Inspiration
Children are spending more time online than ever, but many don't understand online risks like scams, trackers, and phishing. Our inspiration also came from one of our team member's younger brother, who spends a lot of time playing Roblox. We wanted to build something that helps parents keep their children safe while also teaching kids how to navigate the internet with confidence.
What it does
Parasol is a privacy-first DNS level adblocker that allows you to dynamically monitor and protect your connected devices on the web. Through DNS-level filtering, Parasol is able to block in-app ads and distracting content without ever installing additional software. Unlike traditional DNS filters, Parasol
- dynamically updates domain blocklists with past user data, using AI to mark down problematic content.
- has Patrick, our AI network agent, users are able to review summarized network history and request their own blocks.
- writes to a real-time dashboard to monitor web traffic
How we built it
- nmcli - configured NetworkManager to make a shared hotspot on laptop WiFi card. We USB tethered an iPhone as a receiver.
- Scapy - receive packets and extract DNS queries
- Web app - FastAPI + Websockets, React + Tailwind + Vite
- Gemma 3 (Ollama) - local AI model
- Coqui - TTS
Challenges we ran into
Our original plan was to build Parasol on a Raspberry Pi, however we ran into several flashing issues and eventually decided to configure our laptop instead. Since several team members were new to development, we also spent time learning GitHub, VS Code, and how to collaborate on the same project.
Accomplishments that we're proud of
We're proud of creating a polished, approachable user experience with fun pixel-inspired animations and interactions. We're also proud that we adapted quickly after pivoting and still delivered a complete product.
What we learned
We learned a lot about UI and UX design, AI-assisted development, and working together as a team. Most importantly, we learned how valuable it is to adapt quickly when plans change.
What's next for Parasol
We plan to continue developing Parasol into a digital safety platform for families. We want to add more interactive lessons, games, and rewards for kids while piloting the product with parents, libraries, and STEM camps.
Log in or sign up for Devpost to join the conversation.