Lowkate

Inspiration 💡

The inspiration behind Lowkate comes from the desire to bridge the gap between the real world and the metaverse by creating an immersive experience for users to discover unique digital collectibles. We wanted to combine the excitement of exploring physical locations with the digital realm, allowing users to interact with geotagged NFTs and uncover hidden treasures in their surroundings.

What it does 🛠️

Lowkate is a platform that enables users to drop and discover geotagged NFTs in real-world locations. It provides a dynamic and interactive map where users can explore and collect digital assets tied to specific physical places. By utilizing augmented reality (AR), users can use their smartphones or devices to view the world through their camera lens and experience a new, visually enhanced reality.

Users can follow their favorite creators and participate in community-driven experiences that encourage them to explore unique locations. With the ability to create their own map of collected NFTs, users can foster a sense of community and share their discoveries with others. Lowkate also offers focused marketing opportunities for brands by allowing them to drop NFTs in locations where their popularity may be relatively low, effectively expanding their user base.

How we built it 🏗️

Lowkate was developed using a robust tech stack that enabled us to create a seamless and immersive experience for users. Here are the key technologies and tools we utilized:

• Webapp : We built the Lowkate web application using Next.js.

• NFTs and Blockchain : The NFTs on Lowkate are powered by the Theta blockchain. We leveraged the Theta blockchain's capabilities to create, store, and manage the digital collectibles. Video NFTs, specifically, were supported by the Theta video storage API, allowing for secure and efficient storage of video-based NFTs.

• Theta EdgeStore and dCDN : We explored the use of Theta EdgeStore and its decentralized content delivery network (dCDN) to enhance the distribution and availability of the NFTs on Lowkate. Theta EdgeStore allowed us to leverage edge nodes to store and distribute NFT content, ensuring faster and more reliable access for users.

• Smart Contracts : To enable NFT creation, ownership, and transactions, we used Thirdweb CLI to create and deploy solidity-powered smart contracts. Solidity is a popular programming language for writing smart contracts on blockchain platforms. The Thirdweb CLI provided a streamlined workflow for contract deployment and management.

• Wallet Integration : To offer a seamless wallet experience and facilitate interactions with smart contracts, we utilized the Thirdweb SDK. The SDK allowed us to integrate wallet functionalities, enabling users to securely manage their NFTs, perform transactions, and interact with the blockchain without the need for external wallet applications.

Deployed Smart Contract

Challenges we ran into 🚧

Building - Building a Mobile first dApp with navigation was not very straightforward, adding augmented reality on top of that was all the more challenging. Narrowing down on the tech stack we want to go with took some time but taking that time definitely helped with clarity in the development cycle.

User Experience - A fun challenge was to define the user experience, the interaction had to be familiar but also create excitement since this product is fairly novel. The really narrowing down of processes into something our stakeholders would understand took on-ground research, observations , discussions, mind maps and decisions.

Accomplishments that we're proud of 🎉

We are really proud of building a proof of concept that would enable creators to build a community around the world leveraging the power of Geotagged NFTs.

What we learned 📚

Developing Lowkate provided us with valuable insights into the convergence of physical and digital experiences. We gained a deeper understanding of the technical complexities involved in geolocation services, augmented reality, and blockchain integration.

Furthermore, Lowkate taught us the power of community-building and the impact of social interactions in driving engagement. We observed the enthusiasm and creativity of our users as they discovered and shared their collectibles, solidifying the idea that combining real-world exploration with digital experiences creates a powerful and compelling platform.

What's next for Lowkate 🔮

Moving forward, we have exciting plans for the future of Lowkate. We aim to expand our user base globally, collaborating with creators and brands to offer a wider range of geotagged NFTs in unique locations around the world. We will continue to enhance the platform's features and functionality, incorporating user feedback and introducing new interactive elements.

In addition, we will explore partnerships with museums, landmarks, and cultural institutions to offer curated experiences that combine education, entertainment, and digital collectibles. Our goal is to create a platform that not only delights users but also promotes exploration, discovery, and appreciation of the real world through the lens of the metaverse.

Built With

• nextjs
• solidity
• theta
• thirdweb