## Inspiration

What were the 2000s known for? The Great Depression? No. High-rise jeans? Absolutely not.

Undoubtedly, they belonged to Gwyneth Paltrow. It was defined by her rise to power; of course, we’re not talking about her acting career (her artistic talents precede the decade).

Cool, calm, and calculating. This describes Gwyneth’s attitude all throughout the 2000s. She knew that her influence was inevitable; it was not a question of if, but when. Centuries from now, no one will remember the crash of the stock and housing markets. What they will remember is the gift so generously bestowed on humanity: in September 2008, Gwyneth launched [goop](https://goop.com/).

Quickly, Paltrow’s influence has reached billions and her empire, backed by an army of *#goopmoms*, stands steadfast against all adversity. She has developed technology that rivals Jeffrey Bezos. Moreover, she has [granted us wisdom](https://www.brainyquote.com/authors/gwyneth-paltrow-quotes) that transcends works everywhere. Her legacy would be cemented in a mere matter of years.

What people never really questioned was how she was able to achieve all this. The answer to this is simple: Gwyneth Paltrow is using Gwyn Cam. Today, we bring you the technology that restores people to collaborative spaces before the COVID-19 pandemic and uses filters and Computer Vision to have fun, elevate and bring back this sense of camaraderie during online calls, gaming and more video applications!

## What it does

Gwyn Cam is a free to use online application that attempts to bring people closer to the metaverse. Using computer vision technologies to facial detection, and simple javascript, this app is a camera enabled filter system with the possibility of customization! With this app, you can add in any picture you want, and filters you want and bring back this idea of collaboration and interactiveness, even though it is through a screen! We had an incredible amount of fun building this app, even if we had little to no knowledge about adding filters to cameras with moving individuals, and even to add a camera onto a Django Website! Overall, this app is both a learning experience, and a way to interact with others while trying out different filters and customizing your own!

## How we built it

This project was created using the Django framework in Python and implemented OpenCV in the backend to create a facial-recognition algorithm. This allowed us to create a JavaScript video stream object that is sent to the HTML frontend. Next, we used JavaScript (specifically, the J5 library) to upload images of Gwyneth Paltrow and overlay them with the user’s face on the live video stream. Later, non-Gwyneth facial filters were also added as options.

## Challenges we ran into

We ran into many challenges, from conceptualizing our project to the tools sometimes not working on different devices to a hosting challenge on heroku, but through everything, our team's passion for technology and willingness to open our minds to each other, our respect for one another and our patience helped us concretize this project in only 1 day and a few hours, which we are quite proud of! The team communication, having a list of requirements and starting with the mindset of an MVP helped us reach our goal to submit a project at this hackathon!

## Accomplishments that we're proud of

For the majority of the group, this was the first time using image-recognition tools, this was also by far our largest challenge as well. This project helped us explore how these tools work in Python specifically, and it was a great starting point for bringing future ideas to life. At a project management level, we have tended to run short on time at previous Hackathon events; this time, we were able to get a well-designed app together and achieve our MVP goals within the time limits. Finally, we can say that we were very creative with the theme; we can say with the utmost confidence that probably no other team at this event was able to draw the connection between *restoration* and Gwyneth Paltrow.

## What's next for So You Wanna Be Gwyneth Paltrow

The next step here would really be to have a place where people can take pictures with filters on their faces, take screen recordings and simply have call conversations with their custom filters, which a lot of applications such as microsoft teams does not enable. This project could be expanded while hosting it to add the possibility of collaborating on filters together with friends before uploading them!
## Inspiration

The preservation of cultural heritage and history has become a significant challenge, particularly with the declining interest in learning about them. Motivated by the theme of "Nostalgia," our project aims to address this issue by creating an accessible and immersive experience for individuals of all ages to **explore heritage through the transformation of their own image in a captivating virtual world**. Inspired by modern technology's photo filters in popular apps like Instagram and Snapchat, we seek to make the application of these filters more meaningful and enriching.

## What it does

Retropix is a digital product strategically installed in public mirrors across cities worldwide. When the user stands in front of the mirror, it takes them on a personalized journey back in time by transforming their outfits and surroundings to the era and location of their choice.

After the user takes their photo, their transformed photo is then added to an global photo album online. This is where the user can view pictures that other people have taken in Retropix mirrors around the world and see people dressed in different traditional clothings at specific points in time. For example, an album of the 2000s, consisting of garments from Vietnam, Pakistan, India, Indonesia, etc

## How we built it

For the functionality prototype, we started with plain HTML/CSS with some handwritten JS files, with zero framework. The AI image processor needs to see the image from a URL, so we use a temporary online storage API that holds our images for 5 minutes. Then we take input from the user who specifies the place and time they want to go and compose that information in a prompt to the AI processor. We also used **Cohere’s text generator AI** to give fun facts about the time and place chosen as a user experience improvement while they are waiting for the processed image to be returned. For the product page, we quickly whip up a prototype using Canva’s website designer.

## Challenges we ran into

One of the main challenges we faced was working with unfamiliar tech stacks. To overcome this hurdle, we actively sought help from mentors, utilized resources like Cohere and Stack Overflow, and engaged in collaborative problem-solving.

## Accomplishments that we're proud of

Our proudest accomplishment lies in the process of ideation and finalizing our concept. As a team with many ideas, we spent considerable time aligning our perspectives to finalize a project that combined everyone's strengths. Despite all of us being beginner hackers, we work together to make decisions on which platforms to use, optimizing our time, ensuring full usability of our project, and simultaneously adopting new skills.

## What we learned

Throughout the hackathon, we gained valuable insights into working with APIs, tech stacks, the intricacies of front-end development, and a better understanding of how JavaScript modules function.

## Business Feasibility

Anticipating a 15% monthly customer growth, our conservative projections estimate substantial annual revenue. Only around 9$ per use, the product becomes profitable after the third quarter considering the initial investment. Facilitated by global installations at popular tourist attractions enhances its scalability.

## What's next for RetroPix?

The future of RetroPix holds immense potential for preserving cultural history, increasing awareness of diversity and inclusion, and emphasizing historical accuracy. This endeavor serves as a bridge for historical education and cultural appreciation. To improve the product, we will try to research and incorporate knowledge on lesser visited countries and Indigenous communities.

Looking ahead, we envision RetroPix as a promising product with financial viability and the prospect of reaching customers worldwide. Scalability is a key focus, with plans to expand the product globally and sparking curiosity of learning.
## Inspiration

I've always been fascinated by the complexities of UX design, and this project was an opportunity to explore an interesting mode of interaction. I drew inspiration from the futuristic UIs that movies have to offer, such as Minority Report's gesture-based OS or Iron Man's heads-up display, Jarvis.

## What it does

Each window in your desktop is rendered on a separate piece of paper, creating a tangible version of your everyday computer. It is fully featured desktop, with specific shortcuts for window management.

## How I built it

The hardware is combination of a projector and a webcam. The camera tracks the position of the sheets of paper, on which the projector renders the corresponding window. An OpenCV backend does the heavy lifting, calculating the appropriate translation and warping to apply.

## Challenges I ran into

The projector was initially difficulty to setup, since it has a fairly long focusing distance. Also, the engine that tracks the pieces of paper was incredibly unreliable under certain lighting conditions, which made it difficult to calibrate the device.

## Accomplishments that I'm proud of

I'm glad to have been able to produce a functional product, that could possibly be developed into a commercial one. Furthermore, I believe I've managed to put an innovative spin to one of the oldest concepts in the history of computers: the desktop.

## What I learned

I learned lots about computer vision, and especially on how to do on-the-fly image manipulation.