Build with what the camera sees
Build something whose main input is an image rather than typed text. You decide what it looks at.
Your application must take an image or camera input as its primary input.
That is the only rule. What you build inside it is yours to imagine — there is no spec to follow and no right answer. Bring the idea you have been sitting on, or invent one in the room. The best builds are the ones nobody saw coming.
Some directions people take
Optional. These are examples, not a menu — the point of this track is that you choose.
- Identify something and explain it
- Translate text that appears in a photo
- Check a physical space against a checklist
- Describe an image for someone who cannot see it
Things to keep in mind
- Test with poor-quality images. Participants and users do not take clear photographs.
- State when the model is uncertain. A confident incorrect answer is the main risk in this topic.
- Accept file upload as well as camera capture.
Built something? Two minutes, and it lands in the showcase. Half-finished is fine.
How the session flows
Every Coding Jam follows the same shape, whichever track the room takes.
- 0:00 – 0:15Intro
Grab a name tag and a slice, say hello to the instructor, and meet the people either side of you — you'll be asking them things later, so it pays to know their names now. Low pressure, high creativity, ship something messy. Then a quick word on what the room is building tonight, and you're off.
- 0:15 – 0:30Credits & setup
The instructor shares the Google Cloud credits with the room. Everyone gets their environment ready — whichever tool they brought. Nobody should be installing anything once the build starts.
- 0:30 – 1:35Build
Heads down, and enjoy it — this is the part everyone came for. The agent does the typing; you decide what it's making. Ask the room when you get stuck; someone two seats away hit the same wall ten minutes ago. Want more structure? The codelab walks the spec-driven route — Setup → Plan → Review → Build → API → Verify — but nobody has to follow it.
- 1:35 – 2:00Share & submit
Show the room what you made — two minutes, screen-shared from your seat. Half-finished is welcome; the wobbly ones are usually the most interesting. Say what surprised you along the way, and cheer for everyone else while you're at it. Then submit your build before you leave. This is the one thing not to skip — it's what puts your name and your chapter on the showcase, and it takes about two minutes.