In class we got an introduction into the Smart Systems course and got presented some of the projects that got created the last years.

After that, we created created groups for our projects, our group consists of

• Fabian Wirth
• Jasper Voesten
• Johannes Fuchs
• Rick Verhoeven

We started thinking about different projects that we may could realise:

• Segway
  • Components are there
  • Only designing and balancing
  • Maybe doing tasks like following a line via sensor, serve a drink, following a path to a table which you declared before…
• Drawing machine
  • Converting image to black lines only and then draw it.
  • With motors moving a pen “2D” – going up and down with the pencil that you don’t always draw
  • Idea: Switching colors
  • Advanced idea: Not drawing but cutting out
• Connect 4
  • Game with two players, one is the computer.
  • Computer is putting up the coin and place it in the right row.
  • Computer always wins or several difficulties like easy, middle and advance.
  • Maybe switching sizes of game field: 6×6 or 8×8
  • Maybe pick the coins up from the ground/stack. Or just have it already on top of the game and it moves only to the row and drop one coin into the game table.
  • How to release all the coins if game is finished?
  • Display component for visualizing stats and events and start, stop and reset buttons.
  • Camera or some special sensors to detect where the coins were dropped into the game table.
• Shooting robot
  • Robot can move, maybe with weels or also with chains.
  • Robot can aim up and down, left and right.
  • Robot can load ammunition out of an ammunition storage etc.
  • Robot can shoot it.
  • Maybe also with a laserpointer that you can aim better at the aims.

We discussed all our ideas, the difficulty how to implement it hardware-wise and wiring and also how to code it. In the end, we decided to do the Connect 4 game.

After a short break with lunch and coffee, we started to made a list with requirements and “how to do” for our game:

General

• Game table is 7 columns wide and 6 rows high
• Coin size 2cm diameter, and 0.5cm thick
• Width of the game table: 20cm
• Hight of the game table: about 15cm
• Hight from the ground to game table: about 4 cm

Detecting the coins of the player

• Sensors on top
• Maybe capacitive sensor or light, photoelectric barrier

Removing all of the coins

• Slider that only moves a few centimetres away. Just like a grid
• Because of that the game table must be at least 3 or 4 centimetres higher that the coins fall down / out properly
• Maybe with a slope that all coins come forward

Placing the coins

• Player
  • He just throws it in like in a real Connect 4 game
• Machine
  • From a dispenser with a funnel, releasing one coin with a flap that opens (motor controlled)
  • The dispenser moves only left and right maybe with a parking position

User Interface

• Display
  • show the information who’s turn it is (player or machine)
  • show the winner
  • show status-messages
• Buttons
  • New Game
  • Reset Game
• Switch
  • Turn on and off

Hardware

• Board
  • Does the Arduino have enough power for the calculations? Otherwise choose a Raspberry Pi
• Powersupply
  • Battery Pack or external power adapter
• Necessary electrical Hardware
  • Display
  • Buttons
  • Motors
  • Switch
  • Sensors
  • Wires
  • Battery
  • LEDs
  • Microcontroller / Board
• Necessary Materials
  • Wood
  • Plexiglas
  • 3D-Filament
  • Aluminium profile
  • Screws
  • Nuts
  • Bolts
  • Spindle
  • Glue
  • Tape

Now the class was over. We agreed that everybody looks up some things till the next week where he already has knowledge. That means Fabian and Johannes should research on how to to the coding stuff and the hardware detection of the coins. Jasper and Rick should start to design the game table and maybe also the coin slide using the CAD software SolidWorks.