This project was developed as part of the SMART INDIA HACKATHON (SIH-2024). The hackathon challenged participants to create innovative solutions to address real-world problems. Our team selected the theme of healthcare and well-being, focusing on the problem of making natural medicinal knowledge more accessible. The problem statement was to design a platform that educates users about the medicinal properties of various herbs, promoting traditional healing practices while leveraging modern technology.
The Virtual Herbal Garden project is a comprehensive platform that provides users with detailed information about medicinal plants, their uses, and their preparation methods. At the heart of the platform is a dynamic AI-powered chatbot that allows users to interact seamlessly and gather information in an engaging, multilingual manner. The chatbot integrates a user-friendly front-end with a robust backend powered by the Gemini API (Google Generative AI) and Flask, ensuring accurate and informative responses. This project is designed to bridge the gap between traditional knowledge and modern accessibility, making it an essential tool for natural health enthusiasts.
Research and Ideation: Analyzed the problem statement to identify the gap in accessible information about medicinal plants. Design and Development: Created a visually appealing and interactive UI to ensure a smooth user experience. AI Integration: Leveraged Google Generative AI (Gemini API) to deliver precise, contextual responses to user queries. Feature-Rich Functionality: Added multilingual support, audio responses, and a stop-request button to enhance usability. Team Collaboration: Employed agile methodologies to ensure seamless integration of different components.
- Multilingual support (English, Telugu, Hindi).
- Real-time interaction and detailed responses.
- Audio playback for bot-generated responses.
- User-friendly interface with message bubbles and intuitive design.
- Stop request functionality for user control.
- Dynamic reset of chat history every 24 hours.
- Offline/online connectivity status notifications.
- Frontend: HTML, CSS, JavaScript.
- Backend: Flask (Python framework).
- AI Integration: Gemini API (Google Generative AI).
- Additional Libraries: SpeechSynthesis for audio playback, Fetch API for asynchronous communication.
User Interaction: Users can type their queries or press the enter key for faster interaction. Processing: The chatbot processes the input and communicates with the Gemini API for generating responses. Response Delivery: Bot responses are displayed in the chat window, with audio playback if enabled. Control Features: Users can stop responses mid-way or toggle audio on/off as per their preference. Reset Mechanism: Chat history resets automatically after 24 hours to maintain privacy.