🌡️ TooHot2Handle

Inspiration

As an EMT, I’ve witnessed people collapse from heat exhaustion before help arrived. Those moments inspired us to build TooHot2Handle — an AI-powered platform designed to prevent heat-related deaths before they happen.

What It Does

TooHot2Handle uses real-time satellite and weather data to detect dangerously hot zones, predict who’s most at risk, and guide users to safety.
It provides:

Personalized heat risk alerts
Shaded route recommendations using AI-analyzed satellite maps
Locations of nearby cooling centers and hydration stations
Voice-guided safety updates through ElevenLabs

How We Built It

Frontend: JavaScript + Next.js for a smooth, responsive UI
Backend: Node.js connected to a local database for managing user profiles and alerts
AI & Data Integration:
- Gemini API — analyzes live weather, health, and risk data
- ElevenLabs API — converts AI insights into real-time spoken alerts
- Satellite data — used to identify shaded vs. sun-exposed walking routes through AI image analysis

Challenges We Ran Into

Integrating multiple APIs (Gemini, ElevenLabs, satellite mapping) while keeping latency low
Maintaining real-time accuracy for route and heat-risk prediction
Balancing user privacy, limited hardware resources, and fast response times

Accomplishments We’re Proud Of

Built a working prototype that merges emergency awareness, live data, and AI navigation
Achieved accurate shade-route prediction using satellite image models
Created a fully accessible experience through voice-guided instructions

What We Learned

Learned how AI and public health can intersect to save lives
Improved our API integration, data handling, and machine learning skills
Understood the importance of accessibility and speed in emergency technology

What’s Next for TooHot2Handle

Collaborate with EMS departments and city agencies for pilot testing
Scale our model using national heat, air quality, and population density datasets
Introduce humidity and AQI-based risk prediction
Deploy mobile and web apps for real-world emergency use