"Every printer is a teacher. Every broken laptop is a lesson."
ReLoop is a web platform that turns e-waste into education. It guides students, hobbyists, and educators through safe, structured device teardowns โ extracting valuable components, verifying them with AI, and giving those parts a second life through donation, resale, or responsible recycling.
- Overview
- The Problem
- Key Features
- Tech Stack
- Supported Devices (MVP)
- User Journey
- Project Structure
- Getting Started
- Environment Variables
- Deployment
- Contributing
- License
ReLoop addresses two intertwined problems:
- E-waste crisis โ $57 billion worth of electronics are discarded annually.
- STEM affordability gap โ ~40% of schools can't afford robotics and electronics equipment.
By bridging these, ReLoop creates a circular economy where discarded devices become low-cost STEM learning kits โ verified, safe, and ready for reuse.
| Challenge | Impact |
|---|---|
| 57B+ in annual e-waste | Environmental damage, resource loss |
| Schools lack affordable gear | Students miss hands-on STEM exposure |
| DIY teardown tutorials are unsafe | No safety gates, no verification |
| No structured pathway | Parts get thrown away instead of harvested |
ReLoop solves this with guided teardowns, AI verification, and three post-teardown outcomes: Donate โ Sell โ Recycle.
Before touching a single screw, users see a full breakdown of what's inside the device โ part values, locations, XP rewards, and educational outcomes.
- Step-by-step teardown instructions with PPE checks
- Hazard callouts for capacitors, batteries, and sharp components
- Safety gates that block progression until risks are acknowledged
- Color-coded device difficulty tiers: ๐ข Easy / ๐ก Medium / ๐ด Hard
Upload a photo of any extracted part and Gemini 2.0 Flash Vision will:
- Identify the component type (e.g., NEMA 17 Stepper Motor)
- Rate the condition (Excellent / Good / Fair / Poor)
- Return a confidence score (auto-approved โฅ 75%, manual review < 75%)
- Flag safety concerns (damaged battery, leaking capacitor, etc.)
Cost: ~$0.00065 per verification โ 50ร cheaper than GPT-4 Vision.
Free tier: 1,500 requests/day via Google AI Studio.
At each extraction step, learn:
- What is this? โ Component identity & explanation
- Why is it valuable? โ Market price & rarity
- Where can it be used? โ 3โ5 real-world project examples
- How does it work? โ Technical breakdown with diagrams
- XP System โ Earn XP for each verified component
- Badges โ Unlock achievements (e.g., "Motor Master", "Circuit Breaker")
- Leaderboards โ Global and school-wide rankings
- Streaks โ Daily activity bonuses
After completing a full device teardown, choose your path:
| Action | Description |
|---|---|
| ๐ Donate | Send parts to local schools / makerspaces, get a tax receipt + 2ร XP |
| ๐ฐ Sell | List on the marketplace with AI-auto-populated specs and price suggestions |
| ๐ฟ Recycle | Find nearby e-waste facilities via ZIP code, get disposal instructions |
- Auto-generated listings from verified components
- AI-suggested pricing based on condition and market data
- Component provenance (device source, extraction date, verifier)
- Platform commission: 25%
| Layer | Technology |
|---|---|
| Frontend | React 19 + TypeScript |
| Styling | Tailwind CSS v4 |
| Routing | React Router v7 |
| State Management | Zustand |
| Data Fetching | TanStack React Query |
| Animations | Framer Motion |
| Icons | Lucide React |
| Build Tool | Vite 7 |
| Backend | Supabase (Edge Functions + PostgreSQL + Storage + Auth) |
| AI Vision | Google Gemini 2.0 Flash Vision |
| Hosting | Vercel (Frontend) + Supabase (Backend) |
| PWA | vite-plugin-pwa + Workbox |
| Device | Difficulty | HVI Score | Est. Value | Key Learning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HP DeskJet 2700 Printer | ๐ก Medium | 87/100 | $43 | Motor control, optical sensing |
| Linksys WRT54G Router | ๐ข Easy | 72/100 | $28 | Networking, RF basics, power management |
| Xbox 360 (broken) | ๐ด Hard | 95/100 | $67 | Thermal management, gaming hardware |
| Dell Inspiron Laptop | ๐ด Hard | 91/100 | $89 | Display tech, battery safety, modular computing |
Landing โ Search Device โ Component Map Preview
โ
Start Teardown โ Safety Gate (PPE + Power-off)
โ
Guided Steps โ Photo Upload โ AI Verification
โ
XP Awarded โ Next Component or Device Complete
โ
โโโโโโโโฌโโโโโโโฌโโโโโโโ
โDonateโ Sell โRecycleโ
โโโโโโโโดโโโโโโโดโโโโโโโ
reloop/
โโโ public/ # Static assets (icons, favicons)
โโโ src/
โ โโโ components/ # Reusable UI components
โ โโโ lib/ # Supabase client, utilities, AI helpers
โ โโโ pages/ # Route-level page components
โ โ โโโ LandingPage.tsx
โ โ โโโ DeviceCatalogPage.tsx
โ โ โโโ DeviceDetailPage.tsx
โ โ โโโ TeardownRunnerPage.tsx
โ โ โโโ TeardownCompletePage.tsx
โ โ โโโ MarketplacePage.tsx
โ โ โโโ LeaderboardPage.tsx
โ โ โโโ ProfilePage.tsx
โ โ โโโ DonatePage.tsx
โ โ โโโ RecyclePage.tsx
โ โ โโโ auth/
โ โโโ types/ # TypeScript type definitions
โ โโโ App.tsx # Root component & routing
โ โโโ main.tsx # App entry point
โ โโโ index.css # Global styles
โโโ supabase/ # Edge Functions & DB migrations
โโโ .env # Environment variables (not committed)
โโโ vite.config.ts # Vite configuration (incl. PWA)
โโโ package.json
โโโ README.md
- Node.js v18+
- npm v9+
- A Supabase account and project
- A Google AI Studio API key (for Gemini Vision)
# 1. Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/<your-username>/reloop-anti.git
cd reloop-anti
# 2. Install dependencies
npm install
# 3. Set up environment variables (see section below)
cp .env.example .env
# 4. Start the development server
npm run devThe app will be available at http://localhost:5173.
Create a .env file in the root directory with the following variables:
VITE_SUPABASE_URL=https://<your-project-ref>.supabase.co
VITE_SUPABASE_ANON_KEY=<your-supabase-anon-key>
VITE_GEMINI_API_KEY=<your-google-gemini-api-key>| Variable | Description |
|---|---|
VITE_SUPABASE_URL |
Your Supabase project API URL |
VITE_SUPABASE_ANON_KEY |
Supabase project public anon key |
VITE_GEMINI_API_KEY |
Google AI Studio key for Gemini Vision |
โ ๏ธ Never commit your.envfile. It is already included in.gitignore.
See DEPLOYMENT.md for the full step-by-step guide.
Quick Summary:
- Push to GitHub โ create a repo and push your code
- Deploy Frontend on Vercel โ import repo, add env vars, deploy
- Deploy Edge Functions on Supabase:
npx supabase functions deploy --project-ref <your-project-ref>
- Tutorial completion rate
- AI verification pass rate (target: โฅ 75% confidence)
- Components verified per user/week
- Marketplace listings created
- Donate vs. Sell vs. Recycle distribution
- Google Gemini API cost per active user (~$0.00065/verification)
- Safety Gates enforce PPE acknowledgment before risky steps
- RED tier devices (Xbox, Laptop) require extra safety confirmations
- Minimal PII collected; parent/teacher approval path for minors
- HTTPS everywhere; role-based access control via Supabase Auth
- AI-detected safety flags for hazardous components (e.g., swollen batteries)
| Phase | Timeline | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| MVP (Hackathon) | โ Now | 4 devices, AI verification, Donate/Sell/Recycle, Gamification |
| Pilot (Phase 2) | +1 month | 10 more devices, teacher dashboard, refined AI prompts |
| Public Beta (Phase 3) | +3 months | 50+ devices, payment integration, community-contributed guides |
Contributions are welcome! Please:
- Fork the repository
- Create a feature branch (
git checkout -b feature/my-feature) - Commit your changes (
git commit -m 'feat: add my feature') - Push to the branch (
git push origin feature/my-feature) - Open a Pull Request
This project is private and intended for hackathon demonstration purposes.
Built with โค๏ธ to close the loop on e-waste and open doors to STEM education.
ReLoop โ Dismantle. Learn. Reuse.