Checkmate
onchain mental wellness with AI & USSD access
Created on 14th July 2025
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Checkmate
onchain mental wellness with AI & USSD access
The problem Checkmate solves
Your AI On-Chain secure mental wellness companion
Problem
Mental health is a global crisis: 1 in 8 people (approx. 970 million) live with a mental disorder (WHO, 2022). Privacy concerns, stigma, lack of trust, and fear of opening up to others prevent many from seeking help, worsening conditions like anxiety and depression. These barriers, compounded by limited access to affordable, confidential support, leave millions struggling in silence worldwide.
Solution
Checkmate is an AI-powered mental health platform on Base, delivering accessible, private, and stigma-free support through AI voice-to-voice sessions and anonymous human-based therapy.
With checkmate you can:
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Access Instant, Private Support
Engage in AI chat or voice-to-voice therapist sessions for natural, real time guidance, available via USSD/SMS for offline access for example in Africa, ensuring immediate support without judgment, no internet required. -
Journal Securely
Record thoughts in a blockchain based journal on Base, ensuring privacy with decentralized, encrypted storage, giving users confidence to share without fear of exposure. -
Track and Reward Progress
Use AI driven sentiment analysis and mood tracking for personalized insights, with plans to introduce NFT rewards on Base for resilience milestones, like consistent engagement, making mental health engaging and empowering. -
Break Accessibility Barriers
With multilingual support and offline USSD/SMS access, Checkmate removes cost, connectivity, and stigma barriers, serving diverse communities globally.
Checkmate makes mental health support easier with 24/7 voice based AI, offline access, and tailored recommendations, safer through blockchain secured data and anonymous therapy, and more inclusive by fostering trust and reducing stigma for diverse populations, all scalable on Base’s low cost blockchain.
Challenges I ran into
Challenges I Ran Into
- Implementing AI Voice-to-Voice Therapist Sessions
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Issue
Developing AI voice-to-voice therapist sessions for natural, empathetic interactions was complex, AI needed to process real-time voice inputs and deliver responsive, human like conversations without high latency, which was critical for user trust and engagement. -
Solution
I experimented with lightweight AI models and optimized them for minimal latency by caching core conversational logic locally on supported devices.
adapted the AI to handle text-based inputs mimicking voice flows, refining responses through iterative testing to ensure they felt natural and supportive, enhancing accessibility for diverse users.
- Decentralized Storage of Journals with Deprecated Tools
- Issue
Achieving secure, decentralized journal storage was critical for user privacy, but many tools, like Web3 Storage, were deprecated, disrupting my initial plans.
- Solution
I pivoted to using the Pinata SDK for IPFS, storing encrypted journal entries on IPFS and recording their content hashes on Base’s blockchain for immutability and verification. This approach ensured privacy and scalability while leveraging Base’s low-cost transactions. Extensive testing confirmed secure data retrieval and user control, aligning with Checkmate’s privacy-first mission.
- Integrating Backend with Smart Contracts
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Issue
Connecting my backend to interact with smart contracts on Base was daunting due to my limited initial experience with blockchain integration. -
Solution
I dedicated time to learning and relearning smart contract development, using Base’s documentation and community resources. I implemented a robust integration using ethers.js to facilitate seamless communication between the backend and Base smart contracts. Through trial and error, I resolved issues like incorrect contract calls and gas estimation, ensuring reliable onchain interactions for journaling and future features.
Smart Contract Address(es)
Journal Storage Contract
Contract Adress: 0x457fD0F4a7833cD7973Ec407f6c8AB1cC7a29C36
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Purpose
Stores content hashes of encrypted journal entries to ensure privacy, immutability, and user control. -
Status
Deployed on Base Sepolia testnet, supporting active user engagement (e.g., AI therapist sessions,journaling, mood tracking). We are optimizing for Base mainnet deployment by August 25, 2025, to enable real onchain metrics like transaction volume and blockspace demand for the Onchain Summer Awards.
Other Onchain Proof
Transactions
On-Chain Transaction
Every Journal is stored on-chain
Tracks Applied (1)
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