Inspiration

We've all been there. You finish a workout, something feels tight, and you Google it. Ten minutes later, you're buried in anatomy articles written for medical students, not you. We kept asking ourselves why learning about your own body had to be so hard. The information exists everywhere but it's always text-first, jargon-heavy, and kind of intimidating. Nobody's making it visual. That's where SOMA comes in!

What it does

Soma is a 3D body companion. You talk to Oso, our bear mascot, ask about whatever muscle is bugging you, and the interactive 3D body lights up, showing the muscle group and everything connected to it. Plain language in, plain language out. No jargon, no textbook walls. Voice interaction through ElevenLabs means you can go hands-free, and nothing gets stored because your body is your business.

Clear & guided understanding replacing the NORM: dense paragraphs & panic spiral.

How we built it

Area Tech
Frontend React & Three.js
Backend Node.js & Render
3D Anatomy Blender
API Elevenlabs & Gemma

Challenges we ran into

The biggest challenge was definitely the ideation. We really wanted to make a product that was impactful while also making it BREAK THE NORM!!

We created a unique solution that blends interactivity and reducing health illiteracy, generally making a tool that helps people feel more informed. One of the biggest technical challenges was getting the 3D model to be responsive, engaging, and alive, rather than like a spinning biology diagram, which took way more iteration than expected.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

A working 3D body, a conversational AI companion, and a voice layer all talking to each other in 36 hours! Super proud of our UI as well - especially Oso :)

What we learned

Scope fast and commit. We went through three different product framings before landing on this one and the clarity that came from just picking a direction and building was everything. We also learned that the interaction model matters as much as the technology underneath it.

What's next for SOMA

Our next steps for SOMA include:

  • grounding explanations in verified medical sources (like clinician-reviewed datasets) to guarantee trust & reliability
  • Workout planning by muscle group, movement guidance
  • Eventually wearable integration

Built With

Share this project:

Updates