AstroTunes

Personalized music for astronauts, matching the mood to the mission—wherever space takes you!

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Inspiration

The idea for AstroTunes came from the need to support mental well-being in isolated environments like space. Astronauts on long missions face immense isolation and stress, and we wanted to provide a way for them to experience comfort and motivation through music that resonates with their mood. Inspired by the universal power of music, we set out to create an app that adapts song recommendations to a user’s emotional needs.

What it does

AstroTunes is a mood-based music generator that suggests playlists tailored to an astronaut’s current mood. With just a few taps, users can select from various mood categories, and AstroTunes delivers songs specifically curated to enhance or complement their state of mind. The app leverages Spotify’s music API to generate playlists that match different energy and valence levels, ensuring users get music that truly resonates with them.

How we built it

We built AstroTunes using HTML/CSS/JS for a responsive frontend experience. Using the Spotify API with Node.js in the backend, we created a system that retrieves tracks based on mood parameters, adjusting for energy and positivity levels. Through real-time API calls, the app delivers mood-matched playlists, which users can seamlessly enjoy. We've also implemented a separate mobile component for AstroTunes using the Android Studio IDE and Kotlin.

Challenges we ran into

One of our major challenges was enabling authorization to the Spotify API. Having to configure communication between Node.js and the Spotify server took quite a bit of time. We also had to overcome issues with integrating the frontend UI with the backend music generation. React is a framework that was new to all of us, so incorporating this was quite lengthy.

What we learned

Building AstroTunes gave us valuable insights into using APIs for real-time data retrieval, working with mood-based algorithms, and delivering user-friendly functionality. We gained experience in balancing technical requirements, like API rate limits and responsive design, with user-centric features like smooth transitions and immediate song recommendations. It taught us how critical it is to iterate and test continuously for reliable user experiences.

What's next for AstroTunes

Next, we plan to enhance AstroTunes by expanding its mood options and refining its recommendation engine further with more user feedback. We’d also like to incorporate offline functionality and make AstroTunes accessible in more isolated environments, such as submarines or remote research stations. Collaborating with music therapists to enhance mood-based music suggestions is also on our roadmap as we continue supporting mental wellness in challenging environments.

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