A simple alarm clock

Inspiration

We wanted to create a smart alarm that ensures you’re truly awake — not just hitting snooze. The idea combined AI, motion sensing, social accountability, and blockchain for a fun and reliable wake-up experience.

What We Learned

We learned how to connect hardware (Arduino Uno), AI (facial recognition), and NLP tools (MCP and Gemini) into one system. It showed us how different technologies can work together for real-world automation and highlighted the challenges of integrating blockchain with physical devices.

How We Built It

We used Next.js + TypeScript for the frontend, Node.js for backend logic, and Arduino Uno to detect motion. A facial recognition library verified if the user was awake, while MCP (Model Context Protocol) was used to set alarms and handle AI-driven commands. Blockchain (Experimental) - Attempted DAO integration for alarm consensus and social accountability

Challenges We Faced

Integrating multiple technologies was tricky — connecting Arduino for motion detection, the facial recognition library for verifying wakefulness, MCP for AI-driven alarm control, and Gemini for asking wakefulness questions required careful coordination. The blockchain component was challenging, as deploying and interacting with a DAO for real-time alarm consensus proved difficult within the hack timeframe.