Individual Progress Report

Description

The Individual Progress Report (IPR) is a chance to put your contributions to the team's progress in writing. The report will discuss not only the components and subsystems you have personally been responsible for, but what components you have helped work on as well. It is important to talk about the relation between your work and your teammates' work as well.

Requirements and Grading

This report should be 5-12 pages of your own work. This means that you cannot take paragraphs/text from your Design Review document, since that was a collaborative effort. The IPR Grading Rubric describes what we look for in grading this assignment. The requirements are expanded on below:

  1. General: Concise writing is encouraged, but it is important that all pertinent information is conveyed. All figures should be labeled and formatted consistently.
  2. Formatting: Please refer to the Final Report Guidelines for general writing guidelines, since the format of this report should be very similar to that of the final report. Note that each component of the Final Report may be tailored to the parts of the project the individual has been active in.
  3. Introduction: First, discuss what portion of the system you have been active in designing connects to which portion of a different subsystem, and how these interact to complete an overall objective. Then discuss what you have accomplished, what you are currently working on, and what you still have left to do.
  4. Design: Discuss the design work you have done so far. It is expected that you have done calculations and/or found relevant equations, created circuits for your parts of the project, and simulated / drawn schematics for your parts. You may have already, at a high level, discussed how your part fits into the rest of the project, but you should expand on the technical details and interface between your module(s) and the other modules of the project.
  5. Verification: Testing and verification is also very important. Make sure you describe each test that was performed and its procedure in detail, and give quantitative, meaningful results. Also describe tests that have yet to be performed. We should be convinced that if all your tests will pass, your part of the project will work.
  6. Conclusion: Discuss a plan and timeline for completing your responsibilities and your project as a whole. Also explain the ethical considerations of your project by consulting the IEEE Code of Ethics, ACM Code of Ethics, or another relevant Code of Ethics.
  7. Citations: You need citations. Cite sources for equations, Application Notes you referenced in your design, and any literature you used to help design or verify your work. If you checked something from another course's lecture slides, Google'd for things related to your project, or anything similar, then you have something you need to cite. At the very least, since you have talked about the ethical considerations of your project as it relates to a published code of ethics (e.g., IEEE or ACM), you should cite those!

Submission and Deadlines

The IPR should be submitted on canvas in PDF format by the deadline listed on the Course Calendar.

Electronic Mouse (Cat Toy)

Jack Casey, Chuangy Zhang, Yingyu Zhang

Electronic Mouse (Cat Toy)

Featured Project

# Electronic Mouse (Cat Toy)

# Team Members:

- Yingyu Zhang (yzhan290)

- Chuangy Zhang (czhan30)

- Jack (John) Casey (jpcasey2)

# Problem Components:

Keeping up with the high energy drive of some cats can often be overwhelming for owners who often choose these pets because of their low maintenance compared to other animals. There is an increasing number of cats being used for service and emotional support animals, and with this, there is a need for an interactive cat toy with greater accessibility.

1. Get cats the enrichment they need

1. Get cats to chase the “mouse” around

1. Get cats fascinated by the “mouse”

1. Keep cats busy

1. Fulfill the need for cats’ hunting behaviors

1. Interactive fun between the cat and cat owner

1. Solve the shortcomings of electronic-remote-control-mouses that are out in the market

## Comparison with existing products

- Hexbug Mouse Robotic Cat Toy: Battery endurance is very low; For hard floors only

- GiGwi Interactive Cat Toy Mouse: Does not work on the carpet; Not sensitive to cat touch; Battery endurance is very low; Can't control remotely

# Solution

A remote-controlled cat toy is a solution that allows more cat owners to get interactive playtime with their pets. With our design, there will be no need to get low to the ground to adjust it often as it will go over most floor surfaces and in any direction with help from a strong motor and servos that won’t break from wall or cat impact. To prevent damage to household objects it will have IR sensors and accelerometers for use in self-driving modes. The toy will be run and powered by a Bluetooth microcontroller and a strong rechargeable battery to ensure playtime for hours.

## Subsystem 1 - Infrared(IR) Sensors & Accelerometer sensor

- IR sensors work with radar technology and they both emit and receive Infrared radiation. This kind of sensor has been used widely to detect nearby objects. We will use the IR sensors to detect if the mouse is surrounded by any obstacles.

- An accelerometer sensor measures the acceleration of any object in its rest frame. This kind of sensor has been used widely to capture the intensity of physical activities. We will use this sensor to detect if cats are playing with the mouse.

## Subsystem 2 - Microcontroller(ESP32)

- ESP32 is a dual-core microcontroller with integrated Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. This MCU has 520 KB of SRAM, 34 programmable GPIOs, 802.11 Wi-Fi, Bluetooth v4.2, and much more. This powerful microcontroller enables us to develop more powerful software and hardware and provides a lot of flexibility compared to ATMegaxxx.

Components(TBD):

- Product: [https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/espressif-systems/ESP32-WROOM-32/8544298](url)

- Datasheet: [http://esp32.net](url)

## Subsystem 3 - App

- We will develop an App that can remotely control the mouse.

1. Control the mouse to either move forward, backward, left, or right.

1. Turn on / off / flashing the LED eyes of the mouse

1. keep the cat owner informed about the battery level of the mouse

1. Change “modes”: (a). keep running randomly without stopping; (b). the cat activates the mouse; (c). runs in cycles(runs, stops, runs, stops…) intermittently (mouse hesitates to get cat’s curiosity up); (d). Turn OFF (completely)

## Subsystem 4 - Motors and Servo

- To enable maneuverability in all directions, we are planning to use 1 servo and 2 motors to drive the robotic mouse. The servo is used to control the direction of the mouse. Wheels will be directly mounted onto motors via hubs.

Components(TBD):

- Metal Gear Motors: [https://www.adafruit.com/product/3802](url)

- L9110H H-Bridge Motor Driver: [https://www.adafruit.com/product/4489](url)

## Subsystem 5 - Power Management

- We are planning to use a high capacity (5 Ah - 10 Ah), 3.7 volts lithium polymer battery to enable the long-last usage of the robotic mouse. Also, we are using the USB lithium polymer ion charging circuit to charge the battery.

Components(TBD):

- Lithium Polymer Ion Battery: [https://www.adafruit.com/product/5035](url)

- USB Lithium Polymer Ion Charger: [https://www.adafruit.com/product/259](url)

# Criterion for Success

1. Can go on tile, wood, AND carpet and alternate

1. Has a charge that lasts more than 10 min

1. Is maneuverable in all directions(not just forward and backward)

1. Can be controlled via remote (App)

1. Has a “cat-attractor”(feathers, string, ribbon, inner catnip, etc.) either attached to it or drags it behind (attractive appearance for cats)

1. Retains signal for at least 15 ft away

1. Eyes flash

1. Goes dormant when caught/touched by the cats (or when it bumps into something), reactivates (and changes direction) after a certain amount of time

1. all the “modes” worked as intended

Project Videos