Inspiration
Driving while fatigued or impaired remains one of the leading causes of preventable accidents. While modern vehicles include safety features like lane assist or collision warnings, they often react after risky behavior begins rather than addressing the driver’s wellbeing beforehand. Our team wanted to explore how a car could act as a wellness partner, helping drivers recognize when they may not be in a safe state to drive and guiding them toward healthier, safer decisions.
We were especially inspired by the idea that vehicles are increasingly becoming intelligent environments, and we asked: What if the car could care about the driver’s wellbeing as much as their safety?
What it does
Zoma is a wellness-focused in-vehicle system designed to encourage safer driving habits. At the center of the system is a smart mirror that monitors driver alertness and potential impairment through facial cues and behavioral signals.
When the system detects signs of fatigue or alcohol impairment, it intervenes before the trip begins and presents supportive options instead of just warnings. These include:
Power Nap Mode – a timed rest experience designed to restore alertness
Lounge Mode – a relaxing in-car environment with calming music and entertainment while the driver recovers
Food Recommendations – nearby food options that can help stabilize energy levels
Ride Assistance – options to call a rideshare or contact a trusted person
By encouraging restorative actions, Zoma promotes physical and mental wellbeing while preventing unsafe driving.
How we built it
We designed Zoma as a conceptual smart vehicle interface and interactive prototype.
The interface was built using React to structure the UI and manage navigation between vehicle states.
We used motion-based animation libraries to create smooth transitions that mimic the feel of a modern automotive interface.
TailwindCSS helped us rapidly design a sleek, minimal dashboard-style UI.
The system simulates a driver monitoring smart mirror, which would hypothetically use sensors and computer vision to detect signs of fatigue or impairment.
We created several interactive states, including:
Fatigue detection alerts
Lounge mode experience
Ride request interface
Food ordering suggestions
Together these components simulate how a future vehicle might proactively support driver wellness.
Challenges we ran into
One challenge was designing interactions that felt supportive rather than restrictive. Many safety systems simply block the driver or issue harsh warnings, but we wanted Zoma to feel like a helpful assistant rather than a punishment.
Another challenge was creating a UI that felt authentically automotive rather than like a typical mobile app. We had to think carefully about layout, spacing, and animation to simulate the experience of an in-car interface.
Finally, we needed to balance multiple possible interventions—rest, relaxation, rideshare, and food—without overwhelming the user.
Accomplishments that we're proud of
We’re proud of designing a system that reframes car safety as a wellness experience rather than just a restriction.
Some highlights include:
Designing a smart mirror concept that acts as the system’s primary sensing interface
Creating a lounge mode experience that turns the car into a safe recovery space
Building a clean, modern UI that feels similar to real vehicle interfaces
Designing flows that encourage healthy decision-making instead of forcing compliance
We also successfully created a working prototype that demonstrates the concept through interactive screens.
What we learned
Through this project we learned that designing wellness-focused technology requires thinking beyond traditional safety alerts.
We also learned how important user psychology is in behavior change. Systems that feel supportive and empathetic are more likely to encourage people to make safer choices.
On the technical side, we gained experience building state-driven interactive interfaces, creating smooth UI transitions, and designing experiences that simulate real-world systems.
What's next for Zoma
In the future, we would expand Zoma with more advanced capabilities.
Potential next steps include:
Integrating real driver monitoring AI using computer vision
Adding biometric sensing through the smart mirror (heart rate, eye tracking, etc.)
Connecting with rideshare and food delivery APIs
Personalizing recommendations based on a driver’s habits and health data
Exploring integration with smart city infrastructure, such as nearby rest stops
Ultimately, we envision Zoma as part of a future where vehicles actively support driver wellbeing, safer roads, and healthier habits.
Built With
- figma
- gemini