ScreenTime Sentry

Inspiration

The inspiration behind creating a compact device to manage screen time, suggest breaks, and promote mindfulness came from the increasing need to combat digital addiction and promote healthier habits in our tech-driven lives. Influenced by the success of apps like Apple's Screen Time and Google's Digital Wellbeing, along with the effectiveness of the Pomodoro Technique and mindfulness practices, this device aims to provide a tangible, user-friendly solution for enhancing productivity and well-being.

What it does

This device manages screen time, suggests breaks, promotes mindfulness, and tracks daily mobile usage. It provides alerts for exceeding limits, suggests meditation and physical activities, and offers insights into usage patterns.

How we built it

We built the device using a compact microcontroller (Arduino Nano), a small OLED display, a mini RTC module, a buzzer, and input buttons. We programmed it to track screen time, issue alerts, suggest breaks and meditation, and display usage data. The components were assembled on a small PCB to keep the design compact and portable.

Challenges we ran into

We faced challenges with miniaturizing the device, ensuring accurate time tracking, integrating all components on a small PCB, and optimizing power consumption. Debugging and fine-tuning the software to provide timely and reliable alerts were also significant hurdles.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We're proud of successfully creating a compact and functional device that effectively manages screen time, suggests breaks, and promotes mindfulness. Achieving accurate time tracking, seamless component integration, and optimizing power consumption were significant accomplishments.

What we learned

We learned how to effectively miniaturize electronic components, optimize power consumption, and improve software debugging skills. We also gained insights into user behavior regarding screen time and the importance of mindfulness and regular breaks for maintaining productivity and well-being.

What's next for ScreenTime Sentry

Next, we plan to enhance ScreenTime Sentry by adding wireless connectivity for syncing data with mobile apps, incorporating more advanced user interfaces, and integrating additional sensors for better activity tracking. We aim to explore AI-driven insights for personalized recommendations and develop a more robust, user-friendly mobile app to complement the device.