Description as a Tweet:

Booth Beacon is a stem where we solve the problems with the UMass dining app by using a completely different approach. we collect accurate data based on the seating and this updates in live time to give you an accurate estimate of the empty seats at the dining hall.

Inspiration:

Multiple bad experiences with the seating at the dining halls at UMass. The project can also be extended to seating problems in almost every setting

What it does:

It replaces the UMass dining app with a totally different and more accurate system.

How we built it:

We built it using a raspberry pi along with an RFID sensor and a distance sensor. The system uses an RFID sensor to sense a students card as well as a distance sensor to check if an individual is sitting in a seat. If either the RFID sensor or the distance sensor senses a person on the seat it sends a signal to the main server and this is reflected in the web application as well.

Technologies we used:

HTML/CSS
Javascript
SQL
Python
Flask
Raspberry Pi
Other Hardware

Challenges we ran into:

Code debugging
3d model issues
Soldering issues

Accomplishments we're proud of:

Completing a project like this in a short period of time

What we've learned:

First-hand knowledge of 3d printing and modelling, Raspberry pi 3b. Practice on code and other parts of the project

What's next:

Scaling up and pitching to UMass Amherst

Built with:

Raspberry pi 3b
Distance sensor
RFID sensor
3D printer
Python
Flask
docker
Linode
wires, resistors,breadboard

Prizes we're going for:

Best Web Hack
Best Venture Pitch
Best Hardware Hack
Best Beginner Software Hack
Best Beginner Hardware
Best Hardware Hack

Team Members

Alex Kramer
Manu Nicholas Jacob
Poul Holm
Ken Su
Cameron Gilrein

Booth Beacon