Numina – Your Last-Minute Study Superpower

Inspiration

We're a bunch of high school students who always end up cramming the night before a big exam. We wanted a faster, smarter way to actually understand concepts instead of just searching random videos or reading long PDFs. That’s why we created Numina—an AI-powered tutor that explains anything through animated videos and lets you test your understanding instantly.

What it does

Numina is a full-stack learning platform that turns any confusing topic into:

1. A narrated 3Blue1Brown-style animation
2. A live AI tutor who can talk with you via voice-to-voice conversation
3. A custom quiz and flashcard set to help you retain what you learned

It’s like having your own personal tutor, animator, and exam coach—all in one app.

How we built it

Backend

• Flask + SocketIO for the real-time engine
• Gemini + Claude AI for generating educational scripts and Manim code
• Manim + FFmpeg to render animated videos on the fly
• Tavus API to generate personalized, talking AI tutors
• JWT Authentication for secure user login
• Quiz/flashcard generation using LLM-based evaluation

Frontend

• Built with Next.js + React + Tailwind CSS
• Integrated video playback, live chat, AI voice tutor, and interactive quizzes
• WebRTC used to support seamless real-time interaction
• Smooth UI/UX designed for last-minute study sessions

Challenges we ran into

• Making AI-generated scripts sync perfectly with Manim visuals
• Supporting real-time video rendering without crashing the server
• Building natural voice-to-voice AI conversations
• Creating accurate auto-generated quizzes based on unique scripts

Accomplishments that we're proud of

• Fully automated learning pipeline from “topic” to video + live AI tutor + quiz
• Voice conversations that feel human and informative
• Flashcards and quizzes that reinforce retention—no extra work for users
• Actually useful for us during real exam prep!

What we learned

• How to combine multiple AI services into a smooth educational experience
• The power of real-time rendering and natural voice interaction
• Making education tools fun and efficient at the same time
• How to design a learning flow that works even when you’re cramming

What's next for Numina

• Let users upload class notes and convert them to videos/quizzes automatically
• Launch a mobile app for portable cramming
• Improve voice interaction to include real-time emotion/context detection
• Add collaborative study rooms with shared AI tutors