America and Penelope M. Lopez (better known as The Cybercode Twins) are a software engineers and blockchain enthusiasts. Their current work focuses on developing smart cities and using blockchain technology to further social justice and humanitarian issues. ^[undefined] Their projects involve building wearable technology. The Beacon of Hope aims to provide an IoT solutions to tackle human trafficking issues. They also helped create a smart body camera prototype called the Body Cam Hack.

America and Penelope Lopez grew up in the projects of Boyle Heights in East Los Angeles, California. ^[undefined] During their early childhood, they did not have access to technology. However, when they were in elementary school, their mother took a computer training class for parents. After completing the program, their mother earned a free desktop computer for the twins to use; this was the first time they had access to technology. ^[undefined] They eventually graduated from Lincoln High School. They subsequently enrolled into Cal State LA. ^[undefined] They are expected to graduate in 2019. ^[undefined]

Penelope Lopez was the first of the duo to get exposed to coding when she took a robotics course in college. After her professor - Dr. Espinoza - told her about a meetup group, Penelope brought America along. ^[undefined] They eventually found themselves in a hackathon in Santa Monica. ^[undefined] With no collectively experience in building apps, they began coding. As time went by, they attended more hackathons. Realizing that there were very few women and Latinos in the tech industry, they wanted to inspire other minorities for a more inclusive and diverse environment. ^[undefined]

The CyberCode Twins believed it was important to participate in as many hackathons as possible, in order to stay up to date with the latest technology.

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In 2015, they attended the AT&T Developer Summit and Hackathon in Las Vegas. There, they built their first main project: the Body Cam Hack. This prototype camera with face-tracking technology infused with real-time GPS tracking that can be worn by law enforcement officers to record their actions in the field; journalists can also wear it to record current events in real time. ^{[undefined] [undefined]}

They developed a project called Beacon of Hope, which aims to provide an IoT solution to battle issues around human trafficking. ^[undefined] They created a device which turns tampons or menstrual pads into distress signals. Using bluetooth-enabled trackers and Intel Curie, the CyberCode Twins are creating bathroom dispensaries that can help sex trafficking victims communicate to government officials in their time of need. ^{[undefined] [undefined]} They are using blockchain technology to collect and analyze data and make it immutable for people to use in court.

In 2016, the CyberCode Twins got exposed to cryptocurrency. America Lopez got accepted to an "Intro to Cryptocurrency and Blockchain" bootcamp for people of color and women. ^[undefined] It was led by Digital Currency Intiative that took place at MIT Media Lab. It was taught by a collection of thought leaders in the blockchain space, including Brian Forde, Neha Narula, Michael Casey, Meltem Demirors, Anish Mohammed, and Tadge Dryja.On March 13, 2018, the CyberCode Twins hosted the CryptoMixer PR. The event brought together people who wanted to discuss the future of blockchain and sustainable communities in Puerto Rico. ^[undefined] On September 24, 2018, the CyberCode Twins won the Best Social Media Award at the EOS Hackathon in London with a prize of $3,000. ^[undefined]

In November 2018, shEOS announced that the CyberCode Twins joined their team; America and Penelope said it took them months to decide which blockchain they wanted to focus their efforts on.^[undefined]

The CyberCode Twins have received several awards in numerous tech competitions, including the top prize in the Women in Tech Challenge at the 2015 AT&T Developer Summit and Hackathon. ^[undefined] They also won a Children's Health award at HACK4LA for creating an anti-bullying app. ^[undefined] In addition to those awards They have also competed in the NASA International SpaceApps Challenge, the IBM Global Mobile Innovators Challenge, and many more.They were also 2016 Finalists for their ESA LOFT Video Game Fellowship. As a result of creating their VR project -Sobriety Lab- in November 2016, they were flown out to Washington D.C. to discuss their product with members of the White House and the U.S. House of Representatives. ^{[undefined] [undefined]}

Growing up, the CyberCode Twins played soccer together.

They also learned how to ride motorcycles at an early age.

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