The Coldfather

Internal Prototype
Circuit

Inspiration

Food spoilage during transportation is a major issue that leads to waste, financial loss, and safety concerns. We wanted to create a reliable, low-cost solution that could monitor and report food storage conditions in real time, ensuring freshness and safety throughout the supply chain.

What it does

The ColdFather is a smart device that monitors temperature and humidity levels inside refrigerated trucks. It determines whether the stored food is Safe, At Risk, or Spoilt, and displays this status through an RGB LED indicator:

🟢 Green - Safe

🟡 Yellow - At Risk

🔴 Red - Spoilt

In addition to the LED display, The ColdFather also sends live data to a web dashboard, allowing real-time tracking of temperature and humidity from anywhere.

How we built it

We built The ColdFather using an UNO R4 WiFi microcontroller connected to a temperature-humidity sensor via a breadboard. The sensor data is processed on the UNO R4 to determine food status and drive the RGB LED output. Using the built-in Wi-Fi of the UNO R4, the data is transmitted to a web platform for live monitoring.

Challenges we ran into

One major challenge we faced was establishing a wireless connection between the device and the web server. Initially, we used an UNO R3, which does not support built-in Wi-Fi. After struggling with connectivity issues, we discovered that upgrading to the UNO R4 WiFi was necessary to enable seamless data transmission. Other challenges included calibrating the sensor for accurate readings, defining spoilage thresholds, and ensuring stable data updates while keeping the system cost-effective.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We successfully built a working prototype that not only detects and classifies food safety conditions but also sends real-time updates to a live website. Our system offers a simple, intuitive way for truck operators and logistics teams to monitor conditions and prevent spoilage.

What we learned

We learned how to interface sensors with microcontrollers, handle live data transmission, and integrate IoT hardware with a web platform. We also gained hands-on experience troubleshooting connectivity issues and understanding the practical differences between Arduino models.

What's next for The ColdFather

We plan to enhance The ColdFather with features like historical data logging, alert notifications, and AI-based spoilage prediction. We also aim to develop a mobile app and optimize the hardware for large-scale deployment across food logistics fleets.