## Inspiration

We, as humans, enjoy walking. So much so that it has become a way of life for many. Humans are also prone to the great sin of envy and comparing themselves to others. It is therefore common sense to create a marriage of the two human pastimes and make a leaderboard system of counting steps.

## What it does

uOttawalk is an iOS application (eat it Android fanboys) that takes the steps of the user at the end of every week and places them on a leaderboard with contacts who also use the app. The purpose of the leaderboard is to form a new structural hierarchy in the digital space and to create a snapshot of the pedestrian zeitgeist.

## How we built it

The front end was built with React Native, using Apple Healthkit SDK to retrieve the phone user's overall steps. The databases for users and weekly step profiles are built with Firestore on Firebase, which will be interacted with using the Node.js backend. We implemented Solace PubSub+'s message broker to communicate with all users of the app. The backend is dockerized and deployed to a VM hosted via DigitalOcean, which the app can interface with.

## Challenges we ran into

We took a pivot from our initial challenge, so time was the main factor.

## Accomplishments that we're proud of

Adapting on the spot.

## What we learned

Some APIs are just frustrating to implement!

## What's next for uOttawalk

World domination.
## Inspiration

It is no surprise we live in unprecedented times due to the likes of COVID and recently new variants. As a result there has been a massive surge in at home exercise initiatives in the form of videos, classes, etc. However what all these means of exercises lack is motivation. That is why we created a application that lets the user track and monitor their push-ups and remain motivated due to the social variable!

## What it does

Just like modern social media apps, users will use the post feature to record themselves doing push ups. Our computer vision software records and counts for you and lets you post directly for your friends and followers to see. There are pop up daily tasks and leaderboards users can participate in as well!

## How we built it

We decided to develop our application using primarily Flutter, Firebase and Posenet. Flutter is a open source UI software tool created by Google and is extremely useful in making light weight apps for iPhones and Androids. Firebase also being a platform developed by Google has great connectivity for a better backend. Finally we leveraged Posenet which was developed using Tensorflow light (also Google ;)) and custom algorithms to track number of push-ups in real time using key nodes on the body.

## Challenges we ran into

One of our biggest challenges was picking up the tools we mentioned above. From our team only one developer had used Flutter in the past and thus a lot of our challenges came with basic onboarding of the tools themselves. Other than that we also had difficulty integrating the pushup counter into the app. However due to the amazing documentation, we were able to homogenize all our components in the end! Finally version control and dependencies was a huge headache.

## Accomplishments that we're proud of

We are extremely proud of our versatility to pick a new tech stack and concept of mobile development and stick to it throughout the entire Hackathon.

## What we learned

Due to this challenging project we got incredible experience working with mobile development as well as computer vision fundamentals.

## What's next for Push it up

Although Push-ups are a fantastic well rounded exercise, we believe in the future we can expand the application to also include other repetitive exercises such as Sit-ups, squats, and pull-ups! In fact our pushup counter is actually able to count some of these new exercises currently, it simply requires some tuning before we release Push it up 2.0 🙂
## Inspiration 🌱

Climate change is affecting every region on earth. The changes are widespread, rapid, and intensifying. The UN states that we are at a pivotal moment and the urgency to protect our Earth is at an all-time high. We wanted to harness the power of social media for a greater purpose: promoting sustainability and environmental consciousness.

## What it does 🌎

Inspired by BeReal, the most popular app in 2022, BeGreen is your go-to platform for celebrating and sharing acts of sustainability. Everytime you make a sustainable choice, snap a photo, upload it, and you’ll be rewarded with Green points based on how impactful your act was! Compete with your friends to see who can rack up the most Green points by performing more acts of sustainability and even claim prizes once you have enough points 😍.

## How we built it 🧑‍💻

We used React with Javascript to create the app, coupled with firebase for the backend. We also used Microsoft Azure for computer vision and OpenAI for assessing the environmental impact of the sustainable act in a photo.

## Challenges we ran into 🥊

One of our biggest obstacles was settling on an idea as there were so many great challenges for us to be inspired from.

## Accomplishments that we're proud of 🏆

We are really happy to have worked so well as a team. Despite encountering various technological challenges, each team member embraced unfamiliar technologies with enthusiasm and determination. We were able to overcome obstacles by adapting and collaborating as a team and we’re all leaving uOttahack with new capabilities.

## What we learned 💚

Everyone was able to work with new technologies that they’ve never touched before while watching our idea come to life. For all of us, it was our first time developing a progressive web app. For some of us, it was our first time working with OpenAI, firebase, and working with routers in react.

## What's next for BeGreen ✨

It would be amazing to collaborate with brands to give more rewards as an incentive to make more sustainable choices. We’d also love to implement a streak feature, where you can get bonus points for posting multiple days in a row!