🎙️ ZED - Voice-Controlled AI Assistant

Zed is your autonomous AI study partner that connects directly to your student account and responds to your voice to create a personalized, productive learning experience. Ask questions about deadlines, study tips, or how to approach a problem — Zed provides guidance that challenges your brain to learn, rather than simply giving you answers to copy.

Check it out on Devpost:
🔗 https://devpost.com/software/zed-7z0wg4

🧠 What It Does

🤖 Zed, Your Study Buddy

Zed is your autonomous AI study partner that connects directly to your student account and responds to your voice to create a personalized and highly productive learning experience. Ask questions about deadlines, study tips, or how to approach a problem—Zed will provide guidance that challenges your brain to learn rather than simply giving you answers to copy.

🔐 Authenticates as Your Study Buddy

Securely logs into your Canvas or Blackboard account via Auth0, just like a studious classmate with access to the same materials you do.
Encrypted credential storage ensures your login information stays safe while enabling autonomous course access.

📚 Intelligently Scrapes Your Actual Courses

Automatically downloads your syllabus, professor’s lecture slides, and assignments from your enrolled courses.
Extracts exam dates, topics, and deadlines using the Gemini 2.5 Compute engine — no manual input needed.

🎤 Provides Natural Voice Interaction

Wake word activation with Porcupine — just say “Hey Zed!”
Receive spoken responses via ElevenLabs text-to-speech that sound like a supportive study buddy.
Study while cooking, exercising, or walking around — Zed makes learning seamless and non-distracting.

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🚀 Quick Start

Prerequisites

• Python 3.8+
• Node.js 16+
• Modern web browser (Chrome/Firefox recommended)

1. Get API Keys

You'll need three API keys:

Google Gemini API Key

• Go to: https://aistudio.google.com/app/apikey
• Sign in and create an API key

ElevenLabs API Key

• Go to: https://elevenlabs.io/
• Sign up and get your API key from Settings

Porcupine Access Key (Optional - for "Hey Zed" wake word)

• Go to: https://console.picovoice.ai/
• Sign up and copy your Access Key

2. Install Dependencies

Backend:

cd /Users/agu/Desktop/emberhacks/emberhacks
python3 -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate
pip install -r requirements.txt

Frontend:

cd frontend
npm install

3. Configure Environment Variables

Create .env in project root:

cd /Users/agu/Desktop/emberhacks/emberhacks
nano .env

Add:

GOOGLE_API_KEY=your_google_api_key_here
ELEVENLABS_API_KEY=your_elevenlabs_api_key_here

Create frontend/.env:

cd frontend
nano .env

Add:

VITE_PORCUPINE_KEY=your_porcupine_key_here

4. Start the Application

Terminal 1 - Start Backend:

cd /Users/agu/Desktop/emberhacks/emberhacks
source venv/bin/activate
python backend/main.py

You should see:

 * Running on http://0.0.0.0:8000

Terminal 2 - Start Frontend:

cd /Users/agu/Desktop/emberhacks/emberhacks/frontend
npm run dev

You should see:

➜  Local:   http://localhost:5173/

Open Browser:

• Go to http://localhost:5173
• Complete login
• Start using ZED!

🎯 How to Use

Voice Commands

Option 1: Wake Word (if enabled)

1. Wait for green "Listening active" indicator
2. Say "Hey Zed"
3. Speak your command
4. Recording stops automatically after 3s of silence

Option 2: Hold to Speak

1. Click and hold "Hold to Speak" button
2. Speak your command
3. Release button or wait for silence detection

Option 3: Text Input

1. Click "Click to Type"
2. Type your command
3. Press Enter

✅ Quick Checklist

Before starting, make sure you have:

• Python 3.8+ installed
• Node.js 16+ installed
• Google Gemini API key
• ElevenLabs API key
• Porcupine key (optional)
• .env file in project root
• frontend/.env file created
• Dependencies installed (pip & npm)
• Backend running on port 8000
• Frontend running on port 5173
• Microphone permission granted

🎉 You're Ready!

Open http://localhost:5173 and start talking to ZED!