🚀 Comet Scholar — AI-Powered Learning & Research Engine for Students Built for the Perplexity Comet Browser Hackathon 🎯 Project Summary
Comet Scholar is an AI-powered learning and research assistant built directly inside the Perplexity Comet Browser. It transforms any highlighted text or input into:
Clean, structured study notes
ELI12 simple explanations
Auto-generated flashcards
Deep multi-hop research bundles (SCR)
It automates the most repetitive workloads students deal with — all through native Comet actions, context menus, and AI-driven workflows.
🧠 Problem Statement
Students today waste significant time on:
Finding and organizing notes
Understanding complex concepts
Breaking down long content
Preparing study material
Creating flashcards
Conducting deep research
These tasks slow down learning and lead to frustration and burnout — especially near exams.
💡 Solution: Comet Scholar
Comet Scholar turns the Comet Browser into a full learning engine, enabling students to:
📝 Automatically create structured notes
🧒 Convert any content into ELI12 explanations
🧠 Generate flashcards from selected text
🔎 Run Smart Auto-Continue Research (SCR)
🧩 Access a clean and interactive UI inside the browser extension
All features work instantly from within Comet itself.
🚀 Why This Project Fits Hackathon Requirements ✔ Must Leverage Comet Browser
We integrate directly with Comet through:
Native highlight → AI actions
Comet-compatible extension
Context menu triggers
In-browser study and research flows
Multi-hop deep research (SCR) based on Comet search logic
✔ Fits Hackathon Tracks
Comet Scholar aligns with three tracks:
Smart Learning → Notes, ELI12, study tools
Automation → One-click learning workflows
Knowledge Discovery → Deep AI research bundles (SCR)
✨ Core Features 🔹 1. Highlight-Based AI Actions
Right-click on ANY text in Comet to instantly:
Make Notes
Explain Like I’m 12
Generate Flashcards
Run Auto Research (SCR)
This makes Comet a truly interactive learning environment.
🔹 2. Smart Auto-Continue Research (SCR)
SCR automatically performs deep research by:
Identifying the topic
Running multi-hop reasoning
Synthesizing insights
Creating comparison tables
Listing pros & cons
Highlighting research gaps
Suggesting further reading
Generating research questions
Creating diagram prompts
SCR upgrades Comet into a research engine.
🔹 3. Extension Popup Interface
A clean, multi-section UI:
Notes tab
Explain tab
Flashcards tab
Research tab (SCR)
Features include:
Flashcard flipping
Copy to clipboard
Save to deck
Clean navigation
🔹 4. Web Demo Interface
The web demo allows users to:
Try all features
Interact with sample text
Explore Comet Scholar’s flow
Understand the UX before installing the extension
🛠 Tech Stack Frontend (Web + Extension)
React + TypeScript
Tailwind CSS
shadcn-ui
Manifest V3
Chrome Storage API
Backend
Gemini 2.5 Flash via Lovable Edge Functions
AI Logic
Structured note generation
ELI12 simplification
Flashcard generation
Multi-hop research synthesis (SCR)
🧩 Architecture Overview [ User Highlights Text ] ↓ [ Comet Context Menu Action ] ↓ [ Browser Extension → Lovable Edge Function ] ↓ [ Gemini 2.5 Flash Processing ] ↓ [ Notes | Explain | Flashcards | SCR Research ] ↓ [ Popup UI + Local Storage ]
🎥 Demo Flow (Judges' View)
Open Comet Browser
Highlight any paragraph
Right-click → “Comet Scholar: Make Notes”
Notes appear instantly in the popup
Switch to Explain tab → see ELI12 breakdown
Switch to Flashcards tab → flip cards
Enable SCR → full research bundle generated
Web demo shows core features interactively
📦 Deliverables Included
Web demo interface
Full browser extension (Manifest V3)
3 AI endpoints (Notes, Flashcards, ELI12)
SCR deep research endpoint
Interactive popup UI
Local flashcard deck system
Full documentation
🔥 Impact & Future Scope Immediate Impact:
Saves hours of student study time
Reduces complexity of difficult topics
Removes repetitive tasks
Helps with quick learning & revision
Future Enhancements:
AI quiz generator
Personalized learning paths
Context-aware search
Smart study planner
Multi-tab research sync with Comet