After a great initial design, and planning, the team realised that an initial test set-up was needed. Although we had a final design in mind, a prototype testing apparatus would allow us to set-up the sensors and get the electrical and software components fully functional before the final installation. The testing set-up would just need to mimic the enviroment that would be provided by the final design.
From a mechanical perspective, this initial protype would also show the designer how the rest of the team used and interacted with all of the various sub components, from LEDs to the raspberrry PI. The prototype would show areas that need to be improved upon as well as help establish the priority in terms of sub-component importance.
The images showcase just how quick and dirty this initial prototype was. The idea around the test set-up was to enclose the IR sensor in a dark setting. This would mimic the enviroment in the final enclosure. The IR sensor could then be adjusted and stabilized rather then waiting till the final enclosure to make all the adjustments.
All the resources were bought at Home Depot. Tape was used to limit the amount of light being let into the IR sensor. From this initial set-up, the team was able to get tangible results and begin studying the data from the IR sensor application.
A similar method was used for the Camera enclosure.
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