Taking the bite out of winter with AI-powered triage and real-time shelter connection. Conceived for ACM X UWACSSA Hackathon 2026.
FrostByte is a platform-agnostic Expo mobile application designed to keep Winnipeggers safe during extreme cold events. Our demo focuses on the immediate needs of a user in crisis:
- Real-time Risk Analysis: Uses OpenWeatherMap (calibrated to Environment Canada standards) to warn users not just of temperature, but of "Time to Frostbite" risk.
- Smart Shelter Locator: Directs users to the nearest warm public spaces using Google Places API, providing live status (Open/Closed) and location metadata.
- AI Injury Triage: Uses Gemini Vision AI to analyze photos of exposed skin, distinguishing between "Frostnip" (treat at home) and "Frostbite" (seek medical attention).
- SOS Beacon: Sends a pre-formatted emergency SMS to trusted contacts using Native Device Messaging, ensuring privacy and zero-latency communication.
To extend the impact of FrostByte, our Phase 2 development introduces a localized volunteer network. This "Uber-for-Crisis" layer is currently in concept/beta:
- Volunteer Dispatch: Allows users to request help from registered "Icebreakers" (volunteers) nearby.
- Crisis Routing: A dedicated dashboard for volunteers to toggle availability and receive routing instructions to high-risk alerts via Real-time Geo-sync.
- Frontend: Expo (React Native)
- Maps/Data: Google Places API (Dynamic Shelter Search & Metadata)
- Weather: OpenWeatherMap API (Free Tier)
- AI Triage: Google Gemini API (Flash-Lite Model)
- Realtime Backend: Firebase Firestore (Drafted for Icebreaker routing)
This project is built by the following University of Manitoba Computer Science students:
- James Ha
- James Park
- Michelle Okolie
- Ray Nguyen
- Peter Vu