It’s no secret that for many developers in our community, midnight is the hour when the hacking gets good. Late last Friday night, over 1,000 undergraduates from across the country poured into California Memorial Stadium for Cal Hacks, a 36-hour coding spree put on by Major League Hacking.

Sponsors ranging from tech’s biggest players to emerging stealth startups set up shop with APIs and bleeding-edge hardware for collegiate minds to feast on. Here are some of the weekend’s highlights – including the winningest (open source!) Leap Motion hacks and mashups, plus lots more photos from a weird, wacky, and wild weekend.

(By the way, if you want to stay posted on all the latest events and meetups, don’t miss out! Sign up for updates on our Meetup page!)

RiftWear

Riftwear: control virtual reality through voice and gesture

Team RiftWare’s winning Leap Motion hack lets you leverage the power of the Oculus Rift, Leap Motion, and Android Wear – so you can reach into virtual reality and control it with voice commands.

Leap Learning

Leap-Learning

Get the most out of your online lectures by writing intricate notes and controlling video while using the Leap Motion Controller and the Oculus Rift. The winner of the Moxtra and Dropbox sponsor prizes, Leap Learning uses the YouTube API and WebGL.

Maestro’s Funhouse

Maestros_Funhouse

With this data visualization project, you can combine a simple generative musical algorithm with movement to create an explorable soundscape. Maestro’s Funhouse took home the Cisco prize.

Motion Gesture Authentication

Motion-gesture-authentication

Enter your passwords with Leap Motion hand gestures – such as the number of fingers used, their rotation, and orientation – to create a unique and secure method of authentication. Motion Gesture Authentication was selected as one of the event’s top 10 hacks.

Now that we’ve looked at some of the top Leap Motion entries, it’s time to dive into the weekend:

More Hacks

AirPianoAirPiano. Built with JavaScript and C#, this piano app works for Mac and Windows. LeapKeysLeapKeys. Another virtual piano demo built in Unity. LightConductorLightConductor. Convert XYZ coordinates into RGB values with Arduino and Node.js.
LOLeapLOLeap. Enjoy League of Legends without even touching your keyboard. Create custom settings that you can share via Dropbox. Mini-game-ManiaMini-game Mania. An old-fashioned text-based game built with C++ and compatible with Leap Motion. NotetasticNotetastic! This team used the Leap Motion Controller and Myo to make viewing notes feel more natural and fun.
ShootGuyShootGuy. Just what it says on the package – use your finger to shoot virtual attackers. Unity-WizardUnity Wizard. A fully interactive MMO game using Leap Motion, Firebase for real-time gaming, and Unity.

What was your favorite hack of the weekend? Let us know in the comments!

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