Tired of dry eyes? Here is how to build a tool that reminds you to blink
We are all familiar with the feeling of dry and tired eyes after hours of working in front of a screen. The main reason for this is that our blink rate drops by half when we are focused on a display. The solution may come from a simple tool you can build yourself with AI, without knowing how to write a single line of code.
We are all familiar with the feeling of dry and tired eyes after hours of working in front of a screen. The main reason for this is that our blink rate drops by half when we are focused on a display. While rules of thumb like the 20-20-20 rule are difficult to implement while concentrating, the real solution may come from a simple tool that you can build yourself with the help of artificial intelligence, without knowing how to write even a single line of code.
A personal assistant that will protect your eyes
When a user who suffered from the problem did not find a suitable application in the Google or Microsoft stores, he turned to Gemini. The result was a simple HTML file for download that uses the selfie camera to track the blink rate. The tool analyzes the data locally on the device using Google's MediaPipe Face Mesh AI model, so the footage is not sent to any external server and your privacy is completely maintained.
The tool not only counts blinks, but also alerts you with a sound of your choice when the rate drops below a threshold you have defined. To prevent false alerts, Gemini defined a dynamic tracking window of 120 seconds. In addition, so that the tracking does not stop when you switch to another tab, a background mode based on a "Picture-in-Picture" window was added, allowing you to continue working as usual while the tool runs in the background.
How do you turn this into an app?
To use the tool on a phone, the file must be hosted on an HTTPS-supported site (like Netlify or Vercel) to allow access to the camera. From there, the path to a real app experience is extremely short. With the help of code that Gemini generates, the Chrome browser can turn the site into a lightweight mobile installation file (APK), including a dedicated icon and its own splash screen.
This project is proof that artificial intelligence is completely changing the way we solve everyday problems. In the past, developing such a tool required months of study and programming, whereas today anyone can turn a small idea into a working and personalized product within a few minutes of conversation with the AI.
