TalkSense Lah!

Inspiration

We were inspired by our grandparents. Seeing how they sometimes struggle to understand the slang or shorthand that Gen Z and Gen Alpha use. We wanted to bridge this generational gap and make it easier, friendlier, and more fun for them to communicate with their grandchildren.

What it does

TalkSense Lah! translates Gen Z / Gen Alpha slang into clear, familiar words older people can understand. It’s designed to be instant, friendly, and simple so grandparents can keep up with the ever-changing language trends.

How we built it

Design: We created the app interface using Figma.

Hardware: We prototyped a receiver built with ESP32 and a microphone so older people don’t have to use the phone directly — they can simply speak or listen via the hardware device.

Software: We connected the ESP32 to a computer via Bluetooth and built the translation layer to process spoken slang into plain language.

Challenges we ran into

Finding a unique yet feasible idea that we could build within three days.
Crafting a clear problem statement overnight.
Integrating both hardware and software under tight time constraints.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Creating a functional prototype with Figma designs and a working translation pipeline.
Building a pitch deck and design system within one day.
Getting a hardware receiver to talk to our app over Bluetooth.

What we learned

How to connect an ESP32 to a computer via Bluetooth.
How to interface with microphones and handle audio input.
More about each other’s working styles and collaboration under pressure.
How to translate generational slang into plain language effectively.

What's next for TalkSense Lah!

Gamification: Adding daily challenges (“learn 3 new words a day”) to earn points or rewards such as CDC vouchers.
Two-way communication: Letting older generations send translated responses back to younger generations.
More personalization: Tailoring translations to local slang and dialects for even better accuracy.