About
HARD MODE is a 48-hour Hardware × AI hackathon focused on building the future of intelligent objects: devices that sense, learn, adapt, and respond to the people around them.
The challenge is to imagine what else AI could be. Not another chatbot. Not another app. Real hardware you can hold, wear, share, install, and live with.
200 participants will integrate AI with physical systems to prototype tangible, functional artifacts. Systems that rethink how humans connect, learn, reflect, work, play, and thrive. Hosted by MIT Media Lab's AHA and the Design Intelligence Lab, HARD MODE brings together engineers, designers, and researchers to push the boundaries of what intelligent hardware can be.
Registration Deadline: February 15, 2026