Biomate (Track 3)

Log in Screen
Home page (with the avatar)
Trail Discover Page
Friend Matching Page
Trip management Page
Camera AI (Identify mode)
Camera AI (Challenge mode)
Profile Page
Trip details Page

Inspiration

Getting outdoors should be exciting, but planning an adventure can sometimes feel harder than the adventure itself. Young adults may struggle to find people with similar interests and skill levels, prepare for unfamiliar trails, or stay motivated to be active outdoors.

Biomate was inspired by the idea of making outdoor activities more social, approachable, and rewarding. Instead of focusing only on navigation, we wanted to support the whole journey, from finding people to go with, to preparing together, exploring safely, and sharing what you discover along the way.

What it does

Biomate is a mobile outdoor companion with built-in functionalities designed around exploration, connection, and motivation.

Exploration
Discover trails: Search and filter trails by activity, difficulty, distance, duration, and region.
Get personalised recommendations: See trail suggestions based on weather conditions, interests, and preferences.
Track adventures: Use GPS to record distance travelled and view progress along the trail.
Identify species: Take photos to receive AI-assisted plant, animal, or fungi identification with appropriate safety warnings.
Connection
Find adventure partners: Match with compatible users based on fitness, experience, pace, interests, and social style.
Communicate with the group: Send direct messages or chat with everyone participating in a trip.
Plan trips together: Create trips, invite participants, coordinate shared equipment, and complete readiness checklists.
Share Trail Moments: Report hazards, wildlife, scenery, and other useful discoveries at verified locations.
Motivation
Complete challenges: Take part in daily outdoor challenges that progress through real activities.
- Earn rewards: Receive BioCoins and badges for completing trips, challenges, and outdoor milestones.
- Review achievements: View adventure history, statistics, earned badges, and BioCoin transactions from the profile.

How we built it

We initially built Biomate as a native Android app using Kotlin, Android Studio, Jetpack Compose, and Material Design 3.
Structurally, we followed MVVM and repository architecture to keep the UI, application logic, and data organised and maintainable.
For data management, we used Room for local storage and Firebase for authentication, cloud data, file storage, and backend services.
Additionally, we integrated Google Maps, Android location services, and Open-Meteo for trail navigation, GPS tracking, and live weather information.
To further enhance the experience, we used CameraX and Gemini for photo challenges, AI photo verification, and species identification.
Throughout development, we used Gradle and Android Virtual Devices for building and testing, while GitHub supported version control and team collaboration.

Challenges we ran into

Combining social, navigation, gamification, and AI features while keeping the app simple and user-friendly.
Configuring Android Studio and a Virtual Android Device to build, run, and test the app.
Setting up and using APIs for maps, location services, and AI-powered camera features.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Successfully developing the original Biomate concept into a functional mobile app with multiple connected features.
Building a complete experience by combining social matching, trail navigation, challenges, BioCoins, and AI features into one cohesive outdoor platform.
Becoming more confident with Android Studio, APIs, and mobile app development while overcoming technical challenges along the way.
Working effectively as a team, where we solved problems together, and combined our work into one cohesive application.

What we learned

Architecture and teamwork: We learned how important clear architecture, communication, and teamwork are when building an end-to-end product under time pressure.
Android development: We gained hands-on experience building and testing a mobile app using Android Studio.
Programming skills: We developed our skills in Kotlin, Java, and other technologies used throughout the project.
Understanding outdoor activities: We learned more about hiking, trail safety, and what hikers need before and during their adventures.

What's next for Biomate (Track 3)

Expand Biomate to support more outdoor activities such as biking, camping, and skiing.
Improve the recommendation system and explore collaborations with outdoor sports and gear brands.
Introduce more diverse and personalised tasks based on each user’s interests, skills, and characteristics.
Expand app coverage and map support to more regions and countries.
Personalize the user's 3D avatar.