This was my first week on the DREU internship and I'm enjoying it so far. Our project this summer will be to create a prototype of a home automation system to assist the elderly and those with disabilities. The goal is to eventually have create a system that allows the users to maintain independence by making it safe for them to stay in their homes. Technological advances have occurred rapidly, often leaving the older generations unable to participate. The type of home automation system we are aspiring to must be user-friendly for even the least tech-savvy consumer. For this reason, the user interface we will implement will be a natural, unintimidating way to communicate: vocal. In response to voice commands the system will perform tasks such as opening blinds, changing the temperature, etc. Because automating an entire house is too large-scale a project for our time frame, we will downsize the project to affect something much smaller such as a few lamps. We will create the system by programming an app in C# and utilizng Window's Cortana. If time allows, we hope to add an avatar to personalize the system.
This week was mostly settling in. The first day Dr.Anderson picked me up from the airport. This was our first meeting so I was curious to see her in person. She turned out to be an intelligent woman with a fun, strong personality. We grabbed Wendy's and headed to the lab to meet the rest of the research team. After introductions, Dr.Anderson gave us an introduction to research, explained our project for the year, and assigned us tasks. For this week, I would be doing many tutorials on C# and Cortana. I would also be preparing my DREU journal. After showing us the Computer Lab and discussing keys and housing, Dr.Anderson dismissed us. The rest of the week inside the lab was tutorials and installing software. Because this was the first week, a lot of time outside lab was unpacking, checking-in, and buying groceries. However we did make time to do fun stuff too. We explored the beautiful campus. We checked out bikes from the Rec Center. We also got to attend a farmer's market and some of Tuscaloosa's local restaurants. Though it's only been a week, I'm getting to know my research partners well. We're already planning fun outings to do together this summer.
Next week, to ensure that we understand how to program Cortana apps, we'll program a voice-operated calculator. Accomplishing this, we should be ready to start on the automation system.
This week was mostly settling in. The first day Dr.Anderson picked me up from the airport. This was our first meeting so I was curious to see her in person. She turned out to be an intelligent woman with a fun, strong personality. We grabbed Wendy's and headed to the lab to meet the rest of the research team. After introductions, Dr.Anderson gave us an introduction to research, explained our project for the year, and assigned us tasks. For this week, I would be doing many tutorials on C# and Cortana. I would also be preparing my DREU journal. After showing us the Computer Lab and discussing keys and housing, Dr.Anderson dismissed us. The rest of the week inside the lab was tutorials and installing software. Because this was the first week, a lot of time outside lab was unpacking, checking-in, and buying groceries. However we did make time to do fun stuff too. We explored the beautiful campus. We checked out bikes from the Rec Center. We also got to attend a farmer's market and some of Tuscaloosa's local restaurants. Though it's only been a week, I'm getting to know my research partners well. We're already planning fun outings to do together this summer.
Next week, to ensure that we understand how to program Cortana apps, we'll program a voice-operated calculator. Accomplishing this, we should be ready to start on the automation system.