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?
The most significant risk to our project is not finishing the physical setup. We faced a delay ordering our parts, so we already plan to use our setup slack. Therefore, it is of the utmost importance that we work diligently this week. We made adequate progress on our software this week, so we should be ready to test the following week. If setup takes longer than expected, we can likely complete the testing in half a week, though a full week is dedicated.
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 decided to change the cameras we were using as part of the system.
We originally planned to use 12MP cameras however decided to switch to 8MP cameras instead. We also decided to purchase a servo motor base for the PTZ system (pan tilt zoom) separately as opposed to an assembled system with the camera. These changes were suggested to us by our mentors as they resulted in a reduction in the expenditure on these parts of the system. This idea made sense since we did not have to actually need a great camera to photograph animals and needed one capable of photographing test subjects and since assembling the setup ourselves would be a more economical option too. Because of this, we get more wiggle room in our budget and space for any expenditure that may be needed during the later stages of the project.
We also discovered that our jetson nano had only one MIDI port, so we added an extra adapter to our plans. This part was ordered with the cameras and only cost $50, so we still have extra budget to spare.
