APP LAB – How Does Your Phone Know?

About the Event

• How Does Your Phone Know? is a hands-on technology and app-development event designed to uncover the hidden technologies that power everyday smartphone experiences.
• Participants will explore how smartphones can count steps, detect movement, identify text from photographs, determine location, recognise objects, respond to voice commands, and provide haptic feedback. The event encourages participants to move beyond simply using these features and understand the technologies that make them possible.
• Participants will then use one or more of these technologies to build a functional application and present their work before a jury. The focus is on understanding the underlying technology, implementing it meaningfully, and demonstrating creativity through a working app.

Event Details

• Event Date: 26 September 2026
• Time: 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM
• Venue: Seminar Hall
• Mode: Offline
• Domain: Computer Science
• Participation: Individual or Team
• Team Size: 1–3 members
• Maximum Participants: 60
• Registration Fee: ₹150
• Registration Deadline: 25 September 2026
• Eligibility: RV University students only

Technologies Participants Can Explore

The event revolves around the technologies that allow smartphones to perceive and interact with the world around them. Participants may explore areas such as:

• Step Detection & Activity Tracking – How smartphones determine whether and how a person is moving.
• Motion Detection – Understanding how sensors detect movement, orientation, and changes in position.
• Text Recognition – Extracting and reading text from images captured by a phone camera.
• Location Tracking – Understanding how smartphones determine and use a user's location.
• Object Recognition – Identifying objects or visual elements through the smartphone camera.
• Voice Interaction – Understanding how smartphones process and respond to spoken input.
• Haptic Feedback – Using vibrations and tactile feedback to improve interaction and user experience.

Participants are free to select one or more relevant technologies and incorporate them into their application.

Competition Format

The event will consist of one round: Jury Presentation.

Participants or teams will develop a functional application that meaningfully demonstrates one or more of the technologies explored during the event.

During the jury round, participants will be expected to:

• Demonstrate their application.
• Explain the technology being used.
• Explain how the chosen technology has been implemented.
• Demonstrate the functionality of the application.
• Explain the purpose and idea behind their application.
• Answer questions from the jury regarding their implementation.

The presentation should demonstrate both technical understanding and practical implementation.

Judging Criteria

Applications will be evaluated by the jury based on:

• Understanding of Technology
• How well the participant understands the underlying technology and its role in the application.
• Functionality
• Whether the application works as intended and meaningfully demonstrates the selected technology.
• Creativity
• Originality of the idea and how creatively the technology has been incorporated into the application.
• User Experience
• The usability, interaction, and overall experience provided by the application.
• Presentation
• Clarity and effectiveness of the demonstration and the participant's ability to explain their implementation and decisions.

Rules & Regulations

• The application must meaningfully demonstrate the assigned or selected technology.
• Participants must be able to clearly explain their implementation during the jury presentation.
• Direct copying of another participant's or team's work is not permitted.
• Participants are expected to present their own work and demonstrate an understanding of the technologies used.
• All participants must follow the rules, instructions, and guidelines of RV University throughout the event.
• The decision of the jury and event coordinators regarding the competition will be considered final.

Prizes

• 1st Prize: ₹3,000 + Certificate
• 2nd Prize: ₹2,000 + Certificate
• 3rd Prize: ₹1,000 + Certificate

Special Recognition

Best Use of Technology / Most Creative App + Certificate

Participant Requirements

• Participants must bring and work on their own laptop.
• No specific prerequisite skills or software requirements have been specified.
• Participants may participate individually or form a team of up to 3 members.
• For team participation, details of all team members must be provided during registration.
• A Team Name must be provided for team registrations.
• Participants should ensure that their application is ready for demonstration during the jury round.

Registration Information

The registration form will collect the standard participant details, including:

• Participant Name
• College Name
• Course / Branch
• Year / Semester
• Email ID
• Contact Number

For team registrations, details of all team members will be collected along with the Team Name.

Important Information

• This is an offline event.
• Participants must bring their own laptops.
• The event is open to all college students
• Participants can register individually or as a team of up to 3 members.
• The application should demonstrate the selected technology in a meaningful and functional manner.
• Participants should be prepared to explain both the concept and implementation of their application during the jury presentation.
• Participants must adhere to all university rules and event instructions.

Explore the technology behind the features you use every day—and build something that makes your phone do more.