1.13.2020 - 2:00 PM

Met with prof. Notash in office quickly to discuss meeting times, and project ideas

1.16.2020 - 12:00 PM

Large group meeting with prof. Notash, discussed expectations, grading, and project ideas.
Scheduled regular meeting time for Tuesdays at 12:30 PM.
Will make flow charts and engineering requirements for at least 3 ideas to be reviewed at the next meeting.

1.21.2020 - 12:30 PM

Reviewed several ideas, most had been done before, but the possibility of expanding the idea or different approaches when discussed for each: Smart Helmet, Pool Treatment system, Smart Sprinkler.
Ideas that had some interest were the Visual-aid Vest, and the Backpack computing system. The merging of the two ideas was discussed also. Various applications IR camera for night vision, in addition to visual aid application.
Takeaway: We like the idea of the backpack computer a lot. And believe we can design a system that has a lot of great basic functionality by incorporating HUD glasses, a headset microphone with earpiece(headphone) and then a touch navigation button. If we can build a viable system that is user friendly that can improve productivity (replace phone functionality) and offer greater computing power with great mobility.

1.28.2020 - 3:30 PM

We discussed the MC Pack idea at length, and the idea was approved at the conclusion of the meeting.

We are focusing on the basic functions of the computer with the use of the cameras, HUD glasses and finger sleeve peripherals. If we can accomplish that then other applications, features, or peripherals can be explored ( prof. Notash had idea of optical image keyboard / Kevin had an idea about a possible AR keyboard.)

Things needed to do for the next meeting: Getting everything organized for the project, finalizing design ideas (laptop analog vs built in display/ wireless keyboard)(how are we going to do it)Start Documents: Engineering Requirement, Time and Effort,  Proposed Timeline,  Proposed Budget,documentation that details who is responsible for what duties may be needed.

2.4.2020 - 11:45 AM

We discussed some product name ideas. We feel we are creating and developing a new type of device and experience, akin to the smartphone, or going back further the laptop. Therefore we aren’t overly worried about a name for the individual product. We are thinking bigger picture, and the device family name, which is more a description of the device rather than the various products and variations that this system can be adapted for. (System adaptation with unique peripherals were discussed for various professions.)
The secondary display device was also considered. Cutting edge technology like a foldable screen would be more likely a future development / innovation. Some research was done in the meeting. Cost and expected budget is beginning to be a factor going forward on what we are able to do. Cutting edge tech is expensive, and the cost effective older components don’t highlight innovation and next generation computing.
The methods we choose to accomplish the individual objectives is the main focus. The finger sleeve is still under discussion, other ideas have been mentioned that maybe be easier, reduce components, but also future looking solutions have been discussed too if we have unlimited time and resources. We like the idea of using and dismantling a laptop to get a lot of the components needed, although we won’t know exactly what is needed until we are in the process.
Communication methods were talked about for data out to glasses peripheral. Optical link was suggested by Professor Notash. Some focus was put on the ease of connection for consumer ease of use.

2.11.2020- 11:45 AM

Started meeting talking about a new solution for the navigation peripheral, and the latest idea is a key FOB looking device, and it would be the typical size so it could fit on your key ring or it can be clipped to any easy accessible place.The beetle microcontroller would fit easily and we have more than enough pins so we talked of added functionality like a volume control (+/-buttons) Other additional functionality discussed was a simple LED flashlight which is right in line with the agenda to replace the cellphone and its extra features.
The Power Blocks were discussed and the idea of building our own is the only way to get long ampere hours we will need for the system to run a full 8 hours. The weight of batteries will be an issue and needs to be explored more, and we may lose our ease of mobility if it’s too heavy.
We talked about contacting TSA to find out what they would do if they encountered a system like this. Mobility and Travel are very important to the device’s usefulness and it could be beneficial to get a TSA Approved certificate. Battery sizes could have limitations. Customs and border patrol for Cruise ships may have different guidelines than TSA.
We talked about how and why this is different and better than a laptop. That led to another interesting idea brought up by Prof Notash to make a normal laptop able to be integrated into our system. We liked this idea very much, and planned to explore it to discuss more in the next meeting.

2.18.2020- 11:45 AM

The meeting started with us discussing the latest changes/ updates to the project. It has been decided that to make the project more inclusive we are going to make the mobile computing bag interface to any laptop that is running windows OS. We think that this will solve a couple of additional things we want to accomplish, like having a secondary display to use and we no longer need to do a laptop analog. The handheld controller has also changed a little bit too, and we also talked about ways to lock-out the glasses with a fingerprint detection device.We also talked about making the headset wireless again, the advantages it would have, how difficult it might be, some security concerns.
We will not have a meeting for two weeks, and we are to move forward with the engineering requirements and writing the report. We are to make a power budget, and analyze the different power supplies we will need for the project.

3.3.2020- 11:45 AM

We started the meeting discussing some changes we wanted to make with Professor Notash. The first major change was to make the HUD completely wireless, and place another micro controller in the HUD assembly for some advanced video applications, doing this will prevent us from having to send the video from the camera to the laptop for processing and back to the HUD assembly for display. 
The next major change we discussed was to eliminate the actual lenses and glasses frame since the function of these was to serve as a mount, and just the frame was needed for the Vufine. The Vufine doesn't project onto the lenses of the glasses, the Vufine is best described as a veiwfinder you might see on point and shoot camera oran older type of video camera. Our desicion also stems from the fact that not everybody wants to wear glasses with prescriptionless lenses when they don't have to, and or having to mount the HUD on a pair of prescription glasses seems like it could be problematic. Therefore we would mount the Vufine/HUD assembly on the bluetooth headset and microphone we will be using.
We then examined the Vufine device since it was recently purchased and received. This is a great device for the 200 dollar price tag, but of all the HUD glasses option to purchase this was the entry level device. It is easy to imagine what improvements the 2000 dollar level devices are capable of, and the different methods used to either project or display images. A detailed blog post regarding the research done on the current state and option of HUD device and Virtual/Augmented reality might be in order to rationalize our decision for the Vufine device . Seeing it for the first time was a little anticlimactic for Professor Notash as he had some concerns about how small the display actually is, making reading text sized for a laptop display difficult to read, and the ease of usage of the device. Changing the resolution on the laptop did make text more readable, but like a phone or tablet larger fonts and small display friendly formatting is needed, akin to the GUI we had in mind, (swiping through application, radial menus for application selection)  He suggested we magnify the display in some way, to make it about a square inch, since as it is now it is about a square centimeter. Some discussions were had on how to enlarge the display, with optics and lenses, with software. Making our own HUD display was also discussed, we looked at OLED displays, and options on how we might make it look presentable with a small form factor.Details about the engineering requirements were discussed, and some updates need to be reflected asap, our engineering specifications need to be revamped as well. Power budget also needs to be more involved and include every aspect, and the minimum value for any ranges needed. This was a great meeting and a lot was accomplished.

3.17.2020 - 11:45am

No official meeting took place with Prof Notash, our supervisor. Although a telephone meeting was had between group memebers to discuss, recent changes and the plan of action going forward during this time period. Just a minor set-back. We will continue to report our progress with a weekly email.

3.24.2020

Due to the spread Covid-19, all in-person meetings were cancelled.