soda poppers

💡 Inspiration

By 2030, 1 in 4 people will be over 65. Many elderly face challenges such as:

• 🛋️ Sedentary lifestyle → health risks
  
• 🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Social isolation → loneliness
  
• 📱 Limited tech savviness → digital exclusion
  

We wanted to create a solution that encourages activity, social interaction, and engagement—without adding unnecessary complexity.

🏃‍♂️ What it does

Soda Poppers is a lightweight wearable bracelet for elderly users. It uses an RFID tag to track activity and interactions in a simple, intuitive way. By tapping their bracelet on checkpoints, users can:

• 📍 Log their presence at various locations
  
• 🎁 Accumulate points that can be exchanged for vouchers or rewards
  
• 👀 See and celebrate friends’ activities, fostering a sense of community
  

🛠️ How we built it

• Lightweight bracelet with embedded RFID tag
• RFID readers at key locations (“checkpoints”)
• Backend records time, location & “last seen” info
• Point system & social dashboard

⚠️ Challenges we ran into

• Designing a bracelet that is simple and comfortable for elderly users
• Making the system work without smartphones or app literacy

🏆 Accomplishments that we're proud of

• Encouraged both physical activity and social interaction
• Built an easy-to-use wearable for elderly users
• Developed a reward system that motivates continued engagement

📚 What we learned

• Elderly users value simplicity and immediate feedback
• Physical checkpoints combined with digital rewards motivate activity
• Social visibility (friends' activity) boosts engagement

🔮 What's next for soda poppers

• Expand the network of checkpoints to cover more locations
• Partner with local businesses for rewards
• Integrate more social features while keeping interface simple
• Provide personalized health insights

Built With

• arduino
• c
• html
• javascript
• sql