CampusConnect

A platform where education, entertainment, and AI-driven gaming come together to create a smarter, more connected campus experience.

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Inspiration

Campus life felt disconnected, and students needed a single platform for studying, socializing, and having fun. We wanted to create something that shouldn't exist: a Frankenstein monster combining education, gaming, and AI into one cohesive experience

What it does

CampusConnect is a multi-purpose campus platform featuring:

  1. AI-powered smart posts with auto-moderation and categorization.
  2. Interactive Pac-Man game for stress relief.
  3. Flashcard system for studying.
  4. AI chatbot for campus queries.
  5. Real-time leaderboard for gamification.
  6. Community posts with comments and likes.
  7. Project showcase for student work, this feature portal may look like a post, but you can post your project to it.

How we built it

Built with React, Supabase (PostgreSQL), and Google Gemini API. Used Kiro AI IDE extensively for rapid development, leveraging vibe coding for quick iterations, specs for complex AI features, steering docs for consistent code quality, and hooks for automated testing. The entire project was built in 9-10 hours with Kiro's assistance.

Challenges we ran into

Below are our challenges: 1. Ghost lag in Pac-Man: Ghosts stopped moving when the player pressed keys. Fixed by using useRef instead of useState to prevent game loop restarts. 2. API errors: Gemini API 503 errors are breaking functionality. Implemented fallback moderation and proper error handling. 3. Stitching incompatible features: Making education, gaming, and social features work together cohesively required careful UX design.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

There were problems, but I am happy for:

  1. Successfully combined 5+ different feature types into one platform.
  2. Smooth Pac-Man game with continuous ghost movement.
  3. AI features with graceful fallback mechanisms.
  4. Polished dark UI with animations.
  5. 75% faster development using Kiro AI IDE.
  6. Building a fully functional platform under 10 hours.

What we learned

We have learned:

  1. How to use useRef to prevent unnecessary re-renders in React.
  2. Implementing AI with proper error handling and fallbacks.
  3. Building complex game logic with React hooks.
  4. Effective use of Kiro's specs, steering, and hooks for rapid development.

What's next for CampusConnect

There can be some modifications such as:

  1. Real-time notifications for posts and comments.
  2. File upload support for posts.
  3. Advanced search with filters.
  4. User reputation and badge system.
  5. More interactive games and learning tools.
  6. Integration with campus calendar systems.

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Updates

posted an update —

To the organizer,

While filling out the submission form, the “startup link” field wasn’t letting me proceed unless I entered a URL, even after selecting “No.” Since I don’t have a registered startup, I entered the link to my foundation instead so I could continue.

Just letting you know in case that field was meant to be optional. Please confirm if this is okay.

Thank you!

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