This week, the team attended an ethics lecture and participated in red teaming with other groups. Through these discussions, we explored potential risks associated with our Sudoku helper system, particularly the possibility of users becoming overly reliant on automated solving, which could reduce problem-solving engagement within the Sudoku community.
In terms of hardware, we made progress on improving the accuracy and reliability of the capacitive touch grid. The initial interference issues were because of the use of packing tape as the dielectric material. After testing alternatives, cardstock was found to be the most reliable solution. Using the two MPR121 ICs, a 3×3 functional grid was achieved. The next step will be scaling up to a 9×9 grid and developing methods for processing input data from the MPR121 ICs to enable precise point selection.
On the software side, the team made progress in both Sudoku logic and interface functionality. Using Pygame, improvements were made to the grid system, input methods, and visual feedback, including cell highlighting and keyboard controls. In exploring Sudoku-solving libraries, we tested the py-sudoku package. This will allow dynamic puzzle generation and solving without relying on a static set of boards, reducing repetition for users. Integration of this solver with existing projection code is planned for next week.