This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by ANIRUDDHA ADAK
This is a submission for the World’s Largest Hackathon Writing Challenge: Beyond the Code.
HomeWhisper – Beyond the Code
Building HomeWhisper wasn’t just a technical journey — it was a deeply human one. What started as a hackathon idea to unify smart home devices became a story of cross-disciplinary creativity, friendship, and a shared desire to make tech more intuitive and inclusive.
The Spark of the Idea
The frustration of juggling multiple smart apps led us to ask:
“What if your home could understand you as a person — not just your commands?”
That question turned into a vision: an AI-powered, multimodal command center for your home that blends voice, gesture, and ambient intelligence.
We didn’t just want to build a product — we wanted to craft an experience.
IRL & Community Moments
Though we built remotely, we engaged deeply with the community:
- Joined Discord voice rooms for feedback swaps and late-night debugging marathons
- Got encouragement from mentors who reminded us to “design for trust first”
- Met another team building an elderly care assistant — we ended up sharing UI accessibility tricks
These moments were unexpected highlights, reminding us that hackathons are less about winning and more about belonging.
Shoutouts & Gratitude
- Huge thanks to the Bolt team for their magical developer tools — your prompt playground saved our AI logic
- To the hackathon community on Dev, thank you for making us feel seen and supported
- To everyone who tried our early build and said, “Whoa, this actually feels smart” — you made our week
What We Took Away (That’s Not in the Code)
- Building tech is about empathy, not just logic
- Multimodal design needs more conversation than code
- Real-time collaboration beats perfect planning
- Voice, gesture, and automation aren’t the future — they’re the now
- A whisper can be more powerful than a shout — when it’s designed well
Try it out
Live Demo: HomeWhisper
GitHub Repo:
HomeWhisper – Smart Home IoT Command Center
Revolutionary smart home control with AI-powered voice commands, gesture recognition, and intelligent automation for the modern connected home.
Features
Core Functionality
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Natural Language Voice Control – Control any smart device using natural speech patterns powered by Gemini AI
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Advanced Gesture Recognition – Intuitive hand gesture control captured through computer vision -
Intelligent Security Monitoring – AI-powered threat detection and pattern analysis -
Smart Energy Optimization – Automated energy management with up to 30% cost savings -
Predictive Analytics – Deep insights into usage patterns and device performance -
AI-Powered Automation – Self-learning routines that adapt to your lifestyle
18+ AI-Powered Features
Control & Interface
- Natural Language Voice Control – Context-aware voice commands
- Advanced Gesture Recognition – Computer vision-based hand tracking
- Conversational AI Assistant – Natural dialogue with your smart home
- Network Health Monitoring – Real-time WiFi…
See demo on YouTube:
See launch post on X:
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Live Demo
Explore HomeWhisper here:
homewhisper
Final Thoughts
Hackathons are usually judged by deliverables. But for us, HomeWhisper is judged by how it feels to use — and how it brought a diverse team together to reimagine what a smart home could be.
We didn’t just write code.
We built a whisper — and a story we’ll keep telling.
This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by ANIRUDDHA ADAK