This week I assembled the breadboard with the all our parts mounted onto it and set it up on the glove. For the interim demo I made a script that printed out all the values we were collecting, I helped Teadora test the touch sensors by setting up the library for it and running the script on them as well. Now that our glove is assembled, we are going to start data collection this week. Therefore this weekend I am working on simultaneously running the Micro Python script on the Pico and the data collection script. I also am working on the wireless component so we can run the model without wires when we finish data collection.
Teadora’s Status Report 4/4
This week I added the capacitive touch sensors to the glove and presented at the interim demo. I was using conductive copper tape as the contacts for the glove, but I think it’s not a great long term solution since the adhesive can wear off and the copper gets crinkled. My solution is to embroider the glove with conductive thread to create a durable and flexible contact. My verification process involves confirming that the components work and can integrate effectively with the larger subsystems. Over the past few weeks I verified that the following components worked: flex sensors, IMU, ADS, capacitive touch sensor. First I confirmed that each component could be operated according to the manufacturer’s instructions by connecting it to a breadboard and measuring relevant information (ex: resistance, voltage with a multimeter). Then I connected it to the Pico and worked with Kat to make sure the signals were being received. Finally I attached the components to the glove and made sure signals were still accurate. For example, I first confirmed that the flex sensors worked as a voltage divider on a breadboard, then added it to a breadboard with the Pico. When I attached the flex sensors to the glove, the range of motion changed but data was still available, so I helped Kat calibrate the sensors to detect % finger bending. I believe the IMU data will need more calibration since the Z axis is very sensitive. We will also verify the gloves functionality after seeing the ML training data output.
Nia’s Status Report 3/28
This week, I updated the frontend to not receive feedback from the user about whether or not they signed correctly when the model identifies the sign as incorrect. This is to prevent our model from possibly receiving incorrect information and as a result, decreasing the accuracy of the model.
I also began writing the data collections script that we will use to semi-automate our data collection process. Specifically, this script will allow us to automatically save .csv files with proper naming mechanisms as well as pause data collection at different points and resume from where we left off (for example, complete 20 trials of “A”, end the terminal process, start the terminal process, continue at trial 21 of “A”.
I addition, I helped brainstorm how we incorporate the touch sensors on the glove such as positioning and wiring.
Next week, I plan on completing the data collection script so that once we have the hardware and processing complete, we will begin collecting data.
Teadora’s Status Report for 3/28
This week I assembled the glove by attaching the flex sensors and imu along with some cables. I also helped Kat with testing and calibration by wearing the glove. As I mentioned last week, we’re looking into using touch sensors to help identify some signs better. When I was deciding what parts to order, I chose the capacitive touch sensor breakout instead of pressure touch sensors like (https://www.adafruit.com/product/166). The touch sensor breakout is built as an i2c board, which means it can integrate quickly with our existing setup. The pressure sensors would have needed an ADC board and similar setup to the flex sensors, since both are variable resistors. We have enough funds, pins, and physical space to use an ADS, but I still chose the capacitive touch sensor because it seemed easier to directly set it up as binary touch/no touch readings, which is what I understood the design required instead of variable pressure. I also found that the size and shape of the easily available pressure sensors didn’t seem like it would work well with the glove — the circular pads were larger than a finger tip and seemed to get in the way, and the square ones were too small to work on the palm. With the capacitive touch sensors, I should be able to tape out conductive regions with copper foil tape and detect when the finger makes contact with those regions. The foil tape arrived yesterday (Friday 3/27) so I’ll use that in testing this week. I feel like we’re on track with the project, assuming we can start to record data soon.
Kat’s Status Report 3/28
This week, I worked on processing the ADS and the touch sensors as well as the calibration of the readings coming from the sensors mounted directly to the glove. Now we have a complete set set of readable data from the sensors. I also started work on the wireless transmission of the RBi although I do not think it will be ready by the interim demo. On the hardware side I soldered all the header pins onto our boards like the Raspberry Pi and the touch sensors board so they can be mountable onto the mini breadboard.
This week we have the interim demo so I will work on what I will talk about during it. Nia and I will continue working on the machine learning model as we are thinking of shifting from a neural network to a KNN model.
Team Status Report 3/28
The current risks are related to the time it takes to train the ML model. Touch sensors won’t affect the model since it will just be added as an additional feature so they will likely improve it and the ml model shouldn’t take more than a week. Training should take max 5 mins once we have data, so the main holdup really is getting data. We can improve the model post MVP by tuning training parameters
This past week we assembled a glove to make sure the flex sensor readings worked on the hand.
We added capacitive touch sensors to the system so we could better detect when fingers are touching each other or the palm, which is necessary to distinguish signs like U/V, M/N, etc. Teadora selected capacitive touch sensors instead of force sensing resistors and details the reasons for the decision in this week’s status report. There wasn’t a significant parts cost ($15 at most for conductive tape and a breakout board), but we will need to test the touch sensors and make sure the readings can transfer easily to the ML model. We will display our in progress glove with flex sensors and IMU at the interim demo.
Kat’s Status Report 3/21
I finished the reading of the data from the flex sensors and IMU. I processed that data into percentages of finger bends with a pretty accurate range. For our project we need at least 2 classifications of bend which I have achieved through calculations right as we receive data. I also made a calibration system for the glove that we can use if needed for different users. Nia and I are also working on the classification of different signs based on binary vectors we created. Teadora and I attached the RPi to a breadboard and can hook up the gloves with its attached flex sensors to it for testing.
This week I will finish the ADS connections so we can read all of the analog flex sensor values. The IMU’s data is a little messed up, I need to finish calculating the position values as they are not correct as of right now. However, it does process motion well and in the correct direction. Nia and I will be working on data collection for our model now that we have started glove assembly.
Team Status Report 3/21
Now that we know the sensors can receive data, we’re going to move quickly towards assembling the glove so we can train the ML model. We’d like to have it assembled soon so we can have something ready for the interim demo in a little over a week. We’re considering adding capacitive touch sensors to the glove (which we’ve already ordered for testing) to make sure we can accurately represent all of the signs.
The most significant risk that could jeopardize the product is how well the sensors hold up during testing and data collection. We will prioritize keeping the sensors in place and secure during data collection to ensure we collect accurate data across all trials. If the sensors move significantly during data collection, we run the risk of our model incorrectly assigning classes.
Nia’s Status Report 3/21
This week, I attended the ethics lecture and discussed with my team along with others how we can be mindful of ethical tradeoffs when creating new technology for society. Along with that, I confirmed the set up of our feature vectors and the machine learning pipeline we plan to implement. Next week, we will assemble the glove and I will test the model’s evaluation API that connects to our frontend interface.
Teadora’s Status Report 3/21
This week I attended the ethics lecture and confirmed backup parts orders. Last week I was concerned about how the voltage divider on the flex sensors would interact with the input impedance to the ADC, so I tested a TL072 op amp as buffer. It turned out this wasn’t necessary after I worked with Katherine to get the flex sensor calibration working on the build in Pico ADC pins. We also connected IMU to Pico with I2C and were able to read out data. Confirmed that the connections worked for battery power and microusb power. My part in this was measuring voltage, connecting the test setup, and referencing suggested designs in spec sheets. Tomorrow (Sunday 3/22) we’re going to assemble the glove and try to get preliminary data readings.
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