Over the past couple of weeks, Team EULER has been diligently working on developing the alpha prototype. This involved testing a very basic rig with the cheapest ultrasonic sensor and a mini breadboard within a 3D-printed box. This box then sat in a large, clear Tupperware container. This container was then filled with smoke using a bee smoker to test the ultrasonic sensor in the thick smoke. The container could also be emptied of smoke to do a control test without smoke. To ensure the smoke levels were similar between tests, a near-infrared spectrometer was used to get spectroscopy readings and make sure that each test was at least relatively comparable. The surfaces tested included carpet, wood, plastic, and vinyl which pretty much cover anything that would be commonly found in a residential house. Unfortunately, the sensor didn’t work as expected in either the control or the smoke-filled room. We currently believe that the ultrasonic sensor is not getting enough current to read the maximum value the sensor can output. The next steps are to start working on the beta prototype and begin to actually mount it to the body in some way.