Geocapsule | Devpost

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LA Hacks User IDs: ddZC-IuMsxmR7XEZFfpIKA, 5HzMUT36GfaVrsV5DDRdOw, aiNJ7Rril9z29R3vmpT_-g, P7poJrCUaBvYaJDo6QigRw

Inspiration

Our inspiration for Geocapsule stems from a deep appreciation for the beauty of shared experiences and the power of preserving memories. In a world increasingly dominated by digital interactions, we wanted to offer a platform that encourages people to step outside, engage with their surroundings, and connect with others in meaningful ways. By incorporating photo prompts that inspire users to partake in outdoor activities and capture those moments through photos, we aim to foster a sense of community and adventure. Each capsule is based on a specific location; users are encouraged to take their capsule photo at these locations, whether they be hidden gems in their own neighborhoods or breathtaking landmarks around the world, and document their experiences through photos. Just as traditional time capsules hold treasures from the past, our app's capsules hold the essence of a place, capturing its unique atmosphere and spirit. These capsules serve as virtual time capsules, as they are sealed until a predetermined time when they open, revealing the collective memories and experiences shared by the group. This element adds a layer of anticipation and excitement, as users can eagerly await the capsule's opening to see the culmination of their shared adventures. It's our hope that this app will not only encourage people to embrace the present moment but also serve as a delightful reminder of the joy found in shared adventures in specific locales for years to come.

What it does

With Geocapsule, users can create or join a group, and the app drops a location for users to go to based on their physical location. Upon reaching the location, Geocapsule creates a capsule and generates three AI generated, location-specific prompts for them to take pictures. Users take pictures based on these prompts and upload them to the capsule. When the capsule opens at the previously set time, users will be able to see all the photos uploaded to the capsule and can relive all their memories together.

How we built it

To create our photo prompts, we used prompt engineering with Google's Gemini API and the AI Studio. We utilized Firebase to store photos, React Native for frontend web development, and Node.js and express.js for backend server requests. To test our web app's functionality during production, we used Android Studio's emulator, our teammate's Android phone, and Postman.

Challenges we ran into

Our biggest challenge was connecting our React Native frontend and Node.js backend when capturing photos on the Android app. We kept getting a network error when trying to upload the pictures we took to our databases and spent hours debugging potential errors. We realized the issue was due to the phone being unable to access the computer's backend server, and solved this using a custom ngrok URL.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Our team were first-time users of most of the technologies that we utilized in our project, so being able to create a fully functioning web app after learning and using them is a big achievement for us as hackers and students. We're proud of successfully connecting the phone camera to the web app, as well as implementing Gemini API.

What's next for Geocapsule

We want to make more informed and robust location to drop the geobox using Gemini API. We also want to streamline the storage and retrieval of images in the capsule.