TrailPulse: Eyes on the Canopy, Phone in Pocket

Pratham — Sat, 10 Oct 2026 15:34:38 +0000

This is a submission for the Hacktoberfest Open-Source AI Challenge Week 1: Touch Grass

What I Built

🌿 Touch Grass — Real Adventures, Not Just Notifications

Touch Grass is an AI-powered outdoor activity planner that encourages people to spend less time on their screens and more time exploring the real world.

Users can select their mood, available time, and preferred environment to get outdoor activity suggestions that fit their needs. Whether someone wants to relax, explore nature, get moving, or spend time with friends, Touch Grass helps turn that intention into action.

Key Features:

Mood-based outdoor activity recommendations.
Flexible activity durations.
Simple and user-friendly interface.
Optional local AI integration for personalized suggestions.
Built-in activity suggestions when AI is unavailable.
A nature-inspired design focused on real-world experiences.

The goal is to use technology as a bridge to the outdoors rather than another reason to stay online.

Demo

🌐 Live Demo: https://prathamyadav1122.github.io/touch_grass_project/

Code

💻 GitHub Repository: https://github.com/prathamyadav1122/touch_grass_project.git
Technologies Used:

HTML
CSS
JavaScript
Ollama for optional local AI integration

The project is designed to keep the core experience lightweight and accessible, with local AI as an optional way to generate personalized outdoor missions.

How I Built It

I built Touch Grass using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. HTML provides the structure, CSS creates the responsive nature-inspired design, and JavaScript manages user interactions and activity recommendations.

Users choose their mood, available time, and environment. Based on these preferences, the application suggests activities they can try outside.

I also designed an optional integration with Ollama, allowing compatible open-weight language models to generate personalized suggestions through a locally running AI service.

If the local AI service is unavailable, the website can still provide built-in activity ideas.

This combination keeps the project simple while exploring how open-weight AI can support useful, real-world applications.

Why Does Open Innovation Matter?

Open innovation gives developers the freedom to experiment, customize, and build AI-powered applications without depending entirely on closed AI services.

For Touch Grass, local AI offers opportunities for greater control over how suggestions are generated, experimentation with compatible models, and reduced dependence on paid hosted APIs.

It also makes AI development more approachable for students and independent developers who want to learn by building real projects.

Most importantly, this project explores a different use of AI: instead of encouraging people to spend more time online, it helps them find reasons to step outside, explore their surroundings, and reconnect with the world.

My Agent Session

Optional: Add your DevRelay agent session link here if you record one.

Prize Categories

Add the applicable partner categories listed on the official challenge page, or remove this section if none apply.

Final Thoughts 🌱

Touch Grass is built around one simple idea: technology should improve our lives beyond the screen.

A short walk, a new outdoor activity, or a few peaceful moments in nature can be a meaningful break from our digital routines.

With AI-powered suggestions and an open-source approach, Touch Grass aims to make those small real-world experiences easier to discover.

Less Screen. More Green. Real Adventures, Not Just Notifications.

Hacktoberfest #OpenSource #AI #Ollama #TouchGrass

DEV Community: Pratham