Inspiration The main source of inspiration for this project is that most if not all of the members of the group have a problem with getting up in the morning. Also inspired by the thought of robotics and expressing a silly yet effective solution to such a problem, we created DANIEL. Not only is this solution hectic and chaotic, it is fun and an entertaining way to start the morning while making sure you wake up.
What it does
The way that DANIEL wakes you up in the morning is that it is an alarm clock that runs around and escapes you to make it difficult to turn it off. Not only does this force you to wake up and physically turn it off, it will be difficult to catch, ensuring that you’ll definitely be awake by the time you catch it.
How you built it:
We built this using two breadboards and an Arduino Uno. DANIEL required a lot of calibration to set the time to wake up, and we decided to circumnavigate the potential space constraints by creating an app with an ESP32. DANIEL also required the use of an LCD screen to display the time, a button to turn off the alarm, wheels to have the clock run around, and a very important ultrasonic sensor to ensure that the clock swiftly evades both you and any obstacles. Putting everything together required a lot of persistence, research, but also the passion to see it through.
Challenges you ran into: We experienced several challenges throughout the course of making this project. Perhaps the most significant was getting the DC Motors to be actually powered and turn the wheels. A key problem with the arduino ports is that they only output 5 volts, but the wheels require more, so it wouldn’t actually turn. 3 of our group members had left at this point when we found this error, and the only two left was a CS major and a Mech E major, so we had zero experience with electrical engineering, running extremely low on sleep, and were very confused. We solved this by experimenting and researching looking into transistors, but space was becoming an increasing issue too. As an alternative we tried relay modules to connect the two after hours of work and research and got it working. Another issue we ran into was software bugs with the Arduino IDE. Implementing the APP feature to control the time gave us problems, because we were connecting as ESP to the Arduino Uno, communicating the data that was changed on blink. We weren’t super familiar with blynk, ESPs, or Arduinos so it was a big challenge learning how to navigate all these new softwares, communicate with each other, and not have a million bugs in our code. A big challenge we ran into was the actual box that housed all the electronics. One of our group members worked hard and diligently on a 3D printed model, but it would take too long to print, so he had to learn how to laser wood and make models. This was his first time working with the software and he was using the online browser version, so it took a lot of learning and hard work to get through the problem.
Accomplishments you are proud of:
We accomplished many feats when it came to the actual alarm clock system, such as creating an app so that the alarm clock could be set from your phone to D.A.N.I.E.L. We were also able to integrate a motor system that would work based on the time the alarm is set off and when the alarm is turned off as well. These are the major components of what makes the device work, and without one of these systems the project would simply not work.
What you learned:
We learned in many different ways how the wiring of the devices can severely impact how the components function. Many different components when wired improperly can either not work or in the worst case scenario completely destroy some components in the device. This was essential in creating the device as not only did it have multiple mechanical parts but we would need to organize the components in the device so that power is evenly distributed throughout each component. We also learned how to create an app to send data from one device to another such as a phone to our alarm clock, which can be applied to future projects that require this kind of data transmission.
Next steps for the project
We have held great interest in making this project before the MakeNJIT, and when this event presented itself to us, we decided to finally create and realize the product. Throughout this process, we all developed a mutual passion for this project as the sleepy and lazy college students we are. Because of this, we plan to fully flesh out the finer details of this project over the summer, such as a more advanced obstacle avoidance system, the ability for the clock to withstand a fall from a nightstand, and the ability to give the clock custom sounds through the app. Not only will the full development of this project greatly benefit our experience in creating and design, but it will even benefit every student aside from us.
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