Dendrii is a free-to-download desktop app catered towards senior users that bridges virtual pet companionship with research-driven brain health training. Dendrii uses Java and Python languages and incorporates Java Swing, Python, Tkinter, Pygame, and Creytr libraries. The app functions within a user-pet system where the user is responsible for their personal pet neuron and is prompted to earn Dendrii’s currency - myelins - and engage with a daily to-do list of the app’s features. The user can partake in four categories: JOURNAL, LEARN, PLAY and SHOP. The JOURNAL category allows the user to record their mood, and the LEARN category educates the user on brain health research. The PLAY category branches off into subcategories with games that target the user’s cognition, memory, and reflex respectively. The SHOP category allows the user to purchase clothing and food for their pet neuron using myelins earned from partaking in the featured categories. The “Personal Records'' feature allows the user to see progress charts of their task engagement.
We considered the widely-reported link between ageing cognitive decline and took note of seniors groups’ preferences for cognitive games. We considered the widely-reported link between ageing and cognitive decline and took note of seniors groups’ preferences for cognitive games (see https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1555412008314132).
Dendrii is a free-to-download desktop app catered towards senior users that bridges virtual pet companionship with research-driven brain health training. The app functions within a user-pet system where the user is responsible for their personal pet neuron and is prompted to earn Dendrii’s currency - myelins - and engage with a daily to-do list of the app’s features.
Dendrii uses Java and Python languages and incorporates Java Swing, Python, Tkinter, Pygame, and Creytr libraries.
Something that was challenging was getting Python and Java's different libraries to seamlessly integrate. For example, a challenge we had to overcome was calling a Pygame program from a Python program that used Tkinter.
For some of us, it was the first time we worked with specific libraries (ex. Pygame). While it was time-consuming reading many StackOverflow posts, we managed to get our portion of work to function properly.
Not only did we learn how to work collaboratively in a relatively large team, we also learned how to communicate our progress on a multi-part coding project. We also learned that it is difficult to incorporate Python code into a primary Java interface; hence, prior research should be done next time.
Our team at Dendrii looks to collaborating with external organizations such as BC Brain Wellness and Alzheimer’s Society in bringing more traffic and updates into this version of the app. We look forward to expanding on the cognition games in the PLAY category as well as secure grants to continue building tools to support our seniors’ brain health journeys.