Author: ginaseo

This week, I focused on refining our design and advancing our prototyping efforts. I worked on structuring and finalizing the implementation plan in our design slides and also conducted a final review of the components we need for our prototype with Jess, verifying specifications to ensure they align with our system requirements. I worked on detailed modifications on the testing, verification, and validation requirements by setting clear success criteria for evaluating the effectiveness of our hardware and software integration.

Using circuit components from the Physical Computing Lab in Ideate, I began assembling an initial hardware prototype, testing basic circuit configurations, and ensuring our force sensors, LEDs, and ESP32 communicate as expected. My hardware prototyping efforts will continue this weekend as I refine the first stage of our prototype, aiming to present a functional snippet during our design presentation.

Our progress remains on track with our project schedule. This weekend, I will help Sarah with practicing for our design presentation, ensuring we hit all the points. This coming week, we will expand our rapid prototyping efforts to include software-hardware communication by running ESP32-compatible software (Johnny-Five) alongside FastAPI to establish initial firmware interactions. I plan to finalize and test an early-stage hardware prototype with working LED indicators and force sensors early this week to begin integration testing to ensure firmware and hardware communication align with our expected use case. I will also continue refining our design presentation based on feedback after presenting.

This week, I focused on creating the Proposal Deck with my team. I refined the storytelling and flow of our presentation to ensure clarity and engagement, carefully structuring the slides to effectively communicate our project’s goals, requirements, and challenges. This meant delving deep into the root causes of the problem and identifying user pain points and drawing a direct connection to our proposed solution and the ways in which it can address them. Additionally, I practiced delivering the pitch to ensure a compelling and coherent narrative.

On the technical front, I conducted preliminary research to identify suitable hardware components, focusing on sensor accuracy, power efficiency, and feasibility within our design constraints. I am currently collecting components from the IDeATe Physical Computing Lab to build a mini MVP of our silicone pad. I plan to use an ESP32 microcontroller, a simple LED bulb, and pressure sensors to test the hardware and identify potential considerations before finalizing component selection.

Collaborating with team members, I dissected technical challenges, defined requirements, and strategized solutions. We addressed specific technical challenges and outlined requirements to ensure our solution is robust and effective. The positive feedback we received from peers and Professor Brumley well-reflected our efforts.

My progress is on track with the project schedule. Following the mini MVP testing, Jess and I will finalize a comprehensive list of components, ensuring each aligns with our system and performance goals. We will also incorporate feedback from Professor Brumley regarding our proposal presentation to refine our approach.

In the next week, I plan to finalize the list of components based on MVP testing outcomes, integrate Professor Brumley’s feedback into our project plan, and begin assembling the initial prototype with the selected components.