Project Skout

Truth table for Skout software
Ultra-sonic sensor
Infrared sensor
Arduino and Breadboard
Led light
Main component mounting
Sensors being mounted
Mounted snsoes
Mounted sensors

Inspiration

Ed, the host of the hackathon's, son Matthew is disabled and in a wheelchair. When we got started with the project, Ed gave us the idea of making a collision detection system because even though Matt is very skilled with steering the power chair, He still has blindspots on the chair which means he still bumps into objects around him.

What it does it do

The sensors detect when the wheelchair get close to a solid object. When the wheelchair comes within a certain distance of an object, the sensors trigger an led light on the controller of the wheelchair along with a beeping noise. Eventually we would like to add a vibrating component for the hearing and vision impaired.

How we built it

First we worked out the code on the computer using Git. Second we evaluated the sensors that we needed (two Ultrasonic, 4 Infrared), how to hook them up to the Arduino so that the led could actually work, and we made bases for the sensors so that they would be stable on the wheel chair. Then we sodered the wires of the led to the bread board. We then connected the arduino to the breadboard. We created wire "looms" by twisting 3 wires together using a drill. These wires have been used to connect the sensors to the arduino. The sensors were tested using the multi- to test the voltage, and tested the sensors and set the distance using MatLab and Simulink. We then attached to sensors to areas of the wheelchair that are blindspots, mostly at the base of the chair and one on the back. We used an truth table to tell the LED's what to do.

Challenges we ran into

Ran into some sodering issues that kept the LED from connecting to the Arduino. The time constraint was difficult. The arduino had limitations in that it couldnt measure voltage to distance.. With debugging the infareds, it debugged the ultrasonics...

Accomplishments that we're proud of

It was my (Samuel) first time doing a major sodering job, and it turned out very professional looking. Despite the time constraints, we worked well into the night to get the job done.
Dinesh was very proud of the fact that he was able to pick up sodering after not doing so in 8 years. Tom said that he was proud of his team for rocking out the sodering and harnesses in such a professional manner.

What we learned

Team work is vital in any project. Being clear and having good communication is so important to making things go smoothly. It's so clear the work and skill and focus involved in being an engineer and maker by watching Tom.

What's next for Project Skout

Eventually we would like to add a vibrating component to accommodate the vision or hearing impaired. We would also like to have the product mass marketed to wheelchair manufacturers as a standard component. We'd like to customize the sounds for each owner, maybe using a family member's voice as the audio warning.