Project

# Title Team Members TA Documents Sponsor
34 Board Buddy
 Alfredo Angel
Gabe Valles
Louie Conn
 Surya Vasanth design_document1.pdf
final_paper1.pdf
grading_sheet1.pdf
photo1.jpg
presentation1.pdf
proposal1.pdf
video
# Board Buddy

## Team Members:
- Alfredo Angel (alfredo9)
- Gabriel Valles (gvall4)
- Lewis Conn (lewisc2)

# Problem

Instructional writing boards, such as chalkboards and whiteboards, are widely used in educational and professional settings, but manually erasing these boards is time-consuming and disrupts workflow. During brainstorming sessions, lectures, or meetings, manually erasing the board can slow down productivity. Additionally, custodians spend hours cleaning boards outside of school hours, making it a labor-intensive task. Current solutions are either completely manual or require expensive, rail-based automated systems that only work on pre-sized boards.

There is a need for a cost-effective, portable, and efficient automated eraser that can remotely clean boards of various sizes and shapes with minimal human intervention.

# Solution

We propose **BoardBuddy**, an autonomous board eraser designed to clean magnetic writing boards efficiently. The device will attach securely using **neodymium magnets** and navigate using **omnidirectional wheels** controlled by an **ESP32 microcontroller**. It will feature **edge detection using microswitch lever arms** and **an accelerometer for stability**.

The system will be battery-powered with a **low dropout regulator (LDO)** for stable operation. It will include a **lightweight 3D-printed housing** for structural support and protection. Additionally, a **mobile application** will allow users to remotely activate the device, schedule cleaning sessions, and monitor its status.

# Solution Components

## Subsystem 1: Locomotion and Mounting

**Function:** Enables the device to move smoothly across the board while maintaining consistent contact for effective erasing.

**Components:**
- **Omnidirectional Wheels** – Allow unrestricted movement in any direction.
- **Neodymium Magnets** – Securely mount the device while allowing mobility.
- **DC Motors** – High-torque motors for smooth movement (e.g., **Pololu 25D Metal Gearmotor 12V**).
- **Motor Drivers** – Dual-channel motor drivers (e.g., **TB6612FNG**).

## Subsystem 2: Erasing Mechanism

**Function:** Erases the board as the device moves.

**Components:**
- **Eraser Pads** – Replaceable pads mounted on the device.
- **Spring Mechanism** – Ensures even pressure for effective cleaning.

## Subsystem 3: Navigation and Edge Detection

**Function:** Prevents the device from falling off the board by detecting edges and obstacles.

**Components:**
- **Microswitch Lever Arms** – Detect board edges and trigger direction changes.
- **ESP32 Microcontroller** – Processes sensor inputs and controls movement.
- **IMU Sensor (Optional, e.g., MPU-6050)** – Provides additional orientation data.

## Subsystem 4: Power Management

**Function:** Supplies stable power to all components.

**Components:**
- **LiPo Battery Pack** – Rechargeable power source.
- **LDO Voltage Regulator (e.g., LM7805)** – Steps down battery voltage for ESP32 and other components.

## Subsystem 5: Enclosure

**Function:** Protects components and provides a lightweight, compact structure.

**Components:**
- **3D-Printed Housing** – Custom enclosure for durability and heat dissipation.

## Subsystem 6: PCB Design

**Function:** Integrates motor control, edge detection, and power management into a single, compact PCB.

**Components:**
- **Custom PCB** with footprints for:
- **ESP32**
- **Motor Driver ICs (TB6612FNG)**
- **Voltage Regulator (LM7805)**
- **Edge detection circuitry (microswitch connectors)**
- **Standard connectors for battery, motors, and sensors**

## Subsystem 7: Application

**Function:** Provides remote control, scheduling, and monitoring features.

**Features:**
- **Remote Activation** of the eraser.
- **Scheduled Cleaning Sessions** (e.g., set to clean at night or after class).
- **Manual Control** via app.
- **Usage History/Log** for tracking.
- **Status Monitoring** (Idle, Cleaning, Error).
- **Developed using Flutter or React Native** for cross-platform compatibility.

# Criterion for Success

BoardBuddy will be considered successful if it meets the following criteria:

- **Effective Erasing:** Cleans most of residue in a single pass.
- **Secure Mounting:** Neodymium magnets must hold the device firmly on the board without slipping.
- **Edge Detection:** The device must detect board edges and avoid falling off.
- **Smooth Locomotion:** Omnidirectional wheels must provide **consistent and unrestricted movement**.
- **Reliable Power:** The battery must provide **at least 30 minutes of continuous operation**.
- **Compact Design:** The device must be lightweight and compact to minimize magnet usage.
- **Custom PCB Functionality:** The PCB must integrate motor control, edge detection, and power management without external breadboards or components.
- **Application Integration:** The app must allow for **remote control, scheduling, and monitoring**.

VoxBox Robo-Drummer

Craig Bost, Nicholas Dulin, Drake Proffitt

VoxBox Robo-Drummer

Featured Project

Our group proposes to create robot drummer which would respond to human voice "beatboxing" input, via conventional dynamic microphone, and translate the input into the corresponding drum hit performance. For example, if the human user issues a bass-kick voice sound, the robot will recognize it and strike the bass drum; and likewise for the hi-hat/snare and clap. Our design will minimally cover 3 different drum hit types (bass hit, snare hit, clap hit), and respond with minimal latency.

This would involve amplifying the analog signal (as dynamic mics drive fairly low gain signals), which would be sampled by a dsPIC33F DSP/MCU (or comparable chipset), and processed for trigger event recognition. This entails applying Short-Time Fourier Transform analysis to provide spectral content data to our event detection algorithm (i.e. recognizing the "control" signal from the human user). The MCU functionality of the dsPIC33F would be used for relaying the trigger commands to the actuator circuits controlling the robot.

The robot in question would be small; about the size of ventriloquist dummy. The "drum set" would be scaled accordingly (think pots and pans, like a child would play with). Actuators would likely be based on solenoids, as opposed to motors.

Beyond these minimal capabilities, we would add analog prefiltering of the input audio signal, and amplification of the drum hits, as bonus features if the development and implementation process goes better than expected.

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