Scolioscan

Inspiration

The inspiration for this project was one of the developers having back pain the night before Local Hack Day and thinking up an application dealing with bad posture. We narrowed posture down to scoliosis for the hackathon, but intend to include other postural issues in the future like kyphosis and lumbar lordosis.

What it does

Using groundbreaking tools provided by Clarifai, we use machine learning to detect abnormalities in one's posture based in differences in the height of their shoulders, the difference in distance between their arms and their ribcage, and the Adam's forward bending test, compared to trained models of proper spines.

How I built it

This application will be built python using the Clarifai API and openCV for use on desktops and laptops. However one of the primary goals is to bring Scolioscan to mobile plans.

Challenges I ran into

We ran into initial trouble thinking up a practical solution. Moreover, we had an unfortunate bit of trouble setting up Clarifai throughout the day. However, this only motivates us to work harder to get Scolioscan to an effective state.

Accomplishments that I'm proud of

Being my first Hackathon, I was incredibly excited to meet people who share my interests. At Local Hack Day I met people from various walks of life and I gained a greater appreciation for the hacking community at large. I also took pride in being able to think up an original solution to a problem affecting many demographics, a very welcome change of pace from my school work.

What I learned

Along with furthering my skills in Python, I learned more about the capabilities of machine learning through tools such as Clarifai. Along with that I learned how to use exciting services such as Twilio and Hasura to create powerful productivity webapps. I also learned about prototyping apps with the Marvel platform.

What's next for Scolioscan

We have a host of plans for Scolioscan. Once we have fully functioning desktop environment, we plan on bringing Scolioscan to the mobile OS markets. As we further develop Scolioscan we hope to consult with medical professionals, in an effort to extend functionality of the app to other spinal conditions. In the future we hope to collaborate with larger online medical platforms such as WebMD and Mayo Clinic to bring Scolioscan into more general diagnostics.