This year I am working with Rylan Gutierrez on the proposed project idea of continuing my previous project A.I.R and creating an actual functioning app that people can use. The rough idea of my project last year was coming up with a concept design for an app that allows its user to track, prevent, and heal their injuries. The app would also correspond with the user’s sport to give the most accuracy it can to help the user reach recovery fast and learn how to prevent the injury based on their respective sport.
The problem we’re addressing is the high expenses of health care and physical therapists. The cost of physical therapy can be extremely expensive, especially for those in marginalized communities. Many star athletes have come from marginalized communities where the cost to help recover from injuries can be quite pricey. Imagine one of your favorite athletes who never existed on the court or field because they had such an extreme injury when they were younger and couldn’t afford physical therapy.
I came up with this idea during the summer of freshman year when I had a hamstring strain but didn’t know what to do with it. At first, I didn’t know what it was or what I could do to repair it. I spent almost all of summer waiting for it to recover on its own which left me off the track for months. I then got injured again at the end of this past season because I didn’t know what the signs were that it was close to straining and I didn’t know how to prevent it. Also after watching a film of one of my favorite athletes, Trayvon Bromell, I learned that when he was younger he couldn’t afford physical therapy for his legs and it almost cost him his future in Track and Field. Today, it still affects him because he is still getting injured repeatedly.
The biggest challenge we have today is making this app more accessible and useful than an AI chatbot. AI chatbots can also do the majority of what the plan for my project is. Our main challenge will be to differentiate it from this and make it an app that someone would most likely use instead of AI.