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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.

 

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Team’s Status Report for 2/22/25

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? 

Currently, there are no major risks, as components are arriving on schedule. However, with spring break approaching and our schedules becoming busier, we are hoping to stay in progress. We will be trying to get as much done as we can during class time as it is ensured everyone is available.

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? 

Since the last status report, no changes have been made to the system design.

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Team Status Report for 2/15/25

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 probably related to timing again, in terms of getting our components on time. We’ve generated a bill of materials earlier on to help us keep track of shipping costs/times/suppliers in an effort to mitigate this risk.

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? 

We made several design adjustments to optimize cost and functionality. Additional components, such as voltage converters, were added to ensure stable power distribution across the system. Additionally, we reassessed the enclosure material, switching from acrylic to wood due to higher-than-expected costs for acrylic sheets. This change helps reduce expenses while maintaining durability. The cost impact of these modifications will be mitigated by optimizing our bill of materials, finding budget-friendly suppliers, and ensuring design efficiency to minimize excess material usage.

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 Anna and C was written by David.

Part A: … with respect to considerations of public health, safety or welfare. Note: The term ‘health’ refers to a state of well-being of people in both a physiological and psychological sense. ‘Safety’ is the absence of hazards and/or physical harm to persons. The term ‘welfare’ relates to the provision of the basic needs of people.

We’re hoping that our solution will contribute to improving the health and welfare of other people. Our vending machine was intended to function as a personal reward system that makes it easier for people to have structured and focused study sessions. In the current tech climate, mobile phones and social media fuel procrastination and reduce focus, often making it difficult to be productive, which can lead to distress. We’re hoping to contribute to a solution that accounts for this by incentivizing focus + providing more structure to dedicated work sessions, without any reliance on distracting external devices. While our device won’t completely monitor the user’s actions or strictly enforce productivity, we’re hoping that our device can help users reinforce study habits using a reward system that replaces the use of mobile devices & social media with a delayed form of gratification.

Part B: … with consideration of social factors. Social factors relate to extended social groups having distinctive cultural, social, political, and/or economic organizations. They have importance to how people relate to each other and organize around social interests.

Our design aims to be accessible to accommodate diverse user needs. The touchscreen interface will feature intuitive navigation, large buttons, and both visual and audio feedback for a seamless user experience. By optimizing material costs while maintaining usability, we ensure affordability without compromising functionality. Additionally, offering customizable product selections, such as gluten-free or dietary-specific options based on user’s preferences, allows the machine to cater to a broader audience, from university students to workplace environments. On that note, it would be helpful to promote choices on the healthier side in order to prevent overconsumption of unhealthy snacks long term.

Part C: … with consideration of economic factors. Economic factors are those relating to the system of production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services.

Our vending machine, based on the Pomodoro method, is unique economically by making studying a form of currency. Instead of requiring direct payment through credit card or cash, students earn snacks by focusing on their studies for a selected period of time. This system lowers barriers related to cost, allowing students (including those with limited budgets) to access food without spending money.

Additionally, the vending machine encourages efficient use of time, which can improve academic performance. By reducing the financial barriers of snack purchases and promoting productive habits, our project benefits students and contributes to a better environment within educational spaces.

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Team Status Report For 2/08/2025

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? 

We think the most significant risks that could jeopardize the success of the project at this stage are purchasing the wrong materials. Purchasing materials always comes with some risk because we never know if we will accidentally purchase a component that is not compatible with our system. The way we try to mitigate this risk is by carefully doing research and reading the specifications about the material on the website that is advertising them along with any data sheets if they can be found. We’re planning on purchasing more components than we need, allocating part of the budget for emergency replacements, as well as purchasing alternative backup components, in case something goes wrong with our original components.

Another thing that could jeopardize the success of the project at this point is the timeline in terms of purchasing materials & the time it takes to receive them, getting over any learning curves, and integrating all of our respective subsystems together. 

More specifically, our Gantt chart initially suggested that we would wait to generate our BOM and submit purchase orders until all of our main RPI/peripheral circuitry was designed, but we realized that our UI + CAD implementations largely relied on the components we would decide to use for our features. We also realized that the lead time for each of the components we were looking to use differed largely, and taking into consideration the learning curve + time we estimate it would take for integration to occur, we decided it would be in our best interests to start purchasing things as soon as possible. Because of this, we’re hoping to finalize the implementation for our features + identify the components we need by the end of this week. We hope to have our BOM finalized by then and ideally send out our purchasing orders beginning next week. We are hoping to work on this together, in addition to our individual tasks this week, as outlined in the Gantt chart.

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? 

There weren’t really any changes that we made this week since we were working on creating the block diagram from scratch. 

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.