OpenAI 2026 hackathon

Cardiologist's Guide to the Heart

Step beside a beating 3D heart and see how anatomy, electrical timing, pressure, and coronary flow affect one another.

Solo project by Arnav Salkade · 0 likes · 0 comments

Archive position — measured, not model output

0 likes on Devpost

2,264 of the 7,856 archived projects have more likes, and 5,592 share exactly 0 — so this project's #3,123 place in the like-ranked listing is a tie-break inside that group, not a ranking.

Projects (log scale)

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Likes on Devpost. ▲ marks this project's group.

Show the figures
LikesProjectsShare of archive
05,59271.2%
11,75822.4%
22853.6%
3–41321.7%
5–9751.0%
10+140.2%
Devpost like counts for all 7,856 archived projects, captured when this archive was built.

Executive Summary

What the company appears to be

The project described by the author is a native visionOS application that simulates a 3D heart with interactive lessons on cardiac anatomy, physiology, and disease states. It uses deterministic simulation logic in Swift for physiological transitions and integrates AI-powered tutoring via OpenAI's gpt-realtime-2.1.

What changed

The author describes building this as part of a hackathon project during Build Week. There is no evidence of prior versions or evolution from an earlier product; this appears to be the first iteration.

Single most important open question

Is there any evidence that this educational tool has been adopted by learners, educators, or institutions? The description states it is a demo and reproducible source code, but does not indicate traction or usage beyond its own development.

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What The Product Actually Is

The description states that the product is a native visionOS application designed to simulate a 3D heart with interactive lessons. It includes:

  • A guided sequence covering:
    • Spatial orientation and cardiac anatomy
    • Blood flow through chambers and vessels
    • Electrical conduction and heartbeat timing
    • Healthy coronary circulation
    • Reversible coronary artery narrowing
    • Resulting changes in flow, pressure, and workload
    • Restoration of healthy flow

The simulation is deterministic, computed in Swift. The AI tutor explains the state using gpt-realtime-2.1 but does not control or invent it.

It is built with:

  • RealityKit
  • SwiftUI
  • Swift
  • visionOS
  • OpenAI Codex and GPT-5.6 for development support

The application runs locally on Apple Vision Pro hardware or simulator, and requires a user’s own OpenAI API key to enable live voice tutoring.

Inference This is an educational visualization tool intended for medical students or trainees who want to understand how heart components interact causally in space and time. It is not a clinical decision support system or diagnostic software.

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Positioning & Claim Evolution

The author states that medicine is often taught as isolated names and diagrams, but the heart is really a chain of causes and effects — electrical timing changes contraction, which changes pressure, which moves blood.

This project aims to turn that chain into a spatial lesson learners can inspect. It positions itself as an alternative to traditional flat diagrams by offering a replayable spatial model for causal intuition.

It also claims to be:

  • A guided educational experience
  • An interactive 3D visualization of the heart’s function
  • A tool that helps learners understand how parts affect one another

There is no indication of prior positioning or evolution in the description. The project appears to be self-contained and unchanging from its initial submission.

Inference The positioning reflects a shift from static learning tools toward immersive, interactive simulations for anatomy education — though this is not yet proven through adoption or feedback.

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Target Customer & ICP

The description does not name specific customers or target segments. However, it implies the following potential users:

  • Medical students
  • Healthcare trainees (e.g., residents, interns)
  • Educators in medical schools or training programs

It also suggests a use case for:

  • Learners wanting to understand how heart parts interact causally
  • Those who benefit from spatial and interactive learning models

There is no evidence of segmentation, persona development, or targeting strategy beyond the general idea that it’s for medical education.

Inference The ICP likely centers on medical learners and educators seeking more engaging and intuitive ways to study cardiac physiology. However, there is no evidence of actual customer engagement or feedback from these groups.

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Business Model & Pricing Evidence

There is no mention of pricing, monetization, or business model in the description.

The project is presented as:

  • A demo
  • Source code available on GitHub
  • Not a commercial product

It does not state whether it will be sold, licensed, or offered free to users.

Inference No evidence exists for any revenue-generating mechanism. The project appears to be an open-source educational tool with no stated path to monetization.

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Technical & Delivery Signals

The application is:

  • Built natively for visionOS
  • Uses Swift and SwiftUI
  • Leverages RealityKit for 3D rendering
  • Integrates OpenAI’s gpt-realtime-2.1 for AI tutoring
  • Runs locally on Apple Vision Pro hardware or simulator
  • Requires a user-entered API key for live voice interaction

The author reports:

  • Use of Codex and GPT-5.6 during development
  • Deterministic simulation logic in Swift
  • Reproducible setup instructions via GitHub

It is explicitly stated that the live tutor does not control or invent the simulation; it only explains the current state.

Inference The technical stack shows a strong focus on immersive, spatial learning with AI integration. However, there is no evidence of scalability beyond the demo environment or production deployment.

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Traction & Maturity Signals

The project:

  • Has a recorded demo video
  • Includes reproducible source code and setup instructions
  • Was submitted to a hackathon (OpenAI 2026)
  • Is described as complete in its current form

However, there is no evidence of:

  • User adoption or usage metrics
  • Feedback from learners or educators
  • Any commercial traction or institutional interest
  • Deployment beyond the simulator or GitHub repository

Inference The project shows maturity in terms of functionality and reproducibility, but lacks any signal of real-world impact or traction.

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Competitive Context

The description does not reference competitors or similar products. It does not state whether there are existing tools for 3D cardiac education or visualization in medical training.

There is no evidence of:

  • Market analysis
  • Competitive positioning
  • Prior art or market presence

Inference No competitive context is evident from the description. The project may be unique within its niche, but this cannot be confirmed without external data.

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Key Risks & Red Flags

Key risks and red flags include:

  • No traction or adoption: The product is described only as a demo and source code — no evidence of real-world use.
  • Limited scope: It targets a narrow educational domain (cardiac physiology) with no indication of expansion plans.
  • Dependency on proprietary APIs: Requires user-provided OpenAI API keys, which may limit accessibility or create friction.
  • Hardware-specific delivery: Designed for Apple Vision Pro only — limits reach and scalability.
  • No commercial viability: No pricing, licensing, or monetization strategy is evident.

Inference The project lacks any signs of commercial readiness or market traction. It remains a proof-of-concept with no clear path to growth or revenue generation.

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Diligence Questions To Ask The Founders

  1. What are the actual learning outcomes or educational goals you're trying to achieve?
  2. Have you tested this with real learners or educators? If so, what feedback did you get?
  3. Are there plans to expand beyond cardiac physiology or into other medical domains?
  4. How do you intend to scale beyond a single developer and demo environment?
  5. What is your long-term vision for monetization or distribution?
  6. Is there any interest from institutions or educators in adopting this tool?
  7. How does the AI tutor handle edge cases or unexpected questions from users?

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Investment/Partnership Verdict

Not evidenced

There is no evidence of:

  • Revenue
  • Customers
  • Traction
  • Market demand
  • Commercial viability

The project is described as a demo and source code, submitted to a hackathon, with no indication of adoption or impact.

Inference At this stage, the project appears to be an educational prototype with limited commercial potential. It would require significant further development, testing, and market validation before being considered for investment or partnership.

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Source

Submitted to the OpenAI 2026 hackathon on Devpost. Project home on DevPost.

The analysis above was generated by a language model from the project's own one-line description. It is not independent research and contains no verified traction, revenue or customer data.