Inspiration
We talked about various APIs given and somewhere along the way we landed on the topic of cellular data or lack of cellular data. In thinking about the given APIs, we had the idea that we could search something without a internet connection.
What it does
It allows the user to query google from an offline device. Basic questions will work such as, unit conversion, distances , "who is" questions, "when" questions and most questions that have a definite answer in a few words.
How I built it
We set up a local server with Ngrok, which exposes our server to the public internet over secure tunnels. and then using Twilio's API, we were able to create a script that extracts the user's SMS message and searches it on google. Then, it scrapes google in an attempt to find an appropriate answer. Finally, it returns the answer to the user.
Challenges I ran into
- Setting up the server with Ngrok
- Becoming familiar with the Twilio interface, connecting with and managing phone
- Getting the body of the received SMS message
- Scraping the result from the google search
- Remembering to setup the Webhook before running the text messages
Accomplishments that I'm proud of
That we were actually able to finish our project, and overcome most/all the challenges we ran into
What I learned
We learned how to set up a server using Ngrok; how to use the Twilio API; learned more advanced concepts in Node.js; and became more familiar with the command line.
What's next for Bork Search
Allow more flexible searches by creating more search functions . Optimize the feedback (i.e be able to display more information to the user, by the user's request)
Template website, without live feed( was supposed to be implemented): https://jimmyxle.github.io/conuhacksiii_bork_search/site/
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