What did you personally accomplish this week on the project? Give files or photos that demonstrate your progress. Prove to the reader that you put sufficient effort into the project over the course of the week (12+ hours).
This week, I worked on designing the control system for the camera’s rotation, tilt, and vertical movement. At first, I considered building a custom camera rig from scratch using servos for rotation and tilt and linear actuators for vertical movement. However, I realized that integrating these components with the Arduino could be tricky, and that coming up with my own design that isn’t polished enough might lead to wasted time and money. To make the process more efficient, I decided to research existing designs that could be adapted for our project to ensure that we have a working design.
I came across several options, but most were either too complex or lacked clear instructions. One design stood out because it allowed for pan, tilt, and vertical movement—exactly what we need for our augmented reality mirror. I would have three of these set up on the mirror; one horizontally at the top of the mirror for the realsense camera and two vertically on the sides of the mirror for the webcams. However, the design required a lot of material prep, had minimal step-by-step guidance, and involved a more complicated assembly.
Reference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEBjbSTLytk
I also spent time researching different motor options for controlling the cameras, focusing on cost and ease of implementation. After looking at multiple designs, I chose one that looked similar, except that it included 3D-printable parts, making it much easier to put together. This design also provides a full list of required parts, estimated costs, and dimensions, which helped me confirm that it would work with our webcams and budget. I would have to adjust the dimensions of the parts to fit the realsense camera (which is longer). I also made sure it could be smoothly integrated into the overall project.
Reference: https://www.instructables.com/Automatic-Arduino-Powered-Camera-Slider-With-Pan-a/
I decided to use an Arduino as the main controller because it’s easy to program, has strong support for motor control, and works well with both servo motors and linear actuators. Its built-in libraries make it simple to create precise movements, allowing for smooth camera adjustments in all directions. Plus, it leaves room for future improvements, like adding user controls or automating movement based on environmental data.
Is your progress on schedule or behind? If you are behind, what actions will be taken to catch up to the project schedule?
My progress is on schedule. This week, we had our proposal presentation, and I started on designing the camera control system. I also found all the necessary materials and assessed whether the design is feasible for our project, given the fixed budget and time frame. I plan on building this next week so that I can work on programming the control system and integrating it into the mirror later on.
What deliverables do you hope to complete in the next week?
Next week, I hope to have my digitally fabricated parts ready for me to assemble the week after next week. I would have to adjust the dimensions in the STL files so that our cameras can fit in the designs. I hope to have my other materials ready and delivered so that I can have all the materials ready to build the week after next week.