ZenMate

Inspiration

We were inspired by our own experiences as high school students who use technology for our learning. We realized that we often neglect our well-being and health while working on our devices. We wanted to create an app that can help us and our peers to work more mindfully and healthily.

What it does

ZenMate is an app that runs in the background of your device and monitors your posture and facial expressions. Based on these factors, ZenMate will remind you to take breaks, stretch, smile, and breathe.

How we built it

We used VS Code to code our app in Python. We used OpenCV and TensorFlow to implement the frown detector and the screen distance tracker. We used the Pomodoro technique to implement the work time break. We used Tkinter to create the user interface and the notifications.

Challenges we ran into

Some of the challenges we faced were:

Model testing and training: We had to test and train our models on different devices and lighting conditions to ensure their accuracy.
Media Pipe: Coordinate system access
Time management: We had to balance our time between working on different aspects of our app
Coding: We had to learn new coding techniques as we had a pretty advanced idea for our skill level. We’ve never worked with models, AI and we have a new coder on our team!

Accomplishments that we’re proud of

Some of the accomplishments we’re proud of are:

Creating a working prototype of our app with three features: frown detector, work time break, and screen distance tracker.
Learning new skills and technologies, such as OpenCV, TensorFlow, and Tkinter.

What we learned

Some of the things we learned are:

How to use computer vision and machine learning to create smart and interactive features for our app.
How to work as a team and collaborate effectively using tools like VSCode and GitHub

What’s next for ZenMate

Some of the things we plan to do next for our app are:

Debugging: More accurate tests since currently facial expressions aren’t being detected properly.
Screen Distance Tracker: helps you maintain a healthy distance and posture. (This feature is still in progress.)
Hyperspectral Facial Imaging Technologies: detect your skin temperature, blood pressure, and heart rate to monitor your stress level and provide you with more personalized and effective interventions.
Fitness Trackers: sync with your device and ZenMate to track your physical activity and calories burned and provide you with more tailored and motivating fitness goals and challenges.
Image: We were unable to add the ZenMate logo onto our application starter up, due to the fact that we were unable to install PIL properly. Despite multiple efforts, we eventually had to move on due to time constraints