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This week I focused on more backend development and full system integration as well as software testing. I worked on connecting the app with the backend device side flow so that schedule data, compartment assignments and device configurations can be transmitted correctly between the app and the esp32. We also began testing the system as an integrated app-backend-device pipeline.

For the software unit testing, i tested schedule management, compartment assignment, next-dose display, HTTPS communication and dose state logging. The completed tests so far show a 100% accuracy and I am planning to do the next set of tests this week like offline behavior, reconnection sync, and error notification. These are the last tests to do for software and depend more on full hardware software integration as well as end to end testing.

From the testing, one key finding was that the backend to device communication should stay minimal and structured so that the ESP32 receives only the configuration data it needs. Another finding was that the app logs and streaks should updated based on dose events and not just scheduled reminders. Based on this, i changed the design to separate scheduled dose display, confirmed dose logging and error state reporting. One difficulty we faced during integration was connecting ESP32 to Wifi. Since our school wifi uses individual login credentials and is not straightforward for embedded design connection, we had a lot of trouble getting a stable connection. To work around this, we tested our system using a personal hotspot so ESP32 and app could work on the same network with same name and password. This helped us continue integration testing and verify communication flow.

We have also decided to keep offline behvaior as a separate test category since the pillbox must support local reminders and scheduled dispensing even when the app is not synced.

Given that we have a week left till our final presentation, we need to focus the next couple days on thorough testing as well as human testing. We should be done in time if we keep up with out gantt chart.

A lot of progress has been made.  I finished redesigning the trapazoidal pill compartments, including making the base and lid.  The lid design went through many iterations, and getting the hinges to fit and function properly was very difficult. I also had to make adjustments to the compartment sides, as I realized I forgot to make holes through which the strain gauge wires can come out.  Then I installed the push-to-open latches.  Getting them installed took many iterations as the acrylic was breaking easily.  I also made a second base for each compartment to hold the funnels.  Then I made the funnel for 3 compartments.  I also designed and made the sliding door attachments.  I am especially proud of myself for this, as I got the sizing of the holes so they fit on the servos exactly.

We are definitely behind on integration.  We are planning to spend a significant amount of time getting that sorted tomorrow.
• What deliverables do you hope to complete in the next week?
In the next week, I hope to have funnels for all the compartments, which shouldn’t take too long.  As well as maybe figuring out a better way to do the compartment hinges so they don’t break as often.
As you’ve designed, implemented, and debugged your project, what new tools or new knowledge did you find it necessary to learn to be able to accomplish these tasks? What learning strategies did you use to acquire this new knowledge?

My CAD skills have definitely improved while making the funnels, as well as my CorelDRAW skills.  For CorelDRAW, I bothered the TechSpark employees often about how to do certain things and use the tools.  For CAD, my meche friends, as well as YouTube videos, were a good source for figuring out how to make a trapazoidal funnel.

I have finalized the laser cutting files for our pill box.  The design went through many iterations as I had to balance several constraints, including pill size, number of pills, and width of the pill box.  Mapping out the dimensions was also time-consuming.  I have included a PDF version of one of the more complex pieces  COMPARTMENT_LAYER_cutouts.

Then I tested and laser cut all the parts in TechSpark.  Finally, I assembled the whole box.  I realized we do not have enough acrylic to print out the whole pill box, so I ordered more.

When meeting with Jieun, we realized we needed to adjust our pill box design because the servo sizing did not meet expectations.  So I had to adjust the laser cuts I made one more time.  I also realized we will need something to hold up the servos, so we ordered styrofoam.

I think I am a bit behind because I didn’t finish making the pill box since we ran out of acrylic.  I will have all the files ready, so when the acrylic comes, I can print it right away

Next week, I hope to have the CAD files for the funnels finalized.

This week I have been making the laser cutting file for the pill box.  I focused on refining the mechanical design of the pill dispensing system.

Progress is on schedule. Current work aligns with planned milestones, and design decisions are now converging toward final selections.

I will also continue refining the CAD design and contribute to the next report deliverables.

I finalized our parts list based on our design and put in most the the parts orders.  I also reviewed our feedback from design presentation and worked on filling the gaps that were addresses.  This primarily consisted of doing research to justify some of our design choices, or deciding they were unjustified and removing them.  I have also been working on the laser cutting file for our design.  This has been going through much iteration, But I believe the work is worth it as it is the whole structure of our project and without a proper structure the mechanical components will not function correctly.  Part of this process has also been maping out the exact measurements needed to satisfy all out use cases.

We are generally on schedule but we need to be making significant progress leading up to the demo.

If the acrylic comes in time I hope to print out the pill box design and assemble it.

 

This week I designed the full app layout and created visuals for the design presentation. The app flows like: sign-up/login to guided medication set up to homepage showing next dose and quick status. The app also has a logs and calendar feature to review taken vs pending doses and adherence history. Added a lightweight motivation progress tracking feature and defined notification behavior. Additionally, I identified some key risks with our system and mitigations for them. This touched upon multiple pills dropping at the same time, no pills dropping due to low pill count and weight sensor drift. Also, I refined our key user use cases and distilled them into 5 clear, testable use case requirements that the pill box must support. Lastly, I presented our updated design in the capstone design presentation.

We are slightly behind schedule because our design plan changed a lot over the past few weeks. This next week, our priority is to finalize and lock the design so we can start ordering parts and building immediately. I am aiming to begin app development soon, while we can catch up on the items we are behind on. We definitely need to get back on schedule so tasks dont pile up later

What are the most significant risks that could jeopardize the success of the
project? How are these risks being managed? What contingency plans are ready?

At our Design presentation, we received helpful feedback from the audience that exposed additional risks in our product.  The first was what will the pill box do when the wrong pill is dispensed?  We had already established that we would use the weight and motion sensors to make sure the correct pills are dispensed.  So when we know the wrong pill/number of pills were dropped, we send a warning to the user through the app that that dosage is incorrect.  Yet we still need to think about the next steps.  What will the user do with the pills? How will the box be reset? We plan on having it so that an alarm will be set up on the app within a set amount of time (for now, we aim to have the user set the time in the app as medications vary in terms of within how much time it should be taken in), warning the user or their caregiver to take the pills and reset/re-allocate the pills as necessary.  Another question we received was how we will test if our pill box works, since our target audience is elderly people with dexterity issues.  We plan to contact some elder care facilities to see if any volunteers would be willing to test our product.  Or if the staff at the facilities can give us feedback on our project as well.

• Were any changes made to the existing design of the system (requirements,
block diagram, system spec, etc)? Why was this change necessary? What costs does the change incur, and how will these costs be mitigated going forward?

We have made the change of going from using a FPGA and ESP32 microcontroller to using two ESP32 microcontrollers for two main reasons: firstly, we did not want to overcomplicate the process as the communication between two microcontrollers would be a challenge in itself to have an almost perfect accuracy rate, and secondly, for bluetooth, there is a more reliable ESP-NOW protocol available for communication between two ESP32s, which would allow for cleaner and less error-prone connections. This would actually lower the technical cost of our project as a FPGA is much more costly than an ESP32 Arduino Nano (which is the specific microcontroller we wish to use for this project for both size and price).

• Provide an updated schedule if changes have occurred.

Our schedule remains the same as a whole.

This week I focused on making the dispensing mechanism more reliable by doing research about pill-dimension data. I looked at capsule size specification charts from LFA Capsule Fillers and Capsuline. From this, I got the standard external diameters for common capsule sizes. I also references FDA guidance on pill shape/size considerations. Using this, our team decided to design our pillbox such that the stepper motor supports a small set of discrete gate-opening positions mapped to the common capsule sizes.

Additionally, I defined the MVP app concept at the UI level so we can have the software scope directly tied to the device workflow. The app starts with a simple signup/log in page, scheduling that maps pill types to compartments and dispense times, a step by step filling guide, dose logs with a calendar view for taken vs pending and a streak feature to encourage use of the product. I also created a visual depiction of this to make the requirements concrete and reviewable. This provides a direct blueprint of how our app would look and function.

I also helped make the design proposal presentation in terms of defining our use case more deeply and then basing our user requirements based on that.

Status: on schedule. The app coding needs to begin this week to avoid falling behind. The only reason we have been holding off is because a few design details have not been finalized yet. We plan to lock these down early this week and start implementation right after.