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The app can recognize when the user is having a panic attack and offer to notify their therapist
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The virtual dog will also suggest helpful tasks that can improve the users mental health
Inspiration
PuppyPal emulates the functions of a service dog for our beloved veterans by giving them the tools to manage their PTSD and take back their life. We provide veterans with the features of a service dog but for none of the cost
What it does
Our app, like an actual service dog, can recognize when the user is stressed, anxious, or having night terrors. When signs like these occur, the Fitbit vibrates to "ground" the veteran in a similar vein to a service dog licking its owner. The app also offers to notify the veterans therapist when these events happen. The virtual dog also suggests helpful tasks to its user that would improve their mental health.
How we built it
We created our project using Javascript and the Fitbit studio API. The Fitbit picks up on the user's heart rate along with other vitals and transmits that to our companion app for processing. If a PTSD episode is detected, the watch is alerted by the companion app and offers appropriate options. We also worked on a mockup for a web interface for family/therapists to access data on user episodes.
Challenges we ran into
The main challenge we ran into was developing for Fitbit devices. Our team members have prior experience in web and mobile development, but this was an entirely new platform and we all got to learn a lot.
What we learned
Overall, we learned how to use the Fitbit SDK along with JavaScript to deliver an impactful application.
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