Loomi

Inspiration

Many children in immigrant families grow up hearing stories about their parents' and grandparents' lives but are unable to fully understand them due to language barriers. As generations become further removed from their heritage language and culture, important family memories, traditions, and migration journeys risk being lost. We wanted to create a way for families to preserve these stories while making them engaging and accessible for children. This inspired us to build Loomi, a platform that transforms family memories into interactive learning experiences that strengthen cultural identity and intergenerational connection.

What it does

Loomi is an AI-powered storytelling platform designed for children ages 6–15.

Parents and grandparents can record family stories, traditions, recipes, migration journeys, and life lessons in their native language. Loomi uses speech-to-text, translation, and Gemini-powered storytelling to transform these recordings into personalized interactive storybooks.

Children can listen to stories, explore illustrations, learn heritage-language vocabulary, complete activities, and discover the people, experiences, and traditions that shaped their family.

How we built it

We began by using Google Gemini to brainstorm ideas, refine our problem statement, and explore ways to combine heritage-language learning with family storytelling. Once our concept was established, we used Google AI Studio to generate and iterate on the application's codebase, rapidly building the core functionality and AI workflows.

We then imported the project into Google Antigravity to refine the user experience, polish the interface, and create a cohesive visual design centered around Loomi, our baby elephant mascot. Antigravity allowed us to quickly iterate on layouts, interactions, and child-friendly design elements to create an engaging storytelling experience.

Our solution combines speech-to-text transcription, translation, and Gemini-powered content generation to transform family voice recordings into personalized interactive storybooks, vocabulary activities, and cultural learning experiences for children ages 6–15.

Challenges we ran into

One of our biggest challenges was balancing cultural authenticity with accessibility for young children. Family stories often contain complex language, historical context, and cultural references that can be difficult for children ages 6–15 to understand. We had to carefully craft prompts that preserved the meaning and emotional value of stories while adapting them to an age-appropriate reading level.

Another challenge was differentiating Loomi from existing language-learning platforms. Instead of focusing on generic vocabulary and grammar exercises, we centered the experience around personal family stories and cultural preservation.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

• Created a unique approach to heritage-language learning centered around family storytelling rather than traditional language exercises.
• Designed a complete experience that transforms a grandparent's voice recording into an interactive educational storybook.
• Developed a meaningful social impact solution focused on preserving language, culture, and family history across generations.
• Built a polished, child-friendly prototype with a cohesive visual identity and mascot.
• Successfully integrated AI-powered transcription, translation, storytelling, and educational content generation into a single experience.

What we learned

Throughout this project, we learned that preserving culture is about more than preserving language. Family stories, traditions, and personal experiences play an equally important role in helping children understand their identity and heritage.

We also learned how AI can support cultural preservation by helping families document, adapt, and share memories in ways that are engaging and accessible for younger generations. Rather than replacing storytelling, AI can help make those stories easier to preserve and pass down.

What's next for Loomi

Future versions of Loomi would support additional heritage languages, richer story personalization, and AI-generated illustrations based on family memories.

We would also like to introduce interactive family trees, collaborative family archives, and voice-preservation features that allow future generations to hear stories narrated in the voices of their relatives.

Our long-term vision is for Loomi to become a digital home for family history—a place where immigrant families can preserve their language, culture, and stories while helping future generations stay connected to their roots.

Built With

• google-ai-studio
• google-antigravity
• google-gemini