That question sparked the beginning of a special project. As the software team in a university club, we wanted to do something that could help animals but also inspire our peers. Our goal was clear: to build a smarter feeding routine for stray animals and create social impact on campus. Maybe it could even encourage others to start their own awareness-based projects. That’s when Patikampüs was born.
Where the idea came from
It all started during a random brainstorming session in a cafe. Our club president suddenly said:
“Why don’t we place smart food containers in specific spots around campus, and connect them to a mobile app?”
And that was it — the idea that kicked off everything.
The idea was simple but powerful:
We built a mobile app (using Flutter) that connects with Internet of Things (IoT)-enabled food containers. Through the app, users can:
- View the locations of food containers nearby
- Track how full each container is
- Favorite their preferred containers
- Get notifications when food levels are low
- Upload before and after photos to verify if they refilled a bowl
- Read recent news or fun stories about cats in a small social feed
But, as with any real-world project, we faced some challenges. We asked ourselves: how do we verify if someone truly refilled the container? To solve that, we added a feature to upload before and after photos when food is added.
More than just a project
While developing the app, I improved not only my technical skills – such as mobile development, user interface design, and working with real-time data – but also crucial soft skills that every future engineer needs. I learned how to collaborate effectively in a team, how to communicate ideas clearly, how to adapt when things didn’t go as planned, and how to stay committed to a goal that serves a community.
Although the app has not yet been fully deployed on campus, the development process itself has already had an impact. It helped raise awareness among students, sparked conversations about animal welfare, and brought us closer as a team.
This experience taught me that engineering is not only about solving technical problems, but also about understanding real-world needs and building meaningful solutions — even if they take time to come to life. It strengthened my belief that being a developer means more than writing code; it means using your skills to build a better, more compassionate world.
Seeing the impact of our work in the real world – feeding animals and inspiring other students – reminded us why we love building things.
We believe projects like Patikampüs can inspire others too, and we hope more developers will be motivated to use their skills for good.
And maybe, just maybe... our little project has already inspired someone else on campus to create something meaningful too.