Ethereal

Ethereal is a productivity tool that helps users focus by staking ETH into a smart contract. If they complete the session, they get their ETH back. If they leave early, they lose part of the stake.

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Inspiration

I love using study timers to stay focused as I do my work. The idea behind Ethereal was to take this concept a step further by integrating blockchain incentives to reinforce productive habits. I wanted to explore how Ethereum smart contracts could be used to create a decentralized, accountability-based focus system.

What it does

Ethereal helps users commit to focused work sessions by requiring them to stake ETH. If they successfully complete their session, they receive their full stake back, along with an optional NFT reward. If they exit early, they lose a small portion of their stake, encouraging intentional time management.

How I built it

Ethereal was developed using Solidity for the smart contract, Hardhat for development and testing, and React with Ethers.js for the frontend. The project was deployed on the Sepolia Testnet. The frontend connects to MetaMask for user authentication and transactions.

Challenges we ran into

  • Deploying the smart contract and handling state updates proved more complex than expected. Gas estimation issues and unexpected reverts blocked progress.
  • Frontend integration with the blockchain was tricky, particularly when ensuring accurate session tracking.
  • Time constraints made debugging difficult, preventing full contract functionality from being achieved. ## Accomplishments that we're proud of
  • Designed a unique concept that gamifies productivity using blockchain.
  • Built a working frontend that allows users to interact with the Ethereum network.
  • Learned more about Solidity, Ethereum transactions, and smart contract limitations.
    ## What we learned
  • How to structure Solidity contracts for tracking state over time.
  • The importance of proper error handling in smart contract development.
  • The challenges of integrating decentralized applications with frontend UI.
    ## What's next for Ethereal
  • Fixing the smart contract deployment issues so users can fully interact with the system.
  • Implementing Layer 2 scaling (Optimism or Arbitrum) to reduce gas fees.
  • Adding functional NFT rewards for completing a specific number of focus sessions.

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