Check out this video to see how our project came out!
Thanks for watching!
Connor’s Status Update for 4/18
This week I have been making more progress on the User Experience end. I redesigned the layout a little bit, but the functionality is the same. I am trying to figure out the integration of the webcam video. Embedding the OpenCV feed into the pygame circuit is tricky. My mom purchased some puzzles that I’m hoping to test with this week!
Team Status Update for 4/11
Only two weeks left until Final Presentations!
We have been making large strides this week towards integration. We hope that next week will be mostly focused on weeding out issues with combining all of our components. Our user interface is being created on pygame now and will be easily added to the piece tracking and finger tracking which were both coded in python. Looking forward to the final push!
Connor’s Status Update for 4/11
This week I have been working on implementing the user interface in python using pygame. As this is my first time using pygame, it has taken a good amount of time to get to learn. Since I already drafted much of the interface up in Bootstrap last week it has just been a matter of reworking as opposed to redesigning completely. In terms of giving feedback to the user, I have also looked into interfaces like that of the Microsoft Kinect. Once my framework is solidified, we will be able to integrate Aneek and Andrew’s components through API’s.
Connor’s Status Update for 4/4
This week I have been designing the user interface for our system. The challenge has been creating an interface that doesn’t need direct interaction. I have been drafting interfaces with wireframe. This week we are looking forward to completing a design presentation, planning integration, and finishing our design.
Connor’s Status Update for 3/21
It has been an unbelievable week for all of us. Given that the Carnegie Mellon education has gone completely remote, we have been tasked to redesign our project. I have mainly spent my time on brainstorming how we can tackle similar engineering problems, within our new constraints. However, all week the situation has been rapidly changing. Along with my teammates, I have helped formulate our new product idea. Next week, I’d like to refine our project by heavily researching some of our tradeoffs, like which packages to use for our UI or what algorithm to use for the puzzle creation.
Team Status Update for 3/15
The week before spring break, we were hard at work completing our the first draft of out final report. It was a great time to evaluate all the progress we have made and work out the kinks of our design. We ordered all of our hardware. All we have left to purchase should be the PVC. As a team, we are still working on our individual tasks. We will likely begin integrating when we all get back from spring break. Then, we will receive all of our ordered parts and begin constructing the frame.
However, due to CMU’s move to remote instruction, our final project could be changing, so our plan for the next week and beyond is in flux right now. We’ll see what we come up with and look forward to completing this project, in this form or another!
Connor’s Status Update for 3/15
The first draft of our final report is complete! The process of completing it forced us to think very critically about the small details of our project. As a result, I feel more confident about our design. In addition, it led me to take a change of course this week. Instead of building the frame, I decided to begin planning out the Animations & Display Builder. I realized that this will take more time than we think. As for the frame, that will be built the week we get back from spring break. I am still deciding whether to use Pygame or another program to create the projected images as I want to find one that will require the least computation.
Connor’s Status Update for 2/29
This week, I was mainly concerned with ordering parts. I decided we will order the PVC parts from F.W. Webb Company as we will need around 25 ft. of piping and they sold it in this size range. Mid-week we received some feedback from our design presentation. I decided to alter our frame design a bit based on that feedback. Originally, we were thinking of preventing the frame from toppling by adding weight to the front. However, it is not too difficult to add avoid tipping by lengthening the side bars. Next week, I would like to get a functioning prototype of the frame assembled.
Connor’s Status Update for 2/22
This week, I made a decision on which webcam we should use and I worked on designing the physical frame for our project. Earlier in the week, I ran some tests and it was clear that the pixel count was very important. We chose the Logitech C920 because it is a 15 megapixel camera. As for the frame, I finalized a working prototype.
The frame’s purpose is to hold the projector, the webcam, and the leap motion controller at the best height and position above the puzzle. In class, I took measurements to ensure that the projector could cover the entire puzzle and work area. Then, I decided to mock up some designs in Solidworks. The following image shows how our frame will likely end up.
The structure is entirely made out of PVC pipes. For reference the tallest vertical pipe is 4ft tall. The horizontal pipes are attached to the vertical pipe by “slip tee” joints so that we can adjust the heights of the components if need be. The smaller components will be mounted by velcro, while the projector will be screwed in. The platform on the bottom will be a fabric like Duvetyne that is able to absorb a lot of light.