Inspiration
We affectionately refer to all our pets as "Buddies," which inspired the name of our app, HELLO BUDDY! Just as we greet our pets with a warm "hello" when we return home, our app embodies that same spirit of connection and companionship.
When we return home, it's second nature to seek out our furry companions, sharing with them the events of our day and inquiring about theirs. Engaging in these conversations, though they may be one-sided, brings a sense of connection as if our pets comprehend our words as much as we understand their silent (or not-so-silent) gestures. There's a unique comfort in confiding in our loyal friends who love us unconditionally, their presence warming our hearts in ways only they can.
What it does
HELLO BUDDY! goes beyond mere conversation—it's a tool for empowerment. With features like Buddy customization and virtual companionship for pets who have passed on, we're committed to ensuring that every user can experience the joy of connecting with their furry friends, both present and past.
How we built it
HELLO BUDDY! is a full stack web application built with a Typescript backend that leverages the Gemini API and serves it in a tailored way for our frontend. The frontend is a React Web UI fully designed by us from UX to Engineering. Everything is tied together with Github Actions CI/CD Pipelines for production deployment.
Challenges we ran into
We ran into challenges figuring out how to configure the application to take in different personas and personalities. We accomplished this by running several instances of our application configured based on a tailored chat history to determine each Buddy personality.
Accomplishments that we're proud of
This is the first time we built an app all by ourselves from the ground up, front to back. In previous hackathons, I (Justin) was in charge of solely the backend development, which is what is already my specialty. I have little experience in frontend, so taking on the full stack was a big challenge for me. We're proud of building every single component of this app, especially each Buddy icon and color theme!
What we learned
We learned the basics of GenAI and prompt engineering. We learned the best way to tailor our test data in order to get the best responses from Gemini.
What's next for HELLO BUDDY! ?
Looking ahead, our vision for HELLO BUDDY! includes empowering users to create their own digital companions. Share the cherished memories and distinctive traits of your beloved pet, and HELLO BUDDY! will bring them to virtual life, courtesy of Google Gemini. Currently, we've personally designed the Buddy icons, with plans to introduce customization features, allowing users to recreate their pets faithfully and engage in meaningful conversations with them.
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