- This week I worked mostly on design. I created a document to help our team finalize our metrics. In addition, I drew up a rough sketch of the FSM for the stand’s calibration stage in preparation for writing code next week. I also did some more research on connecting to the Arduino via Bluetooth from the laptop’s side. I also finalized the block diagram, which now includes some more detailed calibration information, such as a button that the user can press to restart the stand. The rest of my time was spent working on the presentation, specifically fleshing out our testing plan (Bluetooth communication, and motor precision).
- I am currently a little behind schedule, which I plan to make up during the slack period I have scheduled for a week and a half from now.
- For now, I will continue to draw up a diagram for the hardware, and next week I intend to begin writing the code to control the motor and linear actuators.
Team Status Report 2/17
Overall Team Report:
This week, our team worked on finalizing aspects of the design. During our meetings, we discussed the materials we had already purchased, and whether or not we had anything left to get. Unfortunately, there was an issue with our 3D printed prototype design, so we will reprint it for next week. In addition, we worked together to finalize important metrics for our design, including timing, and power consumption aspects. Furthermore, we discussed some new ways to tilt the laptop, which included redesigning our stand so that it can tilt. However, we decided to hold off on this for now, and just use the linear actuator model to achieve MVP. We also worked on our slides for the Design Presentation.
Part A (by Mary Rose Rubino):
Many people who spend long periods using a laptop suffer from back and neck pain, as well as eye strain, which can cause lasting damage. To combat this issue, SmartStand will raise to the most ergonomic height for each user. In addition, once it is at this height, it will notify users of a significant change in posture, allowing the user to quickly adjust back to a more optimal position. In addition, we will track eye movement, which will ensure that users’ eyes are not strained from long periods of staring at the screen. Our app will display this information in an easy-to-read format that will help users monitor their progress over time.
Part B (by Olivia Yang):
Our project is ideated with the target demographic being students or professionals who spend much of their time using laptops and commuting. With these social groups in mind, we geared our user experience to be convenient for those who are trying to prioritize productivity by providing alerts to users when they are not focusing. Additionally, we would like this product to be helpful to such users by minimizing physical strain due to extended use of their laptop by providing adjustable height in the laptop stand as well as encouraging users to take regular breaks with reminder notifications through the user interface. We are also stressing the importance of portability and ease of use to further suit those who would need a portable device that is lightweight and convenient.
Part C (by Sebastian Garcia):
This product will be produced using conventional means (i.e. in a factory with a high amount of automation for placing components into the stand’s frame). Most of the construction of the stand can be done automatically since the finished product would use a platform jack made of metal. Then, internally there would be a PCB with a USB transceiver and motor controller). This PCB would be built mostly automatically. The motors would be off-the-shelf. In terms of distribution, this product is consumer-facing so it could be distributed using the Amazon system where users purchase the product online our team’s only job would be to supply the product to Amazon warehouses. In terms of consumption, this product would be an investment in the health of the user. It is both good in terms of being a physical device and a service in that it improves the general well-being of the consumer.
Mary Rose’s Status Report for 2/10
This week, I worked on the proposal presentation and planning our design. We held a team meeting, where we finalized the stand’s design, and which parts we plan to use. I placed the orders for the motor that will be used to raise the stand, and it will be available to be picked up on Monday. In addition, I began to research how to use the Arduino Rev4’s built-in ESP32 module for Bluetooth communication with the computer. I also refreshed my memory on using a L293D for motor control.
As of right now, we are technically ahead of schedule. However, this is because we decided to 3-D print a smaller prototype design (to test if our design is feasible). Thus, I plan on moving ahead to the next item on the schedule, which is working on the code for motor control, then testing our stand design, and lastly, breadboarding components (since by next week we should have already received the motors and Arduino), to make sure we will stay on track for printing a PCB.
By next week, I hope to have most of the code written for the motor control and to have begun testing the feasibility of our current stand design.