Author: oabolade

One of the most significant risks to the success of the project is delays in the physical assembly of the system, particularly the integration of the motors, gears, and structural components. Although much of the initial software development has been completed, meaningful system testing depends on the mechanical components being installed and functioning properly. Without the motors and gearing mechanisms in place, we cannot fully validate the motion control, actuation, and overall system responsiveness of the shade system. Mechanical integration also presents challenges such as alignment issues, mounting stability, and ensuring that the motors provide sufficient torque to move the canopy reliably.

To manage this risk, we’re prioritizing the completion of the remaining mechanical tasks so that the hardware and software subsystems can be integrated as soon as possible. The focus for the current phase of the project is completing the mounting brackets, canopy fabrication, and the full physical assembly of the arm, joints, canopy, and motors. These tasks are distributed across the team to ensure steady progress and reduce the likelihood of delays caused by a single point of failure. By accelerating the physical assembly process by having more people helping, we will be able to begin integrated system testing earlier and identify potential issues before the final stages of the project timeline.

At the moment, the most significant risks that could jeopardize the success of the project are falling behind on our individual work, which may cause other team members to not be able to progress within their areas of work in the project. We’re planning to be more strict with following our schedule and staying on top of things to have a working demo in time, and shifting priorities within the project as needed, keeping our TA and designated professor in the loop. We’re currently working on the perception, app development, and the physical assembly of our project

 

A was written by Bonnie, B was written by Ore, and C was written by Nicholas.

Part A: Global Factors

Our smart beach umbrella considers several global factors beyond a local setting. Rising global temperatures and increased UV exposure make sun protection more important worldwide. An automatically adjusting umbrella can help reduce health risks such as heat stroke and sunburn in many regions.

Accessibility is also a global factor. Not all users are physically able or technologically experienced enough to adjust a traditional umbrella frequently. Automating the process makes the product more inclusive.

Cost and scalability were considered by using affordable components such as a Raspberry Pi and standard motors, making the system more practical across different economic environments. Privacy is also important, since the umbrella uses a camera and mobile app, so data processing should remain local to protect users.

 

Part B: Cultural Factors

 

Part C: Environmental Factors

Shade.ai prioritizes the protection of living organisms and the responsible use of natural resources through its core functionality and material selection. By utilizing autonomous solar modeling and CV-based tracking, the system provides a reliable barrier against harmful UV radiation, addressing a health risk for beach-goers that is often underestimated due to unreliable cooling sensations.

The biggest risk right now is making sure the motors can provide enough torque to move and hold the umbrella. Since umbrella size and weight greatly affect the required torque, we are estimating these values early and researching appropriate stepper motors and gear ratios. If the torque requirements end up being too high, we can reduce the canopy size or use additional gearing or mechanical support to reduce the load on the motors.

 

We’ve started working on the arms and joints design, and perception & estimation components.

This week, we had several meetings about our intended product and its feasibility within the scope of the semester.  The major risk now is that we decided to pivot away from working with drones, so we then spent the next few days doing some research on our other ideas for the upcoming design review presentation, ultimately helping to pinpoint and flesh out a new idea we can go with for our capstone project. To mitigate the risk of the success of our project, we are actively keeping our designated professor and TA in the loop throughout the whole process. The main change we made to our existing design is removing drone usage for the shade provider and moving to a more stationary design. This change was necessary beacuse not only is drone autonomous flight challenging to get done within one semester, but there were also outside factors that weren’t initially considered: getting permission from CMU to fly a drone,  and/or having to locate an area to fly a drone, and to continue to use drones, we would need to review the CMU code for rules and requirements. No more cost was incurred from this change; costs were redistributed across new components of our design.

A was written by Bonnie,  B was written by Ore, and C was written by Nicholas.

 

B: From a social perspective, beaches are shared public spaces that bring together diverse groups across age, ability, and economic backgrounds. Not everyone has the same physical strength or mobility to repeatedly adjust a heavy umbrella in sand, particularly older adults, individuals with disabilities, or caregivers managing children. By reducing the physical effort required to maintain shade, our solution promotes greater accessibility and inclusivity in recreational spaces. Additionally, in hot coastal regions where extreme sun exposure can pose health risks, improving access to reliable shade supports public health and encourages longer, safer social interaction in outdoor environments.