ourboARd

Inspiration

Too often, social media keeps us apart. What if there was a way to share photos online in a way that brings people together? Introducing ourboARd, an AR-based photo sharing app that gets users to gather around a digital board.

What it does

ourboARd is a digital board that nourishes human connection. It does this by utilizing a physical tracker somewhere in the real world for people to scan with their phones in an AR environment to view and add images to the board as they please. Anyone can walk up to the AR tag, go to our website, and view the current board, as well as add photos and text notes.

How we built it

Augmented reality enabled front-end with AR.js and Three.js. Backend Flask API connected to a MongoDB Atlas database for image processing and storage. Deployed the front-end on Netlify and used ngrok to allow proxy-enabled requests to the back-end.

Challenges we ran into

Using AR.js and understanding the library for the first time. Switching from our comfort zones with React that does a lot of the heavy lifting to pure HTML/JS/CSS. CORS and HTTPS configurations for a secure deployment.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Got MongoDB Atlas database working so multiple people can contribute to the board. Successful deployment to allow everyone to be able to access our web app through their phones.

What we learned

When stuck on a user story, take a step back and reconsider if the user story is worth it and whether a different user story could have a similar effect. Balancing high-focus solo work with collaboration with teammates - balancing "flow" with staying in sync with the team.

What's next for ourboARd

Ability to change image location on board. Functionality to download the board. View each individual image by tapping on it on the screen. Utilize AI to censor vulgar language and images. Improve image quality on the board.