Ideaz

One of the biggest challenges faced by university students is daily commuting inside and outside campus. Many students either walk long distances in the heat, wait for irregular shuttles, or rely on expensive ride-hailing services. Current campus transport systems are not optimized, leading to wasted time, missed classes, and unnecessary carbon emissions.

My idea is to create a Smart Campus Shuttle System that uses AI-powered scheduling and electric minibuses to provide an efficient, sustainable, and affordable mode of transport. Students will book rides through a mobile app, which uses real-time data and AI to group nearby requests and suggest the most optimal shuttle routes. This ensures minimal waiting time, lower costs, and reduced congestion.

Unlike traditional fixed-route buses, the smart shuttle adapts dynamically to student needs. It reduces dependency on private vehicles, cutting down traffic and pollution on and around campus. The electric vehicles make the system eco-friendly and future-ready.

The primary beneficiaries are students, faculty, and staff who save time, money, and energy. The university also benefits by reducing its carbon footprint and showcasing innovation on campus. In the long run, this system can be scaled to corporate campuses, IT parks, and residential townships.

This problem matters to me because I personally face issues with unpredictable campus transport, which affects punctuality and productivity. With this solution, I aim to make mobility on campus seamless, sustainable, and student-friendly.

One of the biggest challenges in hostel life is not the food or the rules , it's the chaos that comes with room allocation, facilities and daily communication. When new students shift in many want to change roommates as their preferences may not be syncing, some don't know which room they have been assigned to. As per now they handled by the warden manually, which often results to confusion , stress and a never-ending workload for hostel staff. 

Potential solution for the problem :

what if there was a single app that could make hostel life smoother for both students and wardens ?

The idea is to make an hostel management app where students can log in and instantly find their room number and roommate with matching preferences (AC/non-AC, sleeping schedule or Academic course) if they are not happy with the preferences they can raise a room-exchange request with the person that they prefer , which will directly goes to the warden for approval no messy paperwork or repeated visits . 

This app will also include a Hostel vacancy tracker, making it easier to see how many rooms are empty during admissions. Another helpful feature is AC usage notification , students can notify in advance if they don't want AC for a day, the in-charge will be alerted to switch it off saving electricity. To address everyday concerns, a Complaint box will be integrated, where issues like water , power or WI-FI problems go directly to the responsible staff . Finally, the app will streamline Laundry scheduling, allowing students to confirm whether they are giving laundry on a particular day so the staff know whether to wait or leave 

Future scope:

we can also add features such as attendance tracking, digital permissions for leaves and outings, making the app a complete hostel management system.

Of course there will be challenges building the app , making it lightweight and user-friendly and ensuring it is adopted by both students and staff , But isn't it worth trying ? This idea matters to me because I've seen first-hand the daily confusion during hostel shifting and facility management. Hostel is supposed to be a place where students can focus on studies and friendship not stress about logistics . A simple digital platform could make hostel living smarter,more peaceful and more enjoyable for everyone.

Smart Hostel Laundry Notification & Queue System 👕👚

Laundry is one of the most frustrating aspects of hostel life (As we cannot give our undergarments, socks, handkerchiefs etc. to the college laundromat). With hundreds of students sharing a limited number of machines. Students frequently experience:

Long waiting times with no clear idea when their turn will come.

Finished laundry left in the machine because the owner forgot to collect it.

Fights or awkward conversations about “whose clothes are still inside.”

Students using the machine for hours, preventing fair access.

This wastes time, creates unnecessary tension among hostel residents, and reduces the life of machines due to overuse and mishandling.

To solve this, I thought of a Smart Laundry Notification & Queue System: a mobile app and digital interface integrated with washing machines to make hostel laundry fair, efficient, and transparent.

How the System Works

Step 1: Digital Check-In

Before starting a cycle, a student must “check in” through the app using their college ID login.

The machine can only be started once the student presses Start in the app. This prevents anonymous use.

Step 2: Queue Management

If the machine is busy, students can join a digital queue through the app.

The app shows real-time queue length, estimated waiting time, and notifies the student when it’s almost their turn.

If a student does not load clothes within 20 minutes of their slot, the slot is automatically skipped to the next person.

Step 3: Notifications

When a cycle finishes, the app sends instant push notifications to remind the student to collect their laundry.

If clothes are left inside beyond a certain period (e.g., 10–15 minutes), the app records a penalty against that student. Repeated offenders can be reported to hostel wardens.

Each wash is linked to the college ID, ensuring accountability and discouraging misuse.

Benefits

No more waiting around for hours.

Students can go about their day and get notified when it’s their turn.

First-come-first-serve queue ensures no one can cut in line.

Reduces fights and misunderstandings.

Automated reminders prevent forgotten clothes inside the machine.

Every wash is tied to a student’s ID.

Discourages irresponsible behavior like leaving clothes inside for hours.

This type of usage reduces overuse, improves maintenance cycles, and prevents misuse of hostel property.

Challenges

Network outages can delay the system.

Using and setting up smart washing machines require funding and hostel approval.

Queue Abuse - Students booking slots but not showing up.

Some solutions I think would help for queue abuse:

Auto-skip after 20 minutes of inactivity.

Penalties for repeated "fake bookings"

Limit of one active booking per student.

Future ideas

App uses previous data to predict peak vs. off-peak laundry times and using this, students receive recommendations on the best times to do laundry.

Data reports on machine usage, peak demand, and students with repeated misuse, this would help justify the need for additional machines or maintenance scheduling.