Inspiration
I recently just finished my sophomore year of high school, and I have hundreds of unsorted papers that are messy and unorganized. I decided to create a project to solve this problem.
What it does
SmartStacks sorts your papers chronologically. The user simply places a stack of unsorted papers onto a tray, and a machine learning algorithm reads the date that is present on the paper. Then, the robotics part of the project places the paper into its corresponding bin. Ultimately, the papers will all be sorted by month!
How we built it
To build this, I used python to develop the machine learning section of the program. I used multi-layer convolutional neural networks to create an algorithm that was able to read numbers based on someone's handwriting with 95% accuracy. A camera would input numbers from the paper into this program, allowing the program to know the date. Then, the hardware was created with Arduino, and where a servo motor would turn into the direction of the corresponding month. Lastly, the step motor, which has a wheel attached to it, will turn, to allow the paper to fall into its bin that it belongs in.
Challenges we ran into
This was extremely difficult for me to build, as this was not only my first time using a machine learning algorithm in a hackathon, but it was also my first engineering project. I definitely underestimated the difficulty of engineering, and I had no idea that it took such precision to make the creation both clean-looking and working. My inexperience with these technologies created some frustration at times, but ultimately it was really rewarding to finish the project and create sorted papers!
Accomplishments that we're proud of
Overall, I am proud of combining my passions for robotics and machine learning into one project, and making something that tackles a problem in my life. I am also super excited that I was able to try something new, since I usually create projects with software only.
What we learned
I learned so so so so much in creating this project. This was my first EVER engineering project, and I definitely underestimated the precision necessary to make the project look good, and work consistently. I constantly had to be resourceful with the things I had at home, for example I created a wheel out of an old hand sanitizer cap. Overall, I learned a lot about arduinos, circuits, and engineering, while also improving my machine learning skills.
What's next for SmartStacks
In the future, I hope to let this project work on bigger paper, like 8x10 printer paper. The date sorter is also currently by month, and it would be cool to come up with a way to sort the papers by day or something more specific.
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