WIN1201-25 Accessibility Smart Room


 

Pranjli Sareen:

Team Leader

  • A prospective graduate of the WIN program from Fleming College, with a major in Physics and Computer Science from Panjab University.
  • Proficient in electronic design and multiple programming languages (JAVA, SQL, C\C++, HTML, CSS, PYTHON, Linux). Major contributions in the coding aspect as well as the cane and webpage design.
  • Also was responsible for most of the documentation and milestone reviews each sprint.
  • Wants to finish doctorate in computational physics.

Mohd Sami Choudhary:

Hardware Manager 

  • Currently pursuing post graduate diploma in WIN, with a Bachelor of Technology in Electrical and Electronics Engineering.
  • Was responsible for Hardware Procurement, Hardware Design, and the installation of components.
  • Wants to learn networking hands-on as a site technician

Preet Kanwar Singh Kalra:

Communications Manager

  •  With a Bachelor’s in Computer Applications, is currently a graduating student of WIN.
  • Knowledgeable in coding (JAVA, C/C++, Linux, HTML) and was responsible for testing as well as managing the day to day communication.
  • Wants to pursue cyber security further and get his certification.

Karandeep Singh:

Documentation Manager

  • Currently a student of WIN, was responsible for keeping error logs and working on the cane design.
  • Aspiring cyber security professional

Team Name:

Team Professionals

Team Members Names:

Pranjli Sareen, Mohd Sami Choudhary, Preet Kanwar Singh Kalra, Karandeep Singh

Program of Study:

Wireless Information Networking

Mentor Name:


Project Name:

Accessibility Smart Room

Sponsor Name:

George Seto



Sponsor Organisation:

Sir Sandford Fleming College


Brief Description Of Project:

Introduction

This Project is an initiative by Fleming College to make the campus easier to navigate for the visually impaired. The project consists of a Smart Cane that describes each room to the user as they approach it. It runs on battery that makes extensive use easy and hassle-free. It works at a range of 6′ so the user know where they are at any given time. It also warns them of obstacles and the beeping frequency tells them how close they are to it.

 

Technology

The cane runs on Radio technology particularly in the 433 MHz band which delivers clear signals and is great for a corridor with multiple cell devices running simultaneously. Each room is fitted with a transmitter that lets the receiver in the cane know that it is close. This allows the receiver and transmitter to pair and once the user presses the button, the audio can begin. This ensures uninterrupted playback and no confusion for the end user in case they approach another room while the previous audio is playing.

Summary

The cane is a step towards Fleming College’s extensive accessibility goals and will be helpful for people with visual impairment to be able to better navigate the campus without the need for a chaperone at all times.

Project Objective:

Objectives:

  • The sponsor wanted a cane that was able to communicate each location to the user with the help of audio medium in terms of exits, surroundings and current floor.
  • Sponsor also wanted a webpage that houses all this information for people with hearing impairment. The same can be found at https://smart-access.appliedproject-fleming.ca/

Outcomes:

  • We were able to design an aesthetically pleasing cane up to the sponsor’s expectations
  • We also designed and uploaded a webpage dedicated to the project that also links to Fleming’s Accessibility page so that they can be merged in the future.

Project Innovation:

  • Originally our ideas consisted of using BLE technology for the project but due to the state of export of MICAZ receivers at the height of the pandemic we made the decision to use RF technology instead.
  • Due to limitations in finding out ranges within a home setting we used ultrasonic sensors to find distances which we in the later stages used to also judge obstacles as a fringe benefit.
  • We also used decoders used in doorbells in the code in order to pair transmitters with the receiver one at a time to avoid interruptions.

Challenges & Solutions:

  • The biggest challenge in this project was obviously hindered access to the corridor that we were supposed to be mapping. We overcame this by using our own houses in various settings during the testing phase, with electronics and other equipment running. We also tested by taking our equipment out in the winter to see how the range would hold up in a colder environment.
  • We are also very thankful to Mr. Philip Chee who graciously took the pictures of each room for us when we could not access the corridor physically ourselves.
  • Additionally hardware burnout is another conspicuous drawback of a project of this nature. The only way we could have solved that was ordering additional hardware, which again was possible by remaining under budget – another factor that made RF win over BLE.

Project Results or Progress:

We were able to:

  1. Create the cane Prototype
  2. Make it aesthetically pleasing
  3. Make it user friendly
  4. Create a webpage that incorporates all this information
  5. Created 4 transmitters to go with each room that we discussed with the sponsor

We are also happy to report that all this was achieved within the given timeline. We were able to follow our proposed timeline completely without having to be frugal with any aspect of the project.


Lessons Learned:

During this one year journey we have gained a lot of experience not only in our technical knowledge but also in the management aspect of a project. This is not to disregard any complications that arose, but we can proudly say that we dealt with every hardship on a team level and tried to resolve differences amicably.

The management aspect was the hardest because as technically inclined people we tend to make light of paperwork and documentation but this Applied Project made us appreciate how vital it is to document the process and work with a plan and time management and we are all better individuals because of it.


Short Video:

Note: The cane has since been revised to house the power bank completely inside, using a smaller, cylindrical device which makes the cane even more aesthetically pleasing and enables one hand usage.