Orbit

Inspiration

Young students are experiencing a decrease in brain stimulation due to classes being moved to an online platform. We wanted a mobile app that was easily accessible and fun to use for students living in a time of remote learning.

What it does

Orbit is an Android app that works as a learning tool for students and parents. It generates activities that increase physical and mental stimulation for students based on their mood. It uses facial recognition via Google Vision AI and a timer function for homework time.

How I built it

The app itself was built using Android Studio. Designs were implemented using Figma. After making the designs, Figma API converted images into code. Google Cloud was going to be connected to the app. Initially, we wanted to shoot for a Kivy framework. However, the switch to Flutter was made after it was discovered that Kivy is harder to work with. We created wireframes, hi-fi prototypes, and branding logo in Figma.

Challenges I ran into

Figuring out how to implement Google Vision in a Flutter app was difficult. Understood the set up part with the key and the authorization code, but needed to build a widget for it. Another challenge was building the pages of the app and having them interact with each other. Combining the designs with the underlying code also needed some thought.

Accomplishments that I'm proud of

Most of the team was new to hackathons in general. We completed DubHacks, and can now build better strategies for future events. The login/signup page was a significant milestone in development, and the designs looked pretty cool. Assembled a well-rounded team with two UX designers and 3 backend developers. None of us had made a mobile app before, and we definitely came to appreciate the learning curve. We are proud of the amount of work we completed in 24 hours and if we had more time we would have definitely built a functional prototype.

What I learned

In terms of hackathon strategy, it would be easier to build a prototype in frameworks familiar to participants. While we did plan out our idea before the event, construction fell short due to inexperience with Flutter. Furthermore, Google Cloud Platform should be learned prior to hackathons. Nevertheless, we learned that one does not have to possess an erudition of coding to participate in 24 hour marathons. Pacing was another item was to consider. Most of the team decided to get some sleep in, and that boosted productivity. Every decision needs to have a reason and purpose. Time allocation is another part of strategy formulation.

What's next for Orbit

Continue to build out the rest of the pages, connect login information to Firebase, implement Google Vision. Before that, backend would need more experience with Flutter. Animation also needs to be added to designs.

We enjoyed the increased accessibility for DubHacks, and look forward to participating in future competitions. A big thanks to the organizers, else it would be doubtful that team members would have met each other. Learning to collaborate with developers and designers on a team was the biggest lesson today. Hacking virtually is definitely a fun experience!