What We Achieved

We were able to achieve a fully functioning water control system based on our original specifications. Our food dispensing system achieved adaptive control for the amount of food dispensed based on the current weight of food in the bowl at the time of the feeding. We were not able to implement the level of adaptive food control we initially specified. In other words, the level of precision our system demonstrates in regards to nutritional control does not compare to the precision of our originally proposed design.

Applicable Standards

As far as applicable standards are concerned, although visibly functional to a point of operation, the parts themselves inherently do not meet the standard of food or health grade use. If we were to develop this product for commercial use, we would have to find alternate parts made of material that meets food and health grade standards.

Our system does not properly conceal electrical components which could potentially be dangerous if handled improperly. This is especially relevant when water is as close to active electrical components as it is in our build.

Intellectual Property Concerns

We reused code which was provided to us previously during ECE414 lab assignments. This includes the header and source files for tft_gfx, tft_master, pt_cornell_1_2, and TouchScreen. We also used the control circuit for the solenoid valve which was sourced from the 2016 ECE414 final project of the Automated Watering System by Adam Ness and Christer Hoeflinger. We did not reverse-engineer a previous design, sign a non-disclosure for sample parts, and there would not be patent opportunities for this project.

Legal Considerations

To the best of our knowledge we are not infringing on any laws regulations, or patents concerning our design.