DriveGuardian

Inspiration We started by asking a simple question: do most cars on the road today actually have ADAS features that protect drivers and passengers? We found that a huge number of vehicles still lack modern safety systems, leaving millions of people without features that can help prevent accidents. That motivated us to build a solution that makes road safety more accessible.

What it does DriveGuardian is a mobile-based driver safety assistant designed for cars that do not already have built-in ADAS features. Using the phone’s camera, it monitors the driver and surroundings to detect signs of drowsiness, distraction, and nearby obstacles. The goal is to provide real-time alerts that can help drivers stay aware and reduce the risk of accidents.

How we built it We built DriveGuardian using Kotlin, Java, Gradle, Android, Cursor, and ChatGPT. We used mobile camera input and face detection to analyze driver behavior and worked on integrating safety-focused logic to make the app responsive in real-world driving situations.

Challenges we ran into One of the biggest challenges was implementing face detection reliably. Making the system detect fatigue-related signals accurately while keeping the experience smooth on mobile took a lot of testing and iteration. We also had to think carefully about how to balance useful alerts with a simple user experience.

Accomplishments that we’re proud of We are proud that we built a product with real-world impact. DriveGuardian brings advanced safety ideas to vehicles that may not have access to expensive built-in ADAS systems. We are especially proud of creating something practical, relevant, and meaningful within a short hackathon timeline.

What we learned We learned a lot about mobile computer vision, Android development, and building safety-focused applications under time pressure. We also learned how important it is to design technology around real-world problems, not just technical ideas. Most importantly, we saw how software can help close the gap between high-end automotive technology and everyday drivers.

What’s next for DriveGuardian This is only the beginning for DriveGuardian. We want to improve detection accuracy, expand the range of safety features, and make the alerts smarter and more reliable. We are also planning iOS development so the app can reach more users and make safer driving accessible to even more people.

Built With

• cursor
• java
• kotlin