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Kendric’s status report for 2/14

This week was focused on refining the mechanical transmission and structural design. I joined the team for a comprehensive Bill of Materials review, where I provided technical insights regarding the mechanical efficacy of our chosen components, specifically ensuring our shaft and bearing selections can handle the dynamic loads of the spinning array.

I also redesigned our transmission system, recalculating the gear ratios (pulley sizes) to ensure we can achieve our target RPM without over-torquing the motor. Following this, I began the CAD modeling phase for the custom structural components. I have drafted the initial designs for the main system mount and the rotor hub interface, focusing on ensuring the geometry is optimized for 3D printing and maintains the strict balance requirements we need for stability.

I believe we are on schedule. Our current progress follows the Gantt chart. In fact, with the CAD designs coming together faster than anticipated, we might be slightly ahead of schedule regarding the mechanical fabrication timeline.

Next week, I intend to move from design to rapid prototyping. My goal is to run a preliminary 3D print of the mount and gear components to perform a physical “fit check” and validate the tolerances. If the 3D prints are successful, I also plan to start laser cutting components for the hologram chassis so we can begin assembly immediately.

Part B:

The Hologram solution addresses social factors by catering to the culture of the Maker Movement and the Open Source community. These social groups are organized around the values of collaborative innovation, knowledge exchange, and “learning by doing.” By providing an accessible, transparent hardware platform, the project fosters social interaction among students, hobbyists, and engineers, creating a shared space for experimentation that strengthens these community bonds. Economically, the project addresses the “digital divide” in advanced visualization. While volumetric displays are typically restricted to elite corporate or research institutions due to high cost, this low-cost implementation democratizes the technology. This lowers socio-economic barriers, allowing wider social groups to access and develop for 3D interfaces. Culturally, the product taps into a collective imagination shaped by decades of science fiction. By creating the “holographic communication” tropes found in Hollywood classics like Star Wars, the device serves as a social bridge, uniting diverse demographics through a sense of nostalgia and technological wonder. This shared cultural language allows the product to function not just as a tool, but as a social centerpiece that facilitates engagement and communication across different age groups and technical backgrounds.

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Team Status Report for 2/14

The biggest risks to our project right now are shipping delays or receiving parts that are dead on arrival. Since the semester is short, a delay of two or three weeks to get a replacement part could make us miss our deadlines. To manage this, we ordered all our important components early rather than waiting. About half of our parts have already arrived, and we are testing them immediately to make sure they work while we can still return them. Our budget is also very tight, so if we accidentally break an expensive part and cannot afford a replacement, our backup plan is to build a simpler frame using scrap materials instead of buying new materials for a polished enclosure.

We made a few changes to our system design this week to improve reliability and safety. First, we updated our electrical plan to use a specific, high-quality power supply instead of a generic one. This costs about $15 more, but it is necessary to stop sudden power spikes from shutting down our main computer when the lights turn on. Second, we updated our system diagram to verify exactly where the physical frame sits in relation to our electronics. This change didn’t cost anything, but it was necessary to ensure the wooden frame is strong enough to support the entire hologram system.

A was written by Steven Guo, B was written by Kendric Terry and C was written by Andrew Yu.

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Andrew’s Status Report for 2/14

This week I mainly worked on the Design Review presentation. This involved ironing out some design decisions like how the actual hardware components might go together. This also helped mostly finalize our parts list.

I think we are on schedule since we have our design pretty detailed, which means we can proceed already with implementation as integration should hopefully be easier. Next week I hope to begin implementing some of the software. I will try to get one of the machine learning models to work and successfully detect hand landmarks.

Part C: Our project is not really meeting the economic need of any existing product market, as it is relatively unique. However, we are aiming to have it be cost effective compared to any similar solutions. For example, the best possible industry standard for volumetric displays is produced by Voxon and costs $6800. We have also made sure our device can operate by itself without an external computer or any other devices, making it economically easier to use the product once you have it.

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Steven’s Status Report for 2/14

This week, I focused on transitioning our hardware design from a purely theoretical to a physical level, documenting the process. I finalized and submitted the parts request forms for our critical components, locking in our design choices for the motor and power systems.

I also dedicated significant time to system modeling, creating a detailed electrical diagram that outlines our power distribution network, specifically mapping out how the power supply will independently feed the Jetson Nano, the motor controller/motor, and the LED display to prevent voltage sag. Additionally, I designed a high-level block diagram to define the interfaces between our microcontrollers and peripherals. To prepare for our upcoming review, I have also begun drafting the Design Document presentation with Andrew and Kendric.

I believe we are on schedule. We are tracking well against our Gantt chart, and with the administrative work of ordering parts out of the way, we might even be slightly ahead of schedule.

Next week, as our components begin to arrive, I plan to shift focus to hardware validation. My primary goal is to test the electrical components to ensure they are functional and properly spec’d for the load before we integrate them into the mechanical assembly.

Part A:

The Hologram design prioritizes safety by rigorously mitigating the physical hazards associated with high-speed rotating machinery. The spinning LED array will be fully enclosed within a transparent, impact-resistant polycarbonate shield, ensuring that users, particularly children, cannot accidentally contact moving parts. To further prevent mechanical failure or instability, the chassis will be securely clamped to its support surface and equipped with vibration-dampening rubber feet. Regarding health, the system promotes psychological well-being by providing a mentally stimulating, interactive 3D interface that encourages cognitive engagement. Physiologically, the display is calibrated to safe brightness levels and refresh rates to minimize eye strain, and the visual fidelity is intentionally designed to be distinct from reality to prevent user disorientation. Finally, the project supports welfare by democratizing access to volumetric visualization technology; this contributes to the user’s quality of life by fulfilling needs for advanced education, communication, and entertainment.

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Steven’s Status Report for 2/7

This week was dedicated to finalizing our system architecture and preparing for our formal proposal. I worked closely with Andrew to thoroughly review our materials. We spent a significant amount of time debating the system constraints, for example, whether a 12V or 24V power supply would better suit our slip ring limitations while still providing enough current for the LEDs. We also performed a torque-speed analysis to determine the optimal motor speed between a 750KV and 360KV motor, aiming to minimize heat while maintaining 900 RPM.

I think we are comfortably on schedule. We have successfully defined the critical hardware specifications (motor torque, slip ring current, and power voltage), which was the major blocker to ordering our parts.

Next week, my primary goal is to submit the final purchase orders for the motor, slip ring, and power supply now that we have made our decisions. While waiting for parts, I also plan to start work on investigating the LED panel driver so that when the parts arrive, we can hit the ground running.

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Kendric’s Status Report for 2/7

I spent this week helping build out the parts list for the project. We made it very specific down to the specific screws, mounting hardware, bearings, and electrical components.

With the progress we made this week I would say that we’re on schedule right now. Getting the parts list mostly finalized puts us in a good spot to move on to early prototyping.

Next week I plan to start prototyping in Onshape. My plan is to begin modeling the pulley system, specifically the custom pulleys we plan 3d printing. Also modeling the base for drivetrain.

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Team Status Report for 2/7

We have not made any significant decisions that could cause large risks yet. Our main risk is that the project will either work or not work. There is no partial success if the volumetric display breaks. We are mitigating this by being very detailed in our design decisions and talking them through. For example, we spent some time reviewing the parts list.

One design change we made was moving from an ESP32 for the display controller to a Raspberry Pi. This is due to the fact that the ESP32 only has enough GPIO pins to control one display. One slight downside is that without RTOS, it is possible our display driving logic could have slight jitter. However, looking at previous volumetric displays, using Raspberry Pi’s did not cause any visible image tearing.

 

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Andrew’s Status Report for 2/7

I spent the week mainly working on creating a thorough parts list. I made it pretty detailed down to the specific screws we needed and electrical connection components. I also got a Jetson Orin Nano from the ECE inventory so we could do some preliminary software work.

The software work is pretty ahead of schedule as I have a good idea of the exact libraries/languages we need.

Next week I’m looking to do some digging around and see if I can get any machine learning models to work on the Jetson to do hand tracking.