ParkMate

Inspiration

It was the common trouble of forgetting where one parked the car, whether it's locked or running out of money in the parking meter that inspired ParkMate. It aims to make parking and other concerns regarding the car and the driver a very easy task, offering drivers peace of mind.

What it does

ParkMate will be an app that ensures drivers keep track of the location of their car, reminds them of the parking time limit, and, of course, ensures their car is secure. It sends notifications like if the car is locked, if the handbrake is on and if the car has been moved. In the case of electric vehicles, ParkMate will send an alert if the battery is low, where the nearest electric charging station is and how long the user needs to wait.

How we built it

ParkMate will be built using a combination of mobile app development frameworks, GPS tracking technology, and real-time notifications. We plan to integrate APIs to monitor car conditions, such as battery levels for electric vehicles and safety alerts for locks and handbrake status.

Challenges we ran into

One of the greatest challenges we see is doing real-time vehicle movement detection with low latency. Alerts must be timely and trustworthy, especially battery alerts or movement indications. Additionally, designing an interface that is easy to use and not overwhelming for the driver with too much notification will be a key challenge.

Accomplishments that we’re proud of

We aim to successfully integrate multiple features into a single cohesive app. We want the real-time alerts and GPS tracking system to work seamlessly, while also ensuring the interface remains simple and intuitive for users.

What we learned

We hope to learn a lot about mobile development, especially in integrating real-time monitoring features and notifications. We also hope to better understand how to design with the user in mind, finding the right balance between helpful notifications and a clean, simple user experience.

What's next for ParkMate

Once developed, several additional customization options will be incorporated for the users, such as controlling which alerts they receive and allowing for support of car diagnostics for advanced functions like tire pressure or oil levels. The application will also ideally be optimized for both iOS and Android platform compatibility.