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Team Status Report 4/26

This week marked the final phase of development and testing for our project before the upcoming capstone demo. Our team focused on completing hardware integration, validating sensor performance, finalizing the physical assembly of the device.

Unit Tests and System Tests Conducted:

  • Pressure Detection Test: Verified consistent trigger response from pressure sensors under different weights and placements.

  • Manual Inventory Adding Test: Tested NFC scanning and manual inventory update features through the mobile app. NFC sticker recognition was reliable; no major changes required.

  • NFC Sticker Scanning Test: Validated NFC tag detection under different lighting and angle conditions. We know the limitations of scanning distance, so will advise demo users to place stickers on bottom of items. 

  • LED Response Test: Ensured LEDs correctly reflected inventory status, sensor triggers, and system states. Needed to slightly tweak LED delay timing to synchronize feedback with user actions.

  • Temperature and Humidity Sensor Validation: Integrating and testing new sensors for environmental monitoring tomorrow. 

  • LDR: Code runs smoothly to command sensor environment to shut down when LDR senses dark.
  • Design Changes from Experimentation:
    – Repositioned pressure sensors for better detection consistency based on weight distribution analysis.
    – Rerouted and organized wiring more tightly to minimize electrical noise, especially critical for environmental sensors.
    – Tuning LED signal timing and brightness to improve user feedback clarity during quick user interactions.Our team successfully completed hardware integration, system validation, and final assembly ahead of schedule. Final testing will confirm that the device is functional, responsive, and ready for the capstone demo! Key challenges such as wiring stability, sensor noise, and timing synchronization were addressed through iterative testing and real-time design adjustments.

Our focus for the final days before demo will be stress-testing the system under various use cases, refining minor interface details, and preparing presentation materials. We are excited to present our final product of GlowFresh!

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Gina’s Status Report 4/26

This week, I completed the final LED response validation and finalized the wiring organization for our project. All hardware components were tested together in a full system run to ensure stable operation and reliable communication between pressure sensors, NFC scanners, LED indicators, and the central microcontroller. I’m in the process of integrating the temperature and humidity sensors as well as the final LDR into the system and validated their readings through preliminary tests.

A major focus this week was preparing the hardware for demo by physically reinforcing all sensor placements, optimizing cable routing to minimize visual clutter and signal interference, and finalizing the concrete plan to securely wrapping the system in a silicon mat to complete the device’s final assembly.

One of the main challenges this week was time management—balancing system testing, hardware reinforcement, sensor integration, and predictive logic development within a very compressed timeline. Minor troubleshooting was also needed to stabilize the temperature sensor readings, which initially showed fluctuations due to wiring noise.

Looking ahead, my final steps before the demo include running complete, end-to-end system tests under different simulated user scenarios to ensure reliability during the live demo. I will also polish the LDR wake system and humidity sensor integration.

Throughout this final phase, I relied heavily on rapid iteration and hands-on debugging, drawing from earlier informal learning and adapting techniques on the fly. Reflecting on this capstone, I feel that this project significantly strengthened my ability to manage full hardware-software integration, troubleshoot real-time sensor systems, and deliver a functional prototype under tight deadlines.

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Sarah’s Status Report for 4/26/25

This week I worked on finishing up the phone integration for NFC scanning and testing that the logic and code works for multiple LED zones. Scanning an NFC tag with your phone now works and can be used in the app to add an item. Thus, we now have two ways to add an item into inventory : scanning on the physical pad, or scanning through your device. I also started working on the final poster and video for our demo and project.

Our progress is currently on schedule.

In the next week, I hope to finish all the deliverables, including the final report, final poster, and final video. In addition, as the physical circuit pad is completed, I am aiming to integrate it into the software backend logic so that it is operational for the demo.

 

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Jess’s Status Report for 4/26/2025

This week, I presented our final project presentation to the class. I also finalized the hardware assembly, now that all of our final components have arrived, and performed final rounds of hardware testing to ensure everything is functioning properly. During testing, I encountered unexpected issues with the NFC scanners, which took a significant amount of time to debug. Resolving these issues set me back slightly, but I was ultimately able to identify and fix the problems to ensure reliable scanner operation.

Thought I would like to speed up the processing in finalizing everything, we are on track.

We are currently finalizing our project poster and video and expect to have both completed by tomorrow. Afterward, we will shift focus to completing the final project report and gathering all materials needed for Demo Day.

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Gina’s Status Report 4/19

This week, I completed the initial circuit verification and LED implementation for our project. I conducted validation tests for pressure detection, manual inventory adding, and NFC sticker scanning, ensuring that the hardware components performed as intended. I also began LED response testing, which is ongoing and scheduled to be completed tomorrow. A major focus throughout the week was ensuring stable power delivery across all hardware components, which required careful checking of each connection and verifying overall system performance.

One of the main challenges I encountered was managing the organization of wiring while maintaining stable and reliable power flow. Additionally, I had to make minor adjustments to sensor positioning to optimize detection consistency, especially during the pressure detection tests.

Looking ahead, my next steps are to complete the LED response validation, finalize the wiring organization to prepare the hardware for presentation, and integrate temperature and humidity sensors into the system before the upcoming demo. I also plan to implement predictive logic that will help recommend against unnecessary grocery purchases based on user inventory. Finally, I aim to fully wrap the device with a silicon mat to finalize the hardware assembly.

Throughout the process of designing, implementing, and debugging the project, I found it necessary to strengthen my knowledge of stable power distribution techniques and real-time sensor validation strategies. I also had to learn practical wiring organization methods to minimize signal noise and maintain consistent performance under different operating conditions. To acquire this new knowledge, I relied heavily on informal learning strategies, including watching targeted YouTube tutorials, reading discussions and troubleshooting posts on Stack Overflow and Arduino forums, and studying relevant sensor datasheets. Accessing real-world examples and project references online helped me quickly adapt and apply new techniques without the need for formal coursework, allowing me to troubleshoot and optimize our hardware setup more effectively.

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Jess’s Status Report for 4/19/2025

This week, I worked on finalizing the circuit design. However, due to a last-minute decision to switch from PCBs to breadboards—caused by inconsistent solder connections and space constraints on the PCB—I am currently waiting for one final breadboard to arrive before completing the last zone of our final circuit. In the meantime, I dedicated time to preparing for and practicing our final presentation.

We are still on track.

Once all remaining components arrive, I plan to focus on thorough testing and ensuring that everything is functioning properly in preparation for our demo.

Throughout the design, implementation, and debugging process, I had to learn how to interface new hardware components, including NFC modules, pressure sensors, and BLE with the ESP32. I also explored MQTT for real-time data communication, React Native for mobile app development, and FastAPI for our backend services. I learned that while these components may be simple on their own, it takes a lot of coordination to make sure they all work in conjunction, which is something I am not normally used to dealing with.

To acquire this knowledge, I relied heavily on informal learning strategies. I browsed through numerous posts and GitHub issues to troubleshoot SPI and WIFI communication, and browsed forums like Stack Overflow and the Espressif community for solutions to unexpected bugs.

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Team Status Report for 4/19/25

The most significant risk for our project at this point is making sure the final design of the board is operational and clean, particularly with the silicone encasing on top. In addition, we need to get the NFC scanning through the phone app working. If this fails to work, we have the fallback of the NFC scanners on the physical pad itself instead.

We made a slight change of design in our final pad product. Instead of soldering on a thin board, we are unscrewing and using breadboards to construct our pad. This is because we needed the connected ground and power rails or there would not have been enough space on the board for all our components.

No changes to the schedule.

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Sarah’s Status Report for 4/19/25

This week, I continued the integration of the hardware LED logic into our backend. I also worked on refining our front end and adding additional features, such as a shopping list for the user and expired items page to detect often expired categories of food.

I also worked on trying to integrate the built-in phone NFC scanner feature into our app as we got approved for the apple developer account. The code and interface is set up but the functionality is not fully operational.

We are currently on schedule.

In the next week, I hope to finish up the integration of the NFC phone scanner and finish the full logic for the entirely built pad. I also hope to begin working on our final video and poster.

As I have designed and implemented the software portion of our project, I have learned a lot about building an app from the ground up. I have also learned a lot about the integration of hardware and software, and how communication protocols work to communicate between them. My main source of learning was many YouTube videos to learn the basics, especially when I needed to learn how to set up environments and dependencies for our specific app. Once I learned the basics, reading documentation on specific frameworks also helped me a lot.

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Gina’s Status Report 04/12

I successfully completed the wiring and soldering of the LED subsystem. Initially, we attempted to solder four separate 4-LED strips (16 total) into a square formation to fit the base of our design. However, we encountered a major roadblock: current flow inconsistencies due to segmenting the strips. To resolve this, we opted not to cut the LED strips. Instead, we used a continuous 16-LED strip and geometrically folded it into a square pattern to maintain uniform current flow and simplify the wiring layout. This new configuration has been tested using our power booster and logic level shifter, which step the Arduino’s 3.3V output up to 5V for the LED signal and power. All 16 LEDs now light up consistently with no drop in brightness, verifying the effectiveness of our revised wiring approach. The 4 squares of LEDs will now take up 4 pins in total on our main ESP32 board.

I’ve completed testing the power circuit stability. Using a multimeter, I confirmed that the voltage booster consistently outputs ~5V under full LED load, and the logic level shifter correctly translates the Arduino’s 3.3V signal to 5V for LED data input. The system maintained stable performance with no flickering or voltage drops.

I still need to complete testing for the light sensor, which is scheduled for next week. This will involve simulating fridge door open and close states using a flashlight to verify that the sensor correctly detects changes in ambient light and triggers power-off behavior when lux levels drop below the threshold.

To verify pressure sensor accuracy, we will place 10 items of varying weights (≥50g) on the GlowFresh pad, testing sensor response with and without the silicone mat interface. I’ll confirm that placement and removal are consistently detected, aiming for a 98% success rate with minimal false positives. We’ll also evaluate sensor sensitivity and response when two items are stacked, ensuring that changes in total force are correctly registered.

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Jess’s Status Report for 4/12/2025

This week, I finalized the design of our circuit, mapping out how all components—such as the ESP32, pressure sensors, NFC module, and LEDs—would be connected on the breadboard. I also spent time thinking through key design tradeoffs for our final implementation, including decisions around layout constraints, wire routing, and the balance between compactness and accessibility for debugging. In addition, I began soldering the smaller components, such as header pins and sensor connectors, to prepare for integration into the final circuit.

We are still on track.

Next week, I plan to have the majority of the circuit fully assembled and begin conducting basic functionality tests. I also intend to dedicate time to refining our final presentation, ensuring that both the technical content and overall flow are clear and engaging.