Inspiration
Throughout high school, several of our team members tutored fellow students with ADHD in subjects such as physics and mathematics, creating and teaching strategies for studying these complex subjects. Many of these students were never taught appropriate techniques for academic success. As a result, they struggled with remembering information read in textbooks, staying attentive when learning new material, and engaging in classroom readings. In college, students struggling with ADHD are 8x less likely to graduate college. Furthermore, 30% of students with disabilities who use university resources cope with ADHD. It's quite clear that this demographic, while motivated to succeed in higher academic settings, lacks the resources and tools for achieving these goals. Considering our own experiences and the clear need of aid, our team created an interactive textbook companion app capable of helping students with ADHD, and any other condition which impedes academic engagement, improve information retention, concept comprehension, and studying efficiency.
What it does
Using Google Cloud's API Machine Learning tools and OCR algorithms, our application, Study Pal, enhances the textbook reading experience. It allows the user to upload textbooks in a .pdf format before our app conducts analytics to optimize the teaching of the material. This involves selecting key phrases, minimizing trivial information, and preparing the text to be read. Next, using Google Cloud's Text to Speech software, the app delivers a lecture-like experience of the textbook material in which the user can read the text, listen to it aloud, and write notes on the material, boosting informational retention and engagement.
How we built it
The concept of a universal textbook companion app that could transform static textbooks into interactive lessons was simply infeasible before the advancements of Artificial Intelligence and Deep Learning technologies. Specifically, the employment of a natural sounding narrator capable of synthesizing any given text as well as an accurate Optical Character Recognition software that accurately transforms textbooks into malleable computer data are both integral to creating a seamless textbook companion interface. The introduction of Google Cloud AI enabled us to achieve these goals by utilizing its well-developed Speech Synthesis and OCR platforms. Through the use of these platforms, we created an algorithm to process textbooks to speech on the back-end through the use of http requests, and then designed an ergonomic user interface on Android Studio to display our app.
Challenges we ran into
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Accomplishments that we're proud of
The variety and complexity of the challenges encountered when developing Study Pal brought out some of the best qualities in ourselves and our team as a whole. As we faced and surmounted obstacles in combining Google Cloud's API with the Android Studio platform, it was easy to see the resilience and solidarity of our team at work as we combined our diverse skill set towards addressing the problem set. Furthermore, the effort with which we considered the needs of the users, specifically the ADHD community, was especially impressive; we called ADHD clinics and talked with coaches devoted towards helping individuals struggling with ADHD to better grasp the problem at hand. It was truly a lesson in empathy and addressing the problems facing communities coping with disabilities.
What we learned
Throughout the process, our knowledge and stamina was tested in integrating the various platforms and resources together. Early on in the process, we realized that Google Cloud's API was an excellent tool set for developing large projects that require multiple layers of analytics. However, their newly-developed Google Cloud Text-To-Speech software was difficult yet feasible for integrating with the Android Studio platform. Additionally, thanks to the help of mentors at HackGT as well as the diligent persistence, we learned how to create http requests to the Google Cloud API from Android Studio, enabling us to use the vast abilities of their machine learning software.
What's next for Study Pal
HackGT has provided an excellent opportunity for working with fellow competitors and experienced mentors as well as an ideal stepping stone towards our future goals of reaching the ADHD community and beyond. We plan on continuing to develop our Study Pal application by expanding its features, offer expanded layout options for optimized personalization, and increased outreach towards providing this product to the individuals that need it most. For example, we'll use Google Cloud's Vision software to select and suggest images related to the topics covered by the user. Furthermore, we expect to continue exploring the analytical power of Google Cloud's API as the powerhouse for our OCR and text-to-speech capabilities.
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