R'Home

Inspiration

We wanted to make a project that could impact us in our day to day lives. This led us to make the R'Home, which smart home which does a series of tasks that we though would be useful in our everyday lives.

What it does

R'Home allows you to control various aspects of your home. This inculdes unlocking/locking your front door, control the lights, and regulate the thermostat. There are also security features such as package detection and security cameras with facial recgonition.

These features can be controlled with a website and voice commands. We also used the Google Cloud API to add Google Assistant.

How we built it

R'House consists of multiple parts, with each part controlling a specific aspect of the house/homelife. The door lock: The door lock consists of a servo motor that can turn to unlock/lock the door. This door lock can be controlled using three methods, the website, voice commands, and manually. The door lock is connected to the Arduino

Lights: We have LED's connected to the Arduino which can be controlled via the website or voice commands.

Thermometer: We have a temperature sensor which is connected to the Arduino. The current temperature is displayed on the website and can be controlled either via the website or voice commands. The temperature module can be connected to a smart thermostat to turn on the AC/heater in the house.

Google Home: Using the Raspberry Pi and Python, we used the Google Cloud API to integreate Google Assitant into the project. We connected a microphone and speaker using a HAT module in conjunction with the Pi. You can also use voice commands to control any of the components in the house.

Security Camera: We added a camera to the front of the house and used OpenCV for face recognition. The camera and display can run 24/7 so the homeowner can view the front door at any time, and if there is a person in front of it.

Package Detection: We implemented a system using a pressure sensor to detect if a package has ben delivered. The pressure sensor is connected to an Arduino, and if a package has been detected, a beeper will go off, which can be turned off using a remote and IR sensor on the device.

Website: The website can allow the homeowner to view/control their house from anywhere. The website can control the door lock, lights, thermostat, and also email you the status of your house.

Arduino/Raspberry Pi: All of these components talk to each other either wirelessly using POST requests or via an Arduino and Raspberry Pi, which uses the Serial communication protocol to talk to each other.

Challenges we ran into

We ran into a lot of challenges. We had a lot of issues getting the servo motor working and spazzing out. We also had a lot of communication issues between the website and the components. Finally, we had challenges getting the Google Assistant API running for the google home and voice commands integreation.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We're just proud we finished. We ran into so many problems that we didn't even know if we could finish this project in time. While it was stressful, we're accomplished to finish a project together! =)