Interactive Coaster

Team members:

• Katarína Bielčiková
• Martin Pažický
• Roman Berešik

Motivation:

Coaster is a tool we use daily. It helps to keep the surfaces of furniture clean without any stains or scratches caused by glasses or cups. Coasters are usually inconspicuous and one does not really care about their design. That is not the case for this project. We decided to make the exact opposite - a coaster that glows and plays sound when a glass is put on the top, a coaster that attracts lots of attention. Since we are huge fans of the Star Wars films, we decided to design the coaster as the iconic Death Star. Although such coaster does not ease your life more than a normal one, it can make you smile and brighten your day a bit :)

Solution:

The solution to create an interactive coaster consisted of four main steps:

1. Connecting the hardware
2. Modeling the Death Star
3. 3D Printing the Death Star
4. Adjustments on the printed model

Hardware Connection:

First thing we needed was was to acquire and connect the hardware that facilitates the light glowing and sound playing. To make such hardware set functional, we required the following components:

• Arduino UNO
• MP3 player
• Speaker
• M/M cables
• Resistors
• Button
• MicroSD cart
• LED strip

After gathering all the necessary components we designed a scheme describing the way of connecting these components:

When all the hardware was connected according to the scheme, we measured it to find out what the size and scale of our Death Star model should be:

Death Star Modeling:

Since we wanted to 3D print the death star, we first needed to model it in a software. We deided to choose Blender. Our model consisted of 3 parts - top of the star, bottom of the star and a connecting layer.

Top:

Bottom:

Middle:

All together in blender:

Death Star 3D printing:

We saved the model to .stl format. Then we used the Prusaslicer software for parsing the model to 3D printer instructions. We also needed to adjust the 3D printing settings to the following:

Prusaslicer parsed the model to .gcode file and it was ready for the 3D printer. 

All the parts were printed successfully:

Adjustments on the printed model:

Finally, after printing the model we needed to put the hardware inside and we also had to make some adjustments. We created small holes with the use of drill to make the sound coming out of the speaker louder. We also used the drill to make place on for the button that turns on the lights and sound on the top part. Cap of the top part was also replaced with different - transparent material, so the lights could be more visible. 

Color Recognition Tool

Our Journey to improve the world: Who are we and what is our story?

Meet the dynamic team behind the revolutionary new solution for color recognition for color-blind people.

First, we have Martin Schön, our Enterprise Architect master. Collecting information is his passion, and he's been doing it since a very young age. At just 12 years old, he won the Queen of Library in Modra award for the most borrowed books in one year. He was challenging social norms way before it was cool!

Next, we have Adam Žák, the developer of our application. He may not be the best at writing dictations, He never got a better grade than C in school dictation in Slovak, but you can be sure that he writes A-quality code with love, skill, and a little help from StackOverflow.

Finally, we have Peter Smreček, the designer of the 3D-printed phone holder and passionate capybara fan. Peter's interest in 3D printing began in 2021 when he wanted to print a capybara cookie cutter. Since then, he's developed his skills further and is now able to print Pokemon planters too!

Together, we have created a solution for color recognition in the form of a simple phone application that is able to help color-blind people perform everyday tasks. We are passionate about making the world a better place and are excited to see the impact of our solution on those in need.

Our Purpose: Why we do what we do?

Our goal is to develop innovative solutions for individuals with visual impairments. We aim to design a solution that helps those with visual impairments recognize colors in their surroundings, making their everyday lives more manageable.

Visual impairment, including color vision deficiency and color blindness, affects a significant portion of the population. According to a report by the World Health Organization, there are currently 284 million people in the world who are visually impaired, and 39 million people are blind. We are committed to addressing this issue by providing a tool that can improve the quality of life for these individuals.

Our team is deeply passionate about the field of computer vision. As a field of artificial intelligence, computer vision is becoming increasingly integrated into our everyday lives. By training computers to interpret and understand the visual world, we can use digital images and deep learning models to accurately identify and classify objects, and then react to what they “see.” Once computers are able to "see" and interpret visual information, it opens up an entirely new realm of research and possibilities. By using advanced algorithms and machine learning techniques, computers can process and analyze visual data with incredible accuracy and efficiency.

We are dedicated to making a positive impact on the lives of individuals with visual impairments through the use of cutting-edge technology. Join us on our mission to improve the world, one color at a time.

Our Solution: From Image to Color Name

Our solution is a combination of a powerful backend written in Python Flask and a user-friendly mobile application developed in the Qt framework. The backend is responsible for analyzing images and identifying the dominant color, converting it to hexadecimal, and finding the closest named color using KDTree. The resulting color is returned in both English and Slovak, making it accessible to a wider range of users.

The mobile application, built on the Qt framework, offers a user-friendly interface that makes it easy for users to take a photo and receive the color information in real time. The Qt framework is a multiplatform framework, this means that the application can be built to run on multiple operating systems such as Windows, Linux, and MacOS. It also makes it easy to deploy the application on different mobile platforms such as iOS and Android. 

The use of a cross-platform framework like Qt in our mobile application development is essential because it allows us to reach a wider audience. Developing an application that can run on multiple platforms, such as iOS and Android, increases the accessibility and availability of our solution to a diverse group of users. With the help of this framework, we can also reduce development time and costs as we can target different platforms with a single codebase. Furthermore, it also allows for easy integration with other. This is a crucial aspect of our solution as it ensures that it is widely accessible and beneficial to as many individuals with visual impairments as possible.

Together, our backend and mobile application form a complete solution for color recognition that is both easy to use and accessible. We are confident that it will have a positive impact on the lives of individuals with visual impairments, and we are excited to see it being used in the real world.

Our Custom 3D Printed Phone Stand: The Perfect Solution for Organization and Style

Introducing our custom 3D printed phone stand. Designed with a built-in cord gap, this stand keeps your phone upright and easily accessible. The stand itself is customizable to fit any phone size. Made with precision and attention to detail, this phone stand is not only functional but also stylish. It's perfect for desks, nightstands, and other places where you need to keep your phone handy.

• Designed with a built-in cord gap for charging convenience
• Keeps your phone upright and easily accessible
• Customizable model to fit any phone size and cord length
• Perfect for desks, nightstands, and more
• 3D printing technology ensures precision and attention to detail
• Say goodbye to cluttered surfaces and tangled cords
• Add a touch of style and organization to your space with this unique phone stand

Our Contribution to Society: Innovating for Inclusion

In conclusion, we have developed a unique solution to help individuals with visual impairments recognize colors in their surroundings. Our solution comprises of a powerful backend written in Python Flask, a user-friendly mobile application developed in the Qt framework, and a custom 3D-printed phone stand. The backend is responsible for analyzing images and identifying the dominant color, converting it to hexadecimal, and finding the closest named color using KDTree. The mobile application is built on the Qt framework that is cross-platform, making it easy to run on multiple operating systems such as Windows, Linux, and MacOS, and also deployable on different mobile platforms such as iOS and Android. The 3D-printed phone stand is designed with a built-in cord gap that keeps the phone upright, and easily accessible. Its model is customizable to fit any phone size and cord length. We believe that our solution will have a positive impact on the lives of individuals with visual impairments, and we will continue to develop and improve it in the future.