WalkSafe

Inspiration

We realized that communicating with our RAs is a lot harder than it needs to be. We either have to communicate through group chat, which takes out privacy, or call our RA if we need help, which requires finding their phone number and then waiting for them to pick up.

What it does

WalkSafe is an Android app that allows students to notify nearby RAs if they need assistance with anything. It acts as a secondary emergency app, by using the SafeTrek API to notify emergency services if necessary.

How I built it

We used Android Studio and Java to build the application. We connected to a Firebase Database on the backend and used SafeTrek's API.

Challenges I ran into

We experienced many issues with getting Android Studio set up with version control. Also, due to our inexperience with android studio, we took some time to get used to android mobile development.

Accomplishments that I'm proud of

We were able to get an app working on the emulator that accomplishes the basic functionality we wanted.

What I learned

We learned to never give up and keep working until the last moment to make sure everything looks perfect. We also learned the importance of Safety and the many considerations that you have to take when creating a safety app.

What's next for WalkSafe

We hope to add additional functionality on top of what we have. This would mean possibly creating the iOS equivalent and also getting it working on physical devices.