PolyPulse

Inspiration

The vision for PolyPulse was born from a paradox: our landfills are overflowing with plastic waste, yet industries struggle to find reliable, high-quality recycled material. We looked at the theme "YOUtopia: Design the future you want" and realized a true utopia is a world where "waste" no longer exists. PolyPulse transforms the linear "take-make-dispose" model into a self-sustaining circular loop where every plastic bottle is a digital asset waiting to be reclaimed.

What it does

PolyPulse is a role-based circular economy marketplace that connects three key players into a seamless recycling pipeline:

• For Citizens: An AI-powered scanner identifies plastic types using Featherless.ai, rewarding users with points redeemable for data bundles.
• For Aggregators: A logistical hub to verify citizen scans, manage inventory, and coordinate with industrial hubs through two-way messaging.
• For Industry: A sourcing portal with a live pickup board and real-time "Red Alert" supply signals when hub inventories hit critical thresholds.

How we built it

We utilized a "Modern Stack for High-Impact" architecture designed for rapid scaling and real-time performance:

• Frontend: Built with React 18, TypeScript, and Tailwind CSS, utilizing the Jost font for a clean, eco-centric design.
• Backend & Database: Powered by Momen.app, utilizing a GraphQL API for data and WebSockets for real-time subscriptions.
• AI Integration: Integrated Featherless.ai (specifically the moonshotai/Kimi-K2.5 model) to provide real-time plastic identification and validation guardrails.
• Logic: Implemented a Verification Chain where an aggregator's confirmation simultaneously increments hub inventory and user rewards via atomic Momen mutations.

Challenges we ran into

• The Logistics Gap: Moving small quantities is inefficient. We solved this by implementing the Aggregator Hub Model, which incentivizes community collection to meet industrial shipping thresholds.
• Real-Time Consistency: Maintaining synchronization across three distinct dashboards was complex. We overcame this by implementing GraphQL Subscriptions, ensuring the "Verify" action acts as a single source of truth for all roles.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

• Live AI Validation: Successfully implemented a vision-ai gatekeeper that ensures only valid plastic is logged, preventing system abuse.
• "Red Alert" System: The automated threshold system that notifies industry buyers the moment community inventory is ready for pickup.
• High-Fidelity Prototyping: Moving from concept to a fully functional environment with real-time data flow in under 48 hours.

What we learned

• Systems Thinking: Sustainability requires better logistics. Making recycling profitable for the "middleman" aggregator is the key to mass adoption.
• Data-Driven Design: Prioritizing technical architecture and real-time metrics over simple UI features leads to a more impactful product.
• Practical AI: AI is most effective when used for practical verification. Using vision models for plastic identification is the best way to ensure material quality.

What's next for PolyPulse

• Hardware Integration: Partnering with hardware like Precious Plastic to allow hubs to process waste into filament locally.
• Regional Scaling: Piloting a "Campus-to-Credit" model at LAUTECH to turn the university community into a self-sustaining PolyPulse hub.
• Expanded Rewards: Partnering with local vendors to turn "PolyPoints" into diverse real-world currency and discounts.

Built With

• apollo-client
• date-fns
• featherless-ai-api
• graphql
• graphql-subscriptions-(subscriptions-transport-ws)
• localstorage
• lucide-react
• momen.app
• react-18
• recharts
• shadcn/ui
• sonner
• tailwind-css
• typescript
• vite
• websocket