Category: Maya’s Status Reports

Accomplishments this week:
This week, I wrote the code for the FSR, and soldered all of the connections together which means our entire cane composition is mostly complete. This included everything for the haptics, and both FSRs and their connections with the QT Py. My code currently prints out when each pressure pad is pressed or not pressed, and we are currently working to integrate these responses with the Computer Vision.
The left image is the feedback we get with pressing and releasing the FSRs. The right picture is how all of our wiring is set up with the cane.

Reflection on schedule:
We had a lot of important progress this week, and everything other than our power supply has finally come together. According to our schedule, our entire cane should be complete by Wednesday, and we should begin completing usability testing, so I think we are on track with that as long as the barrel jack converter we ordered is the fix to our power issues.

• Plans for next week:
  Over the next week, I will be working on the power supply, and we will begin our usability testing. We will also begin working on our final presentation and report!

  Verification:
  FSRs:

• To verify the FSR system, I applied various pressures to the cane while logging voltage readings and observing whether they responded correctly to pressing and lifting.
  • A threshold voltage of 1V was chosen to distinguish between cane contact and non-contact, based on real-world walking pressure tests.
  • When the voltage exceeds the threshold, the QT Py sends a serial signal “ON” to the Jetson to indicate ground contact and trigger the computer vision script.
  • When the cane is lifted and pressure is removed, the QT Py sends “OFF”, and the Jetson pauses the object detection process to conserve resources.
• I will also be testing the accuracy and responsiveness of this signal transition by walking with the cane and confirming that the system correctly activates only when the cane is placed on the ground.

  HAPTICS

• The haptics send proper feedback based on which obstacle type is sent to it. We verified this by manually creating each object type and confirming the correct response was output.

  OVERALL:

• The subsystem that deals with the QT Py was considered verified because it correctly detects cane contact, communicates with the Jetson, and produces haptic feedback reliably. We determined this was reliable because the feedback matches the print statements that we have on the screen based on object, wall, and stair locations.

 

 

Accomplishments this week:
This week, I setup the haptics and created a few sample patterns that we will be using with our Jetson.  The haptic patterns for each obstacle type is demonstrated here.

Reflection on schedule:
We were a bit behind schedule at the beginning of the week because we had some problems with the Jetson and L515 compatibility, but we put in a lot of hours this week to recover from this. Personally, that included me helping Kaya with the Jetson and L515 connections, and I also setup the haptics and created case statements for when each haptic pattern is set off.

Plans for next week:
Over the next week, I will be working to run the haptics over the Jetson and hopefully begin to connect the haptic responses through the CV code, and I will begin testing the overall power consumption to make sure it is under 30W and 5V.

Accomplishments this week:
This week we linked the Jetson and the L515 using the SDK viewer, which is pictured below, and we are continuing to set up the L515 on the Jetson with our current code instead of the viewer code.

Reflection on schedule:
We are on schedule for the most part, but we have a heavy workday on Sunday to finish our goals for this week, which includes starting to integrate the haptics with the Jetson.

Plans for next week:
Over the next week, we will be working on the haptic logic and making sure it integrates with the Jetson.

Accomplishments:

This week, we found out that our Jetson would consume more power than we had initially planned for, so I spent a lot of time researching new power options that met our 5V, 6A power requirements of a portable charger. Kaya and I also worked to set up the Jetson Nano. Lastly, I did a lot of the final documentation and diagrams of our Design Review.

Progress:

We are on schedule now that we have finished the Design Report, our Jetson initialization, and L515 camera set up.

Future deliverables:

Our adafruit order was delivered, so I will be able to start working on the haptic vibration motor and starting to create the logic for different feedback patterns. Since Kaya and Cynthia will be working together on the software behind the computer vision, I plan to focus on more of the Jetson and haptics.

Accomplishments:

This week, we completed our design report, so we only have a few small details and tables to add and change before it is due on 2/28. My specific role in this was use-case requirements, part of design-case requirements, and a large part of the implementation plan. I also worked with Kaya to flash our Jetson for the first time.

Progress:

We are ahead of schedule in terms of our design report, and we are technically still on schedule for our technical advances, but it feels like we need to make a lot of progress with the jetson this week to stay on schedule.

Future deliverables:

In this upcoming week, we will be finishing our design presentation and finalizing all of our tables and diagrams that go with that. We will also be working a lot on the Jetson and hopefully beginning to look at the FSR and haptic motors if they come in this week. This week needs to be much more tech-focused than documentation focused so that we are in a good place after spring break.

Accomplishments:

This week, I worked on our design presentation, and I specifically worked on the Gaant Chart, work distribution, part of the implementation plan, and part of the top-level design. Additionally, I did research on possible power supplies and the requirements of our prototype. I also did research on the haptics items we need, the pressure pad items we need, and how we are going to connect them to the jetson. I put in a purchase request for all of these items.

Progress:

Our project is on schedule, but we want to being making more technical progress, so we will be meeting on Sunday to make more technical progress. This will include initializing our Jetson Nano and familiarizing ourselves with the L515 Camera.

Future deliverables:

In the upcoming week, we will be making our design presentation, and we will also be clearing the Jetson Nano, which we have heard is not straightforward. As long as we work through that, we will hopefully be starting to set up the environment as well and familiarize ourselves with the layout.

This week I worked on our presentation, specifically the use-case, use-case requirements, and technical challenges sections. During this process, we were able to flush out more specific details including our main testing points and determining what order they will be in. This presentation can be viewed under presentation 1 here. Additionally, I requested and received the LiDAR camera from the inventory, meaning we have the necessary hardware to stay on track.

Currently our progress is on schedule, and I will begin working with the Jetson Nano to get the environment set up and gather my bearings with this new computer. Kaya and I will be working together to learn this new technology since we anticipate some slow initial progress as we learn and set up our environment.

Specific deliverables for next week:

• Set up Jetson Nano environment and troubleshoot any problems that come up.
• Creating a log of errors and their solutions or other procedural notes that we will need in the future.