Posted on

Team Status Report for 3/8/25

What are the most significant risks that could jeopardize the success of the project? How are these risks being managed? What contingency plans are ready? 

The most significant risks as of now are getting the manufacturing and assembly of the enclosure finished by this week. Our manufacturing timeline had to get pushed back by one week, since we had some road bumps relating to material sourcing and selection last week, so we will put most of our effort this week into laser cutting and assembling everything to get back on track with the original deadline by next week. On the software + electrical sides, we were able to bootload the RPi and get it up and working, and in an effort to support the mechanical side of things more this week, we were able to finish the general layout of our GUI ahead of schedule. We had also originally dedicated some effort to submitting purchasing requests this week, but since we were also able to get that done earlier, we’re able to consolidate more efforts towards manufacturing as well.

Were any changes made to the existing design of the system (requirements, block diagram, system spec, etc)? Why was this change necessary, what costs does the change incur, and how will these costs be mitigated going forward? 

Nothing significant was changed in our design; however, there were some small size changes made to our CAD enclosure – namely, making the dimensions a little smaller in an effort to reduce unused space.

Provide an updated schedule if changes have occurred. This is also the place to put some photos of your progress or to brag about a component you got working. 

A was written by Ashira, B was written by David, and C was written by Anna.

Please write a paragraph or two describing how the product solution you are designing will meet a specified need…

Part A: … with consideration of global factors. Global factors are world-wide contexts and factors, rather than only local ones. They do not necessarily represent geographic concerns. Global factors do not need to concern every single person in the entire world. Rather, these factors affect people outside of Pittsburgh, or those who are not in an academic environment, or those who are not technologically savvy, etc.

Our vending machine’s design considers global factors in supporting user interface that is easy to understand and interact with. Our machine’s UI will be mounted will using a touch screen display, which will allow users to make selections and interact with the machine with steps and effort, an aspect that could be important for users who are not the most tech savvy. We also intend to include symbols and images during the timer & snack selection process in our GUI’s design, which would be important in cases where language or literacy barriers might arise. In addition, our vending machine’s notification system will include features which communicate a finished state through both visual notifications and sound as well, which is something that could be important for users who might be hard of hearing.

Part B: … with consideration of cultural factors. Cultural factors are encompass the set of beliefs, moral values, traditions, language, and laws (or rules of behavior) held in common by a nation, a community, or other defined group of people.

Our vending machine project considers cultural factors by ensuring accessibility, inclusivity, and user-friendly design. We use a touchscreen interface with simple language options to accommodate different users. The machine provides both visual and audio notifications, making it easier for people from different linguistic backgrounds to use. Additionally, we follow safety standards and design rules to meet different community expectations. If placed in a specific location, we can adjust product choices based on cultural preferences or dietary restrictions. By considering these factors, this is a vending machine that respects and serves a diverse group of people.

Part C: … with consideration of environmental factors. Environmental factors are concerned with the environment as it relates to living organisms and natural resources.

VendiBaddie takes environmental factors into account by considering the materials used in its construction, potentially reducing waste. The enclosure has been designed to be made of affordable wood panels which tend to be sturdier and more durable, ensuring longevity and minimizing the need for frequent replacements. Additionally, the machine utilizes a touchscreen interface which will effectively help with reducing the need for physical buttons or extra hardware by making the user interaction more flexible and thus lowering electronic waste in future iterations. While our current design does not prioritize energy efficiency, future improvements could explore the use of recyclable or sustainable materials, as well as energy-efficient components or alternative power sources to enhance sustainability and reduce environmental impact.

 

Posted on

Ashira’s Status Report for 3/8/25

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 focused on finalizing all the dimensions of the enclosure in CAD, since there were some spatial changes we wanted to make to the original design – namely, making it more compact & getting rid of unused space. I also spent time reviewing how the laser cutters work and generating all of the .dxf files for our parts to use on the laser cutter, so that hopefully the manufacturing process can go smoothly once we receive our materials. I had initially intended on finishing all the manufacturing this week, since I had planned to source all the enclosure materials from Techspark. However, we realized that the size of the materials they had in stock was not large enough for the design we planned in CAD, so we ended up having to source our materials from McMaster-Carr instead, which pushed back our manufacturing timeline by a week.  Apart from the mechanical things, I also spent a significant amount of time completing the design report; more specifically, I focused mainly on converting the design and use case requirements into a more cohesive description, as well as other aspects from our slides. I also assisted Anna with booting up the RPi.

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 has fallen behind schedule by a week, since we weren’t able to get our materials and begin manufacturing on time. This week, I was supposed to focus solely on assembly, but because of the pushback, I will be focusing on splitting my time between finishing manufacturing and assembly. I anticipate that more of the time will be spent on manufacturing the components, since that manufacturing seems like it will be more error-prone, so I will focus on that part more during the week and then hopefully make a push towards the end of the week/weekend to assemble everything by Sunday next week.

What deliverables do you hope to complete in the next week?

This next week, my main focuses will be manufacturing (laser cutting) and assembling the entire enclosure.

Posted on

Ashira’s Status Report for 2/22/25

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 focused on finishing up the design review slides and preparing for the design review presentation, since I was the designated presenter for our group this week. I helped out mostly on restructuring the use case and design requirements to make sure they were more tightly coupled and working on my presentation skills. I also helped out with finalizing our BOM and submitting purchase orders, since getting all our purchase orders in was our group’s main goal for this week. I also worked on finishing up the CAD for the enclosure, which mainly included finalizing all the dimensions and spacings so that we’re hopefully able to start and finish manufacturing everything next week.

Is your progress on schedule or behind? If you are behind, what actions will be taken to catch up to the project schedule? 

I’d say that my progress is on schedule with our original Gantt chart we made. According to that schedule, I was supposed to finish up the CAD this week and manufacture everything next week, and these tasks line up with what I did last week and what I’m planning to do this upcoming week. 

What deliverables do you hope to complete in the next week?

This next week, my main focuses will be manufacturing (laser cutting) and assembling the entire enclosure, as well as working on completing the design review report.

Posted on

Ashira’s Status Report for 2/15/25

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 focused on helping generate our bill of materials, CAD up our entire design in Solidworks, and create our design presentation. 

We realized last week that it was in our best interest to finalize our design implementation and features earlier than later, so we made the goal of trying to compile our entire bill of materials by the end of this week. I helped out with picking components for the structural build, as well as speccing out the motors/motor drivers, speaker, proximity sensor, and power supplies, and deciding where to source them from. We have all our components picked out, but we need to figure out extra quantities + shipping costs and everything before we can start submitting purchase requests. 

I also focused on getting the CAD design for our vending machine enclosure finished. In the original Gantt chart, I had initially given myself two weeks to do this, but I felt that it would be safer if I finished a little earlier to give up more time with manufacturing + assembly in case something went wrong. I got Solidworks working and finalized most of the spacing + dimensions, as shown in the picture below, in a way that conformed to the requirements we had set (but also tweaked a little for the design review). I still have to add some small things like slits in the walls to help with joining pieces together during assembly. Depending on the feedback we get from the design review, I might also change some stuff, but overall, I have a fair amount of confidence that we might be able to start manufacturing next week. 

I also helped out with creating our design presentation this week. I spent some time redefining the use case and design requirements to reference each other a little better, since we got a lot of feedback on that from our proposal presentation. 

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 pretty on task with the Gantt chart we created, if not a little ahead, since I was able to get most of the CAD finished earlier than I expected. 

What deliverables do you hope to complete in the next week?

During this week, I’m going to focus on finalizing all the CAD + structural dimensions and hopefully begin laser cutting everything, since we’re planning on sourcing most of our enclosure material from Techspark. I’m also going to plan on helping out with getting our BOM finalized and begin submitting our purchase orders. Hopefully both of these things will be finished by the end of this week. I might also spend some time focusing on practicing my presentation, since I will be presenting the design review. 

Posted on

Ashira’s Status Report for 2/8/25

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 helped with finishing up the project proposal + slides, as well and finalizing some of the features of our project. I spent some time splitting up the project into feasible tasks for our Gantt chart and making sure that our slides included all the details required. 

I also began compiling a series of links to resources /tutorials/previous projects that I thought would be helpful in referencing when implementing some of our features + interfacing our peripherals with the RPi, since we all have pretty limited experience with using the RPi environment. I also helped out with organizing our bill of materials and coming up with an outline of the components + quantities we’ll need to look into purchasing. 

I also worked on getting Solidworks updated and installed on my computer so that I’m able to get started with the CADing up the enclosure next week. I came up with a brief diagram that outlines the general spacing + locations of all the components we’re planning to use for the vending machine, although there are some specifics related to dimensions that might change/get added depending on how everything lines up in CAD. 

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 task with the schedule on the Gantt chart we came up with. I’ve finished a rough diagram/plan of the parts that I’m hoping to start CADing up this week, although I’m still currently in the process of installing Solidworks on my computer, as of today. The installation process is taking a little longer than I expected, since I have an outdated version of Solidworks currently installed on my laptop that I have to backup and uninstall first. I hope to finish this process up later tonight, or by tomorrow (Sunday 2/9) latest. 

What deliverables do you hope to complete in the next week?

During this next week, I’m hoping to ideally finish CADing up all of the components needed for the vending machine structure in Solidworks. I’m hoping to get all the parts finished/assembled in CAD and use this as a first draft/pass, so that we can at least get an idea of the spacing constraints and amount of material we’ll want to use for the build. I’m also hoping to re-familiarize myself with using Solidworks beforehand, as well as the process needed to generate drawings and send them to the laser cutter, in an attempt to make the manufacturing and assembly process as smooth as possible.