Inspiration
The primary inspiration for InSpot came from observing the common frustration among George Mason University students who find study rooms occupied or get interrupted by others who have reserved the rooms. The lack of visible, real-time room status often leads to conflicts and inefficiency, which motivated the development of a solution that enhances transparency and improves the student experience.
What it does
Throughout this project, we learned a great deal about integrating hardware with real-time data. Working with the Arduino platform to control an LCD display and manage user inputs taught us about the nuances of microcontroller programming. Additionally, fetching and parsing data from the university's scheduling system gave us practical experience in handling API calls and data synchronization.
How we built it
InSpot was built using an Arduino microcontroller connected to a LiquidCrystal display for user interface. The system uses tactile buttons for navigation through the available buildings and rooms. By fetching real-time data from George Mason University's reservation system, InSpot displays the current status of each room (Available/Reserved) and allows students to reserve rooms directly from the device.
Challenges we ran into
One of the significant challenges was ensuring accurate and timely data synchronization between the university's scheduling system and the InSpot device. Handling network latency and ensuring the device updates quickly to reflect changes was a complex task. Additionally, designing a user-friendly interface on a limited LCD screen required careful planning and iteration to ensure clarity and ease of use.
Accomplishments that we're proud of
We're particularly proud of developing a fully functional prototype that seamlessly integrates with George Mason University's real-time room reservation system. The ability of InSpot to display live availability and facilitate on-the-spot reservations represents a significant step towards optimizing campus resources and improving the student experience. Overcoming technical challenges, especially in real-time data synchronization and user interface design on a constrained LCD display, was a substantial achievement that demonstrated our problem-solving skills and technical expertise.
What we learned
Throughout this project, we deepened our understanding of microcontroller programming, specifically working with the Arduino platform to manage inputs and outputs effectively. We learned how to design and implement a user-friendly interface on a limited LCD screen, which required iterative design and testing to ensure clarity and ease of use. Additionally, integrating with an external API to fetch real-time data introduced us to the challenges and solutions involved in network communication and data handling in embedded systems. This experience has enhanced our skills in hardware-software integration and given us valuable insights into user-centered design.
Challenge Faced
One of the significant challenges was ensuring accurate and timely data synchronization between the university's scheduling system and the InSpot device. Handling network latency and ensuring the device updates quickly to reflect changes was a complex task. Additionally, designing a user-friendly interface on a limited LCD screen required careful planning and iteration to ensure clarity and ease of use.
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