The Neurovator

A hybrid edge AI app for the neuro diverse on the pixel 4 watch to reduce and avoid PDA burnout, and improve relations and reduce the explanation burden to one's employer

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Inspiration

PDA is unfortunately commonly known as Pathological Demand Avoidance, also called Persisstant desire for Autonomy . In the UK, the employment rate for those with PDA is only 23%.

What it does

The device acts as a discreet support layer between the PDA experiencer and their manager or colleagues via a wearable interface:

  1. Burnout Prevention: Tracks nearby "chill-out" locations and automatically informs managers or supervisors when the user needs to step away to decompress.
  2. Educational Proxy: Confidentially answers questions about PDA for user-selected third parties, reducing the "explanation burden" on the individual.
  3. Witness Function To record, and interpret conversations and so witness. (work in progress), so that the app can provide advice and support with understanding or point out that a miscommunication has occurred. ## How we built it

The intelligence layer is built using Google AI Studio, targeting the Pixel Watch 4 as the primary hardware interface. Given that I discovered this hackathon quite late and had only one week to bring the concept to life, the AI was instrumental in handling the heavy lifting of the logic and framework, allowing for a rapid "vibe coding" approach.

Challenges we ran into

  • Tone & UI: My first attempt at an alert system was a disaster—instead of being calming, it sounded like a reactor breach or a bombing raid siren! Finding the right "vibe" for neurodiverse users is a delicate balance.
  • Extreme Privacy & Masking: Many people with PDA prefer to "mask" or hide their condition entirely. I realised the interface needs customisable icons for the home screen widget so that the user can maintain total privacy—even from other PDA folk.
  • Visual Language: Finding the right metaphors was tricky, but I settled on an "Animal Stress Scale"—ranging from a Penguin (Chilled) to a Bear (Sore Head)—which is easy to read at a glance on a small watch screen.
  • Time Constraints: I spent more time video editing the presentation than I did on the actual coding, which was a challenge during a seven-day sprint.

Accomplishments that we're pleased with

  • A Successful Partnership: I am very pleased with how Gemini and I worked as a team to take this from a concept to a functional wearable demonstration in just one week.
  • Discreet Support: We successfully implemented a visual "stress scale" on the Pixel Watch 4 that moves away from clinical language, providing a private way for neurodiverse users to monitor their state without drawing unwanted attention.

What we learned

We discovered that wearable "edge" devices significantly improve user privacy and accessibility. Additionally, we learned how to effectively anonymise data when interacting with cloud versions of Gemini to keep sensitive user information secure.

What's next for The Neurolator

The next step is to liaise with a local neurodiversity charity. I want to collaborate with experts to further refine our approach to data ethics, privacy, and user-centred design to ensure the device is as safe and effective as possible for the PDA community. At the moment the app is very rudimentary and I would like it to be hybrid, partially on the edge (in the watch) backed up by the cloud.

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