TEAM 18: Virtual Whiteboard
Spring 2009

MEMBERS

PROJECT CONCEPT

The Virtual Whiteboard is a device that can display text messages from cell phones anywhere in the world. The product utilizes an LCD screen that can be updated over WiFi, or USB that can display desired messages with real-time updates.

MOTIVATION

The current version of a whiteboard, where public information is displayed while you are away is just not accessible enough, nor advanced enough for people's busy life styles. With the Virtual Whiteboard, you can communicate en mass, from anywhere with just a text of your cell phone. This is the ultimate convenience for someone who needs to let other people know information, without having to divulge private contact information.

COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Hardware: Software: Protocols:

REQUIREMENTS

Functional: Timing: Reliabiliy:

ARCHITECTURE

USE CASES (INTERACTION DIAGRAMS)

SYSTEM STATES & TRANSITIONS

RISKS & MITIGATION STRATEGIES

ERROR HANDLING

  • If the WiFi connection is lost, the Virtual Whiteboard will attempt to reconnect and display the last message received
  • The LCD could interpret the wrong message to acknowledge so a confirmation will be displayed before the acknowledgement is sent
  • The RFID reader could misinterpret the tag so a confirmation will be displayed before an acknowledgement is sent
  • The picture from the webcam could not be accepted by the texting service so an email will be sent in addition to a text only text message

    IMPLEMENTATION DETAILS

    3/26/09

  • Got all of our parts late last week
  • Parser can display messages from Twitter on computer screen within 1 minute
  • Gumstix can connect to the internet
  • Can send text messages to owner's phone through the internet using txt2day.com

    TEST CASES

     Power on
    Why: We need to know that the device and all the components function correctly
    How: Power Gumstix on, check network connectivity, check LCD, check RFID reader, check IR sensor, check webcam
    Fault-free
    Power off
    Why: We need to know that all the settings were saved
    How: Halt the Gumstix normally
    Fault-free
    Wireless connectivity
    Why: We need the wireless to be working correctly to retrieve the Twitter feed and send text messages back out
    How: Use ping to check if the wireless is working, and how fast it is
    Fault-free
    Loss of connectivity
    Why: We need wireless to retrieve the Twitter feed, so we must attempt to reestablish connection if it is interrupted
    How: Unplug the WiFi antenna
    Failure-injected
    Twitter feed retrieval and parsing
    Why: We need to retrieve the Twitter feed of the owner to have plaintext messages to display on the LCD
    How: Use a script to download and parse the feed
    Fault-free
    LCD display
    Why: We need to make sure that the LCD can display text, because that is what we are using to transmit information to the user
    How: Send some message to the LCD and see if it is displayed
    Fault-free
    RFID reader
    Why: We need to make sure that the RFID reader works so the people with RFID tags can acknowledge with their RFID tags
    How: Scan various RFID tags multiple times and see if the data is consistent
    Fault-free
    IR sensor
    Why: We need to make sure that the IR sensor works so we can save energy by turning off components when no person is near
    How: Come within the specified distance and make sure that it triggers, then step outside the range and make sure it stops
    Fault-free
    Webcam
    Why: We need the webcam to be able to successfully take a picture and store it so the owner can tell who ackowledged
    How: Take several pictures with the webcam in multiple lighting conditions to make sure it works
    Fault-free

    EXPERIMENTAL EVALUATION

    To be completed.

    LESSONS LEARNED

    To be completed.

    FUN STUFF

    To be completed.

    REFERENCES

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