Project

# Title Team Members TA Documents Sponsor
29 Smart Tripod
 Henry Thomas
Kadin Shaheen
Miguel Domingo
 Chi Zhang design_document1.pdf
final_paper1.pdf
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presentation1.pdf
proposal1.pdf
video
# Smart Tripod

Team Members:
- Henry Thomas (henryjt3)
- Kadin Shaheen (kadinas2)
- Miguel Domingo (jdomi8)

1. Problem

Traditional tripods provide stability for cameras and smartphones but lack dynamic adjustability and real-time framing assistance. When setting up a shot, users must manually adjust the tripod’s angle and position, often requiring multiple iterations to get the perfect frame. This is especially inconvenient for solo photographers, vloggers, or group shots where precise positioning is essential. Additionally, while taking personal videos, standard tripods will not adjust their camera angle to ensure you stay in frame and centered. Though motor controlled tripods do exist, they lack the extra functionality of being able to view your camera image real time, and do not offer automatic subject tracking.

2. Solution

We are creating a smart tripod system that enhances traditional tripods by integrating motorized adjustments and real-time framing assistance. This system will allow users to remotely control their phone’s position and preview the shot through an external display, making it easier to capture well-framed images and videos without manual repositioning. The smart tripod will connect wirelessly to a user’s smartphone and use stepper motors to adjust the phone’s angle and orientation. An external display will provide a live preview of the camera feed and serve as the control interface for adjusting the tripod’s position. The system will also include a tracking feature where the camera will follow a subject, adjusting the camera’s orientation ensuring that the subject stays centered on the field of view.

3. Solution Components

Subsystem 1 - Motorized Positioning System (MPS)

The MPS will utilize 2 stepper motors for zenith and azimuth orientation. The main body will be made out of a non-toxic 3d printed body, most likely PLA. It will also include a phone mount and clamp made of the same material. The MPS will have the following electronic components: Custom PCB, An ESP32 for Websocket interfacing and motor control, 2 Makerlabs DRV8825 stepper motor controller, 2 Adafruit 324 12V 350ma stepper motors, A power system (discussed below)

Subsystem 2 - Remote Display and Control Interface

The ESP32S3 controls the tripod’s motors via WebSockets over WiFi, with physical buttons for azimuth (horizontal) and zenith (vertical) adjustments. A Raspberry Pi 4, running RPiPlay, wirelessly receives the iPhone’s camera feed via AirPlay and displays it on a Waveshare 2.4-inch SPI LCD. OpenCV on the Raspberry Pi processes the video to track a subject, sending position data via GPIO through a SparkFun BSS138 Logic Level Translator to the ESP32S3, which adjusts the tripod accordingly. A switch toggles between tracking and manual modes. WebSockets over Wi-Fi enable motor control and iPhone camera actions (photo, video, zoom). The ESP32S3 provides a shared Wi-Fi network for seamless communication. The remote control interface will also contain a custom pcb and a power system, the latter of which is discussed below.

Subsystem 3 - App Interface

A custom app will use WebSockets to receive ESP32S3 commands over Wi-Fi and control iPhone camera functions via AVFoundation, including video start/stop, photo capture, and zoom.

Subsystem 4 - MPS Power System

This subsystem is intended to supply power to the stepper motors, esp32, and motor drivers. The power system will include: 1 KBT 12V, 2600mAh Li-Ion battery pack, 1 Recom R-78B3.3-1.0 3v3 buck converter

Subsystem 5 - Remote Display and Control Interface Power System

The power system of the control interface is designed to supply and maintain onboard power to the Raspberry PI, ESP32S3, and other onboard circuit. The power system will include:, 1 3v7 LiPo 2000mAh 2c battery, a 1S 3v7 2c (4 amp working) BMS, A Type-C connector for charging, A 3v3 step down voltage regulator for the ESP32 and Logic Level Translator, 1 5V step up voltage regulator for the Raspberry Pi, Logic Level Translator, and LCD display

4. Criterion For Success

- Motors must respond to inputs and tracking commands within 250ms with precise movement (±2°).
- iPhone camera actions (photo, video, zoom) must trigger within 500ms over Wi-Fi.
- iPhone screen must stream to the remote display via AirPlay with <1s latency and ≥24 FPS.
- Tracking must detect and follow the subject within 250ms after receiving video, maintaining focus on the first detected subject.
- The system must run for at least 30 minutes without overheating, maintaining stable operation.

Assistive Chessboard

Robert Kaufman, Rushi Patel, William Sun

Assistive Chessboard

Featured Project

Problem: It can be difficult for a new player to learn chess, especially if they have no one to play with. They would have to resort to online guides which can be distracting when playing with a real board. If they have no one to play with, they would again have to resort to online games which just don't have the same feel as real boards.

Proposal: We plan to create an assistive chess board. The board will have the following features:

-The board will be able to suggest a move by lighting up the square of the move-to space and square under the piece to move.

-The board will light up valid moves when a piece is picked up and flash the placed square if it is invalid.

-We will include a chess clock for timed play with stop buttons for players to signal the end of their turn.

-The player(s) will be able to select different standard time set-ups and preferences for the help displayed by the board.

Implementation Details: The board lights will be an RGB LED under each square of the board. Each chess piece will have a magnetic base which can be detected by a magnetic field sensor under each square. Each piece will have a different strength magnet inside it to ID which piece is what (ie. 6 different magnet sizes for the 6 different types of pieces). Black and white pieces will be distinguished by the polarity of the magnets. The strength and polarity will be read by the same magnetic field sensor under each square. The lights will have different colors for the different piece that it is representing as well as for different signals (ie. An invalid move will flash red).

The chess clock will consist of a 7-segment display in the form of (h:mm:ss) and there will be 2 stop buttons, one for each side, to signal when a player’s turn is over. A third button will be featured near the clock to act as a reset button. The combination of the two stop switches and reset button will be used to select the time mode for the clock. Each side of the board will also have a two toggle-able buttons or switches to control whether move help or suggested moves should be enabled on that side of the board. The state of the decision will be shown by a lit or unlit LED light near the relevant switch.

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