ThermoGuard

Inspiration

People work with machines everyday and this device gives them a clear way to detect whether a machine is too hot for them to touch so that they don't harm themselves on accident.

What it does

When a person comes within the range of an ultrasonic temperature, LEDs change color to remind them to wait before touching the machine and a temperature sensor is activated. If the temperature is above safe operating levels, a buzzer sounds and alerts the person to back away and not touch the machine. This helps prevent accidents with hot machines, especially where tired workers are concerned.

How we built it

First, we connected the ultrasonic sensor over the servo motor, that moves between 15 degrees and 165 degrees within which we can detect an object up to 40 cm. Then, we used an LED light strip to tell when the sensor was detecting something within that range; if nothing is there, the LEDs are green, if something comes into range, the LEDs turn red to alert the person that they are entering the zone of the sensor. Once a person is within the zone, a temperature sensor activates. If the temperature detected is within acceptable operating ranges, nothing happens. If the temperature detected is above acceptable operating ranges, a buzzer sounds and alerts the person to back away, as the temperature is too high and touching the machine could cause injury.

Challenges we ran into

We programmed the four parts (the servo with the ultrasonic sensor, the LED strip, the temperature sensor, and the buzzer) separately. Then we tried to combine them, but it took a lot of time.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Regardless of whether we successfully are able to combine the four different functions together, we did manage to make all of the individual parts work on their own. As it's the first Hackathon for all of us, we are calling that a win.

What we learned

Due to a diverse level of experience in all the members of the team, there were different types of learning throughout the 24-hour experience. However, since every member of the team was having a first time Hackathon, there was much to learn about the tenacity and the teamwork that was vital to the team's success in the limited time allotted.

What's next for Heat alarm for machinery

We can improve it by using stronger temperature sensors, and better integrated parts, and more fluid code which works in combination with the hardware.

Built With

• arduino-uno
• buzzer
• neonpixel-led-strip
• processing
• servo
• temperature-sensor
• ultrasonic-sensor