Tag: Status Report

Tag needed for posts for status reports.

Yon’s Status Report for 2/15

My main focus this week has been finding additional literature on photometric stereo, and and beginning to parametrize the work’s findings for our use case (orthographic, fixed reflection angle with a variable number of rotations). I also supported my teammates with purchasing components, reviewing mechanical design, and performing cost-benefit analysis on certain design choices (especially to do with modularity).

Next week I’ll have to finish up parametrize the math and translate that into code. I’ll also help test the manipulator subsystem by analyzing the alignment of the output images.

Theo’s Status Report for 2/08/2025

My work this past week consisted of helping with the proposal presentation and drafting a prototype + its CAD model. I was responsible for the hardware requirements, specifications, and solutions in the proposal, and helped with edits to the entire presentation in the time leading up to presentation day.

The CAD model is a few days behind schedule according to the roadmap. This is mainly due to me wanting to render the functioning linear actuator/lead screw, rotation motor, and microcontroller. I am still working on this model and have additional free time this week to catch up. The current prototype will be built out of 1-inch T-slot aluminum extrusions (CADing done with parts from 80/20), using an ESP32 dev board capable of operating a motor driver and at least one stepper or servo motor. I am still weighing the pros and cons of a linear actuator vs a manual lead screw, as well as a stepper motor vs a servo motor. The circuit will likely need an external power supply to power any of these motors, since the traces on an ESP32 won’t handle the power necessary to keep the motor powered over an extended period. This should all be resolved and the parts can be ordered by the end of next week. Though this places the hardware behind schedule, I am not worried. Assembly will be simple and can be done the day the parts arrive, and all should be back on track after that; the characterization task that comes after assembly should really only take a day or two, and the programming itself will be simple motor control. There is plenty of slack time in these first few hardware tasks that allow for this setback.

I’ve started on a basic arduino program for controlling the ESP32 and testing the stepper motor system’s accuracy. One of the first things we’ll be testing once we have the ESP32 is our ability to send it commands from our project’s software. If the arduino IDE/language doesn’t work, MicroPython is the next most likely route of hardware programming.

Team Status Report for 02/08/2025

Our team created our proposal slide deck and presented it. This helped us flesh out more details of our project and how all of our parts will interact as a system. We considered how user-friendly we wanted the process to be, the maximum amount of time it should take to scan and generate a 3D model, and the scope of what objects would be scannable. We realized some limitations that real world conditions would present to us. We will have to test how much noise will occur from outside lighting and other real conditions with the flatbed. We will also consider different options for our mechanical arm based on how either rotating with a felt tip on a glass surface or electro-adhesion would work with different materials and geometries. Additionally, we need to see if it’d be necessary to place anything under the scanned object, such as film, to prevent scratching or if it would help/hinder rotation of the object.

Next week we plan on looking through the inventory list for components of our manipulator, and placing orders for a flatbed scanner and potentially any manipulator parts that we can’t find in the inventory.

Yon’s Status Report for 02/08/2025

This week I mostly prepared for our proposal presentation. This meant I worked with my teammates on coming up with our semester’s Gantt chart based on my assessments of my own responsibilities and the dependencies we have on each other’s work. I believe we are on schedule, as we have just created the schedule.

Next week we plan on placing an order that is relevant to all of our subsystems – the scanner – so I plan on providing some input as to the purchase and looking over my teammates recommendations and needs. I also plan on getting started on parametrizing the math from V. Skala and R. Pan via the parameters we plan on optimizing.

Sophia’s Status Report for 02/08/2025

Most of my work time this week was spent on preparing the proposal presentation. Including fleshing out requirements and quantitative measures for it, diagrams, and creating the slides themselves. I worked with my teammates over calls to flesh it out. My team all agreed that I would be presenting the proposal presentation. I spent time practicing to make sure I explained the project in a clear manner, not just directly reading from the slides, and asking my teammates about their parts of the project so that I had a thorough understanding of all of the elements.

Decided on scanner and library – I did research on what software libraries could potentially work for our project, particularly what libraries were available to command scanners. I found one called Naps2 that should work for any popular brand of scanner. I also decided on a scanner to buy, it’s a 4800 dpi Cannon scanner. 4800 dpi is plenty of detail for the scans, Cannon is a very common brand, and the scanner is small and shouldn’t be too difficult to move or store. It’s also less than $100, which leaves plenty of budget for materials for the hardware of our device.

My progress is currently on schedule. Next week, I will start into using the Naps2 library and creating the software that would interact directly with the scanner sending commands, would receive those scans, and then send them to Yon’s image processing software. Depending how far I get, I could even start unit testing it. Hopefully it will be in a decent state by the time the scanner is ordered and arrives for practical testing.