This week I added the logic of alerting for only a duration instead of indefinitely for a stationary obstacle, and sending control messages from Raspberry Pi to Arduino based on Alex’s encoding of multiple vibrator control in one line. Another update following Alex’s suggestion is that messages are sent only when intended intensity for a vibrator changes for more efficient serial communication. Meanwhile, for processing depth camera data, I aligned with Ning on how to start feeding arrays of depth data associated with different vibrators to the Raspberry Pi alert model.
I also broke two of the vibrators as their wires are too thin. This experience led me to push for casing all components onto the belt so that the system can be tested consistently and safely. Consequently, I got a mini breadboard from techspark and ordered purchase of more ultrasonic sensors(now we only have 5 instead of 6), new vibration motors, and an acrylic Arduino case.
Next week, I plan to incorporate depth camera data into the model and hopefully start testing the system against a set environment and gauge the accuracy of our sensing.