Sentinel AI Assistant: Your Eyes on the World

Imagine giving an AI a pair of eyes and asking it to watch something for you. That's the core idea behind the Sentinel AI Assistant, an Android app designed to bridge the gap between an AI model and the physical world around you, using your phone's camera.

It's an experimental tool, part of the ongoing Road to Free Open AGI project, exploring how we can make AI interact more directly with our environment. Think of it as a simple, customizable watcher that can report back or even react based on what it \"sees\".

What Can Sentinel AI Do?

Sentinel combines a few key features into a straightforward interface:

• Multimodal Chat: You can have a regular text chat with the AI (using the Gemini 2.0 Flash model), but you can also include an image directly from your camera or gallery. Ask questions like \"What type of plant is this?\" or \"Describe this tool\" and show the AI directly.
• Auto-Capture Monitoring: This is where things get interesting. You can tell Sentinel to automatically take a picture using your phone's camera at a set interval (e.g., every 5 minutes, every hour). You also provide a Custom Prompt, like \"Is the cat on the couch?\" or \"Describe any changes in this scene.\" The app sends the picture and your prompt to the AI, displaying the answer in the chat.
• AI-Powered Alerts: Building on Auto-Capture, you can enable the Alert Trigger. Define a specific Trigger Phrase (e.g., \"problem detected\", \"package arrived\", \"cat is on the couch\") and how many times the AI needs to say it consecutively (Required Triggers). If the condition is met, the app will clearly display an alert.
• Optional Call Trigger: If an alert is triggered, you can optionally have the app attempt to initiate a phone call to a number you specify in the settings. This could be useful for critical notifications.
• Customization: All these features are configurable. In the settings menu (⚙️ icon), you can enter your Gemini API Key, adjust the Custom Prompt and Interval for auto-capture, set up the alert phrase, trigger count, and phone number. Your settings are saved locally on your device.

Ideas for Using Sentinel AI

While it's a simple app, Sentinel opens up possibilities for using AI to monitor the real world in basic ways. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

• Simple Object/Status Monitoring: Point your phone at something specific. Is the 3D print finished? Has the package been delivered to your doorstep? Did the pet finish its food? Use Auto-Capture with a specific prompt and potentially an alert trigger.
• Environmental Checks: Is the plant in the corner looking wilted? Is the window open or closed?
• Basic Scene Awareness: Set it up overlooking an area and ask it to \"Describe any activity\" or \"Report if a person enters the frame\". (Accuracy will heavily depend on the AI model, lighting, and prompt).
• Tool/Object Identification: In manual mode, quickly snap a picture of a tool or object and ask the AI \"What is this?\"

Remember, the effectiveness depends greatly on the AI's current capabilities, the quality of the image (lighting, angle), and how well you craft your prompts. It's an experiment in connecting digital intelligence to visual input from the real world.

Getting Started & Tips

• API Key: You'll need your own Gemini API key (available via Google AI Studio or Google Cloud). Paste this into the settings.
• Start Simple: Begin with manual chat and image prompts to understand how the AI responds to your camera's view.
• Auto-Capture Prompts: Be specific but clear in your custom prompts for auto-capture. \"Is the light on?\" is better than just \"Check the light\".
• Intervals: Choose reasonable intervals for auto-capture. Very short intervals will use your API quota faster.
• Alert Phrases: Make your alert trigger phrase specific and something the AI is likely to actually say in response to your prompt. It's case-insensitive.
• Placement & Lighting: For auto-capture, ensure your phone has a clear, stable view of the target area and good lighting for the best results.

Open Source & Future

Sentinel AI Assistant is released under the MIT License. The goal is to provide a simple, open foundation for exploring real-world AI interaction on Android. You can find the source code and the downloadable APK on GitHub.

This is just one small piece of the larger puzzle. Feedback, ideas, and contributions are always welcome as we collectively explore the path towards capable and accessible AI.