On March 24, 2025, I spent my day participating in SIKAPTala 2025: The National CS and IT Competition – Research Presentation, hosted by the College of Information and Computer Studies Student Government (CICSSG) of De La Salle University – Dasmariñas (DLSU-D). This virtual event was conducted via Microsoft Teams and simultaneously livestreamed through their official Facebook page, making it accessible to a broad audience of observers.
Our team, Trifecta Proximity, presented our research titled “Fitformotion: An AI Fitness Progressive Web App (PWA) for Gym Enthusiasts with Progress Visualization and Predictive Analytics” in the Artificial Intelligence category. As the technical lead for our project, I handled the development and implementation of the app’s core functionalities, while my teammates Mr. Mahasiah Bautista served as our presenter and Mr. Christian Jay Cuya designed our presentation materials. Throughout this journey, we received guidance from our adviser, Mr. Arvin Shelby De Leon.
One of the most demanding aspects of my role was implementing the AI-powered form detection system capable of analyzing users’ workout movements in real-time with high accuracy. I vividly recall encountering a critical bug in the pose estimation module just two days before the submission deadline, which threatened our entire project. I ended up staying awake for nearly 36 straight hours, troubleshooting and rewriting portions of code to ensure the detection system could reliably identify improper form without false positives. The solution ultimately involved restructuring our TensorFlow model and optimizing the inference pipeline for more efficient performance on mobile devices.
I was impressed by how well the competition was organized. Each presenting team was placed in a breakout room and only moved to the main room when their turn came, creating smooth transitions and helping everyone remain prepared. Although our team didn’t advance to the final round where Q&A sessions took place, we felt proud to represent Gordon College – College of Computer Studies, alongside other teams from our institution including GCAttend, ITrack, OnIoT-Sense, QuRe, and Lunas Talaan.
Before participating in SIKAPTala 2025, my understanding of AI applications in fitness technology was largely theoretical. Through developing Fitformotion, I gained invaluable hands-on experience with machine learning models for pose estimation, data visualization techniques, and progressive web app architecture—practical skills that would have been difficult to acquire through classroom learning alone.
The competition exposed me to other innovative projects that approached different problems with unique technological solutions. I was particularly fascinated by how teams utilized AI to address challenges in healthcare, agriculture, and education. This exposure broadened my perspective on how my technical skills could be applied across various domains beyond fitness technology.
While our team didn’t receive direct feedback from the judges, the process of preparing for the competition forced us to rigorously test and refine our application. Each feature had to be justified not just in terms of technical feasibility but also practical utility for end-users—a valuable lesson in product development that I’ll carry forward in future projects.
As a developer inspired by this experience, I’m excited to implement several improvements to our Fitformotion app. After seeing other entries that incorporated gamification elements, I’ve begun exploring ways to implement achievement systems and social features to enhance user engagement. I’ve already started working on a leaderboard system that encourages friendly competition while maintaining user privacy.
Another insight came from observing how other teams handled data visualization. I realized our progress tracking graphs could be more intuitive and personalized. I’m currently redesigning the analytics dashboard to provide users with more actionable insights based on their workout history and progress toward goals. The competition also highlighted the importance of accessibility in tech solutions, motivating me to optimize Fitformotion for users with various physical abilities, including alternative exercise recommendations and modified tracking parameters for those with mobility limitations.
I found the virtual format of SIKAPTala 2025 exceptionally well-executed. From the clear instructions provided before the event to the technical support available throughout, the organizers demonstrated remarkable attention to detail. The platform’s stability was impressive, with minimal connectivity issues despite the large number of participants. The scheduling was also thoughtfully managed, with adequate time allocations for each presentation and smooth transitions between sessions. The livestream made the event more inclusive and accessible to the broader community, allowing friends, family, and interested parties to tune in and support the participants.
While the event ran smoothly overall, I believe future SIKAPTala competitions would benefit from implementing a structured feedback system for all participants, not just finalists. Even brief comments from judges would provide valuable guidance for teams to improve their projects and presentation skills.
Additionally, creating a virtual networking space would enhance the experience by allowing participants from different schools to connect and potentially collaborate on future projects. Perhaps a dedicated forum or social media group could serve this purpose, fostering a community of student innovators beyond the competition itself.
From a technical perspective, it would be beneficial to provide participants with resources on common technical challenges and solutions in advance. This could include documentation on integrating various APIs, optimizing performance for different devices, or handling security concerns—issues that many student developers encounter when building complex applications.
In conclusion, participating in SIKAPTala 2025 was both challenging and rewarding. It pushed me to overcome technical obstacles, exposed me to innovative ideas from peers, and inspired improvements to our project. Though we didn’t advance to the finals, the experience itself was invaluable for my growth as a developer and has motivated me to continue refining Fitformotion with new insights gained from the competition.