Inspiration
E-waste is a growing problem we see every day in our communities. Many people want to recycle but don't know how, so we wanted to create something that removes the confusion and makes sustainable action effortless. EcoApe was born from the idea that communities can make a real environmental impact when the right tools are in place.
What it does
EcoApe helps users responsibly recycle electronics through:
- An interactive map of nearby e‑recycling centers
- An AI assistant that explains what’s recyclable and how to prepare items
- Photo upload with automatic geotag extraction
- A community forum where users can post e‑waste items that others can harvest or repurpose
- EcoApe functions as both a mobile app and a website
How we built it
We built EcoApe using Flutter as the core framework, with Dart powering the backend logic. Key integrations included:
- Google Gemini for AI‑powered recycling guidance
- Google Maps for real‑time location tracking and navigation
- EXIF extraction for pulling GPS data from uploaded photos
- JSON file‑based storage, designed to scale to PostgreSQL or MongoDB
Challenges we ran into
- Prompt engineering the AI chatbot to give the correct output format
- Integrating multiple APIs smoothly
- Designing a clean UX
Accomplishments that we're proud of
- Successfully building a functional AI assistant that gives friendly guidance
- The full design of our UI
- Automatic GPS geotagging
What we learned
- Incorporating camera functions
- Handling location data
- How to use Google Maps API
What's next for EcoApe
- Implementing a community page where users can exchange parts and give advice
- Switching to a full database for scalability
- Adding item recognition to the camera function
- Partnering with local recycling centers to provide official drop-off instructions
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