Ryan’s Status Report for 2/24/24

  • This week, I dove deep into the hardware behind our project. Some of our components, such as the load cell and ADC were delivered, so soldiered come components together I connected them to an Arduino. Doreen and I wrote a simple program to read the load cell when bending it.
  • Secondly, I spent 10+ hours in the TechSpark wood shop, cutting shapes out of plywood (too many circles sadly) and manually and gluing layers together.
  • Currently, I am ahead of schedule with building a physical rack, with the previous task of creating and ordering parts taking way shorter than needed. We did only order the parts that were immediately needed so that task was a bit more distributed across the entire project than what was originally planned.
  • Next week, I hope to finish building the hardware rack, source some mechanical parts such as gears, and test and install all electronics.

Team Status Report for 02/24/24

  • We still have some hardware risks for our project. We need to create or buy a gear that is strong enough to rotate our rack. Also, though some testing has been done on some components, other components cannot be tested due to them not being ordered or delivered yet. Secondly, all team members have a midterm on Wednesday next week, which could slow down some progress. To mitigate this risk, we plan to double down on work immediately after the exams. This allows the same amount of work to be done while also allowing us to wait for components.
  • Overall, there weren’t any big changes to the design, except for some minor adjustments in the hardware design of the rack during construction. For example, changing the number of legs from 3 to 4 or reducing the height of some sections. The change just simplified some construction work. The schedule has not changed at all though.
  • We tested out the load cells with an Arduino and it works exactly as expected
  • We are almost done with the non-electronic component of the rack
  • Shout out to Justin from TechSpark
  • Faces are being recognized live with manually inputted images, next is to add new faces to the model through a video stream

Doreen’s Status Report for 2/17/24

  • This week, I research the possible facial algorithm tools that we were considering for our project (OpenCV and dlib). I focused my research on the feasibility of using the tools, and analyze the differences between them. I found that OpenCV has extensive documentation and it easy to use. Howeverm it has limited facial recognition capabilities in comparison to dlib. On the other hand, dlib’s facial recognition module offers advanced capabilities but the learning curve is high. Since our team’s use case does not require advanced facial recognition capabilities and none of the members have done facial recognition in the past, we decided to use OpenCV for our purposes.
  • I worked on the design presentation slides with my team members and helped with thinking about design changes to the rotating rack system. I also spoke with peers and employees at the Techspark wood shop to start planning which machines we could use and if any tools existed for assembling the rack. I obtained a name of a person we could connect with to help build our rack, so next week I plan to reach out if any challenges arise while we begin building the rack.
  • I ordered the materials that we would need to make our rack.
  • I am currently on schedule, but plan to learn more about how to utilize OpenCV.
  • Next week, I plan to help build the rotating rack system and test the electronic components that were ordered.

Surafel’s Status Report for 2/17/24

  • This week I did some actual testing on different facial recognition libraries to figure out what would be the best library to use for our project. As a team, we narrowed it down to either OpenCV or dlib and after testing, I concluded that using OpenCV would be best for our project.
  • Since there were changes to the web app component of our project, I wasn’t able to create mockups of the UI so I am a bit behind schedule. Once the web app component is solidified, I will get back on schedule
  • Next week, I plan on using OpenCV to create an initial face recognition system that can do real-time face recognition and (time permitting) add the initial software that will communicate with the rack.

Ryan’s Status Report for 2/17/24

  • This week, I narrowed down the design for the hardware item stand/rack, gathered parts lists, and picked up a lot of materials from Home Depot (3 large plywood sheets and some wood studs).
  • I read peer feedback from the proposal presentation, found components and built a more robust design, with a large bearing for weight distribution and rotation
  • Then I relearned SolidWorks, and created an assembly of the rack with several components. I also went to TechSpark to discuss feasibility of our hardware parts and the possibility of using their machines.
  • I also participated in team goals such as creating a design presentation
  • I am still on schedule (maybe slightly ahead) and plan to test out the components that just arrived
  • Next week, I hope to test out all the components, build a small physical system, and start the construction of the item stand

 

Team Status Report for 2/17/24

  • One of the risks is access to machines in TechSpark for the construction of our hardware rack. This risk is lessened from last weak because of some design changes. We plan to CNC cut sheets of plywood and join them with glue instead of cutting wood with other machines and screwing them together. This reduces the amount of training or oversight needed because a CNC machine is relatively easier to use. We have also found some potential people with training to help us with using the machine.
  • If we are not able to use the CNC machine, our contingency plan is to use the TechSpark provided quarter-inch plywood and the laser cutters, because those machines do not require formal training to use.
  • Some of the ordered components may not work, so we ordered spares and plan to test them out within the next week.
  • The only thing that really changed was the design of our hardware rack after going into the specifics on how to handle weight imbalance and robustness.
  • Current rack design!

  • A was written by Ryan Lin, B was written by Doreen Valmyr and C was written by Surafel Tsadik.

Part A: This product solution in general does not apply to the need of public health, safety, and welfare.  However, there may be some small factors of our project that contributes to this topic. For example, perhaps the removal of a ticket system and the ease of checking in their personal items brings a sense of ease to people that may be stressed attending an event. Our product also allows customers to feel safe in knowing that their items are kept track of and kept in a specific position on our item stand. In terms of meeting physical safety and public health there isn’t much of a connection. This product also doesn’t provides for the basic needs of people because it is primarily used for events that usually don’t support people’s basic needs.

Part B: Our facial recognition algorithm will use tools like OpenCV to characterize and distinguish different faces, so things involving a person’s social group, whether cultural, political, or economic, will not be taken into consideration when checking in or checking out a user. In addition to this, our product can be used in a variety of social contexts and within all types of social gatherings that necessitate a attendee having to set aside particular personal items when attending that particular event. Without strict rules being set on the items that can be on the rack, simply the assumption that it will mostly be used for coats, users will not be limited to the items they can set aside, but mostly the weights of those items. As a result, users are able use our product for their required social gatherings without limitations.

Part C: Coat checks at large events currently puts too much responsibility on the attendees. Attendees usually have to keep track of a ticket/number throughout the event, which adds a whole layer of complexity during a time when attendees may not want a complex experience (a more relaxed event, a very formal event). It becomes worse when people begin to lose/forget their identifier, leading to a messy (and potentially malicious) retrieval of checked-in coats. Our product eliminates the need for external identifiers like a ticket or number as you can check in using your face (which everyone will always have). Without the need to keep track of an external identifier, attendees can focus more on the event they’re attending and have a seamless process of retrieving their coats.

Doreen’s Status Report for 2/10/24

  • This week, I contributed to project  proposal slides by making Gantt chart and developing use case requirements. I helped my team member prepare for the proposal presentation and attended project proposal presentations. I also researched facial recognition tools like OpenCV and dlib.
  • My progress is on schedule, according to our Gantt chart.
  • Next week,  I plan to work with my team members to finalize which facial recognition libraries we will utilize. I also plan to determine the feasibility of building current rack design by asking Techspark employees. This involves seeing if they would be able be cut the wood used for our rack component if we are not able to use the machines ourselves. I also plan on working on the design presentation and begin assembling the rack if the components arrive.

Surafel’s Status Report for 2/10/24

  • This week I worked with the team to research different facial recognition libraries to use with our project. I also experimented with creating the web application (messing with the UI and attempting to stream my webcam to the web application).
  • My progress is currently on schedule.
  • Next week, I plan on creating mock-ups for the web application UI to illustrate what all of the pages of the web application will look like and (time permitting) attempt to integrate the facial recognition library of choice into the web application.

Ryan’s Status Report for 2/10/24

  • This week, I prepared for and gave a project proposal presentation. I also looked into facial recognition libraries and reviewed peer reviews from the presentation in order to possibly modify some designs
  • I am slightly behind schedule due to some extra responsibilities this week, but plan to catch up quickly once those items are done
  • Next week, I plan to modify the physical item rack design and build a parts list by researching all the components we need.

Team Status Report for 2/10/24

  • We are still figuring out how we are going to build the rack as none of us have access to the machines in TechSpark. We are looking into getting our wood cut by a woodshop employee at TechSpark, or using the machines at the Project Olympus Incubator Makerspaces.
  • There have been no changes to our design right now, but we are looking into possible weight imbalances affecting the servo rotation and plan to have a new design by next week.
  • Over the next week, we want to come to a consensus on what facial recognition library we want to use for our project and attempt to implement facial recognition soon.