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🎉 Achievements

🏆 StormHacks Winner — Selected as one of the top projects among 778 participants at Western Canada’s largest hackathon.

🌍 Winner of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Challenge — Recognized for creating an innovative and scalable solution that advances sustainability and positive social impact.

🌍 EcoTag: Turning Laser Tag into a Climate Action Game

EcoTag — portable laser tag that turns “ugh, cleanup” into “one more round,” helping the planet one scan at a time.

Overview

EcoTag is the world’s first portable, phone-powered laser tag fused with real-world environmental action. Attach a simple QR tag, scan to score hits and climb the leaderboard, then flip the script: scan real litter, classify it, get CO₂-saving estimates, and drop it in the right bin for bonus points. It’s fast, social, and planet-positive—play anywhere (parks, playgrounds, living rooms, schools), and contribute to a cleaner planet, one scan at a time. When gatherings ends and everyone groans about cleaning up, just say: “One more round of EcoTag.”

Problems We Tackle

1) Laser tag is amazing, but inaccessible. Everyone loves laser tag , it’s fast, thrilling, and connects people of all ages. But here’s the problem: it’s inaccessible, tied to expensive arenas and bulky equipment.

2) Post-gathering cleanup is the buzzkill. After outdoor hangouts (and indoors too), people are tired; trash gets left behind or sorted wrong. The last chore kills the vibe and the environment pays for it.

Our Solution — How EcoTag Works

Phones as taggers (truly portable).

Everyone has a phone with camera: no special hardware.
Players wear a QR code; scan to tag opponents, earn points, and track your live leaderboard.

Scanning the world, not just players.

Use your camera to scan real-world garbage.
Our AI model (vision + sustainability data) classifies the item, estimates CO₂-equivalent savings, and checks bin correctness (recycling/compost/landfill).
Right bin = more points (and multipliers for plastics). Wrong bin = lower penalties.
Result: cleanup turns into competition, and correct sorting becomes second nature.

Impact

Why it matters: gamified environmental education, inspired by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).:

♻️ SDG 11: Sustainable Cities — litter reduction and cleaner shared spaces.
🧃 SDG 12: Responsible Consumption — learn correct sorting by playing.
🌡️ SDG 13: Climate Action — CO₂ savings per item make impact visible.
🌊/🌱 SDG 14 & 15: Life Below Water & On Land — plastic multipliers incentivize what matters most.
💪 SDG 3: Good Health & Well-Being — get outside, move, play.

The experience

Round starts: scan tags, dodge, sprint, score.
Clean up: scan items, match bins, watch your score jump.
Leaderboard: points from tagging + tidying crown the winner.
Anywhere play: outdoors or indoors—parks, campuses, offices, rec centers.

So when the gatherings end and everyone groans about cleaning up, just say: 🎯 “Let’s play one more round of EcoTag.”

🎯 Tech Stack & Engineering Challenges

Tech Stack

Key Technical Innovations

1. Ultra-Fast QR Detection (< 100ms)

ZXing-WASM with WebAssembly for near-native browser performance
Adaptive Processing: Dynamic resolution scaling based on zoom level (40% overhead reduction)
Error Resilience: Reed-Solomon correction handles 30% data corruption

2. Real-Time Frame Processing

On-Demand Capture: Base64 encoding only on user tap (not continuous)
Smart Compression: 1920x1080 → ~200KB in < 5-6ms
Complex Coordinate Transformation: Handles zoom, pan, and aspect ratios with sub-pixel accuracy

3. Event-Driven Architecture

Custom WebSocket Bus: 15+ event types with auto-reconnection
Optimistic Updates: Instant local feedback, async server validation
Smart Sync: Differential updates, batch processing, priority queuing

4. Environmental Gamification

Dual Gameplay: Combat (QR shooting) + Conservation (garbage collection)
4-Category Classification: Organic, Paper, Recyclable, Landfill
Real Impact: CO₂ tracking, recycling multipliers, haptic feedback

5. Performance Optimizations

Frame Rate: Throttled 20 FPS with RequestAnimationFrame sync
Memory: Canvas reuse, proper MediaStream cleanup
Network: Adaptive compression, batch events, 30s heartbeat

Data Flow Pipeline

Tap → Capture → Base64 → WebSocket → QR Detection → Validation → Broadcast → UI/Haptic

End-to-End Latency: < 50-100ms

Key Metrics

QR Accuracy: 95% at 20 FPS
WebSocket RTT: < 15ms
Frame Processing: 10-12ms
Fault Tolerance: Auto-reconnect, persistent state, graceful degradation

A technical showcase combining real-time computer vision, distributed systems, and environmental awareness in a high-performance web application. Built with ❤️ for sustainability and technical excellence.

🌿 Dedication

In loving memory of my grandfather, Aliaezam Hosseinkhani — whose kindness, wisdom, and love for nature continue to inspire me to care for and protect our planet.

— Written with love by Kian Hosseinkhani