hackathon for about 200 NUS students.

One main track on startup viability, three subtracks, and a challenge built around hall life. The event is in planning; dates are proposed and may move.

Co-organised with

  • CDE Club
  • Eusoff Hackers
  • RMI Club
  • Sheares Hall
  • KEVII Hall
See the tracks For sponsors

Dates (proposed)

Fri 19 to Sun 21 Feb 2027

Duration
36 hours over a weekend
Open to
All NUS students, every discipline
Teams
1 to 4 people (proposed)
Organised by
RHDevs, Raffles Hall, NUS
  • Startup ViabilityMain track
  • AI and Agentic SystemsMain subtrack
  • RoboticsPhysical AI
  • Open InnovationBeginner-friendly
  • Hall Life challenge

Theme

Main problem statement

Build the Future.

Build AI that plans, acts and interacts with the world, and show what it would take to put it into real use.
How might we design an AI-powered product that solves a meaningful problem in our hall, on campus or beyond, and that people could keep using after the hackathon?

Every team delivers two things

  1. 1A working prototype.
  2. 2A credible case for who needs it, why they would adopt it and how it could grow into a sustainable venture.

Tracks

1 main · 3 subtracks · 1 challenge

One main track. Three subtracks. One hall challenge.

Every team enters exactly one subtrack and is judged on startup viability as well. Any team can also take on the Hall Life challenge.

Main track · every team

Startup Viability

Applies to every team: real need, target users, adoption path and sustainability as a venture.

Real need
Evidence the problem exists and matters: people asked, pain observed, a cost or time lost today.
Target users
A specific first group of users, not “everyone”, and what they do about the problem now.
Adoption path
How first users find it, why they switch from today’s way, and why they keep using it after the weekend.
Sustainability
Who pays or funds it, what it costs to run (AI usage included) and how it could grow into a venture.

Main subtrack

AI and Agentic Systems

Build systems that reason, plan and use tools to complete tasks, with appropriate human oversight.

  • Agents that coordinate workflows
  • Agents that collaborate with users
  • Agents that work together on a problem
Best suited to
Teams with software or AI experience
Shown through
A working agent or multi-agent prototype
Guiding questions
  1. 1Which multi-step task can an agent complete reliably that people currently do by hand?
  2. 2Where should a human review, approve or override the agent, and how is that built in?
  3. 3How does the team show the agent is dependable, not just impressive in one demo?

Physical AI

Robotics

Build AI systems that perceive and act in the physical world, on real hardware or in simulation.

  • Robotics
  • Intelligent sensing
  • Human–robot interaction
Best suited to
Teams with hardware, sensing or simulation skills
Shown through
A hardware or simulation demo
Guiding questions
  1. 1How does the system sense its surroundings and decide what to do next?
  2. 2What real-world setting (home, hall, lab, community space) does it improve?
  3. 3How does it behave safely around people, and when something goes wrong?

Beginner-friendly

Open Innovation

Apply AI to problems outside the other two subtracks. Open to every team, and a good place to start for first-time hackathon participants and teams new to AI.

  • Education
  • Creative tools
  • Accessibility
  • Sustainability
  • Community life
Best suited to
Any team, including first-time hackathon participants
Shown through
A working prototype or functional demo
Guiding questions
  1. 1What everyday problem around you could AI make easier, fairer or more enjoyable?
  2. 2Who would use it, and what would they do differently because of it?
  3. 3What is the simplest working version that shows the idea?

Challenge · open to every subtrack

Hall Life challenge

Co-hosted by Sheares Hall and KEVII Hall. Teams in any subtrack can also build for a real hall problem.

  • Booking
  • Food waste
  • Sign-ups
  • Welfare
  • Facilities

How it runs

  1. 1Each hall sends two or three real problems, published with registration.
  2. 2Each problem names a contact that teams can talk to during the weekend.
  3. 3A joint panel, one judge from each hall, picks one Hall Life award. Judges do not score teams with residents from their own hall.

Who can enter

All NUS students, every discipline

Any NUS student. Any discipline.

Format

36 hours

Six stages, from sign-up to awards.

  1. 1

    Registration and team matching

    Teams register and pick a subtrack. A matching session helps individuals find teammates.

  2. 2

    Kickoff and workshops

    Opening briefing, track overviews and technical workshops.

  3. 3

    36-hour build

    Teams build their prototypes over the weekend, with scheduled mentor check-ins.

  4. 4

    Submission

    Each team submits a working prototype, a short demo and a pitch.

  5. 5

    Pitching and judging

    Teams pitch and demo to a judging panel, followed by Q&A.

  6. 6

    Showcase and awards

    Finalists present to the wider community, then prizes are presented.

The weekend

Build clock: Fri 8:00 pm to Sun 8:00 am · all times proposed

Fri 19 Feb

6:00 pm
Check-in and team matching
7:00 pm
Opening briefing and track overviews
8:00 pm
Build starts

Sat 20 Feb

Morning
Technical workshops
All day
Mentor check-in rounds
Overnight
Building continues

Sun 21 Feb

8:00 am
Submission deadline
9:00 am
Pitching and judging, until 12:00 pm
2:00 pm
Finalist showcase, then awards

Judging

Proposed weights

Four criteria, weighted equally.

  • 25%

    Technical execution

    A prototype that works, is well built and matches the claims made.

  • 25%

    Purposeful use of AI

    AI is central to solving the problem, not added for show.

  • 25%

    User value

    A clear user, a real problem and a noticeable improvement for them.

  • 25%

    Adoption and startup viability

    A believable path to real-world use and a sustainable venture.

For first-time teams, judges also weigh learning, effort and clarity of idea alongside polish, so beginners are not compared with experienced builders on technical depth alone.

What every team submits

  1. 1Functional prototypeSoftware, hardware or simulation. It has to actually run.
  2. 2Live demoUp to 5 minutes (length to be confirmed), shown to the judging panel.
  3. 3Short pitchThe problem, the users, the solution and the path to adoption.
  4. 4AI and oversight noteHow the team uses AI, and where human oversight applies.

Awards

Proposed. Prize values to be confirmed.

8 awards across the event.

Main track

Best Startup Potential

The main-track award, open to every team.

  • AI and Agentic SystemsWinner · Runner-up
  • RoboticsWinner · Runner-up
  • Open InnovationWinner · Runner-up
  • Hall Life awardOne shared award, judged by Sheares Hall and KEVII Hall.

Organisers

Partner roles to be agreed

Led by RHDevs, built with five partners.

RH Developers

Lead organiser

Track sponsors

  • CDE Club

    Open Innovation track

  • Eusoff Hackers

    Startup Viability track

  • RMI Club

    Robotics track

  • Sheares Hall

    Hall Life challenge co-host

  • KEVII Hall

    Hall Life challenge co-host

Outcomes

What the weekend should leave behind.

For sponsors

Sponsorships open

Back a hackathon run by people who ship.

RHDevs builds and maintains the software Raffles Hall runs on. New Frontiers brings that standard to a 36-hour hackathon for about 200 NUS students.

Ways to support

  • Credits for buildingAPI credits or developer resources for teams, lowering the cost of building with AI during the event.
  • Credits as prizesCredits or resources for winning teams, so promising projects keep developing after the weekend.
  • Mentorship and workshopsEngineers or practitioners running workshops and advising teams.
  • Ecosystem exposureIndustry perspectives on product development and entrepreneurship for participants.

What you get back

  • Direct contact with university developers and aspiring founders across disciplines.
  • Your technology in practical use across varied problems, from agents to robotics.
  • Acknowledgement in event materials and publicity.
  • An agreed workshop or mentoring presence during the weekend.
  • Recognition at the finalist showcase and awards.
Request the sponsor deck Telegram @patricksharrison

Or email patricksteveharrison@gmail.com

What we already run