Members	Student ID	Faculty	E-mail
Marijn Borghouts	1449532	BMT	m.m.borghouts@student.tue.nl
Bert de Groot	1459597	ME	g.d.groot@student.tue.nl
Nando di Antonio	1465325	ME	n.z.d.antonio@student.tue.nl
Dorien Duyndam	1305107	EE	d.a.duyndam@student.tue.nl

Subject

Idea

The idea is to create a smart plant system that would notify the user if it needs either water or more or less sunlight. The target group is a social work space (zorgboerderij) for mentally disabled people. They can see or hear which plant needs attention and get that plant what it needs. The social workers will therefore do something useful which is very great for such people. The people monitoring this social work space will also get a great work relief because of this system because they don’t have to tell these people what to do with the plants anymore. The plant pot will probably get a nice face so that it looks like a friendly robot and it will get water sensors implemented in the soil and light sensors around the plant to monitor the amount of light the plant gets. The pot will also be able to notify when it is being moved or given water and will start saying nice things to the person moving it or giving it water.

USErs

User

The main target group for this product is people with a mental disability. The product is designed to help the users overcome some of the challenges that they face due to their disability. "Mental disability" is a very broad term and can out itself on a whole spectrum of problems, ranging from difficulty with speaking to recognising emotions. For the sake of making a more tailored product, we have decided to focus on people with Down syndrome. This decision allows us to gather more specific needs and requirements from the users (which can be found in its own section).

Our robot will notify the user by speech when a plant needs more or less water, or more or less sunlight. This way the product helps the user take care of a plant without having to do complex tasks like remembering when and how often a plant needs water or sunlight. Our robot gives simple, chopped up clear instructions so that the user knows what is being expected from him/her. After a task is completed, the robots will give confirmation in the form of positive feedback to the user. This helps assure the user that a task has been successfully completed. This way our product makes caring for plants more accessible for people with Down syndrome. which has all types of benefits (see Sources XXXX)

The secondary users are the caretakers. The product is meant to be used by people with Down syndrome but is meant to be bought and installed by the caretakers. This device helps relieve workload from the caretakers by automating a part of the managing and task distribution process in a social work environment. Therefore it is important to always be mindful of who the users of specific functions is and what their needs and capabilities are.

Society

Some say that a society is measured by how it treats its weakest members (famous misquote NOT by Ghandi {Does this need an extra source?}). We realise that our product will not solve any world crisis or drastically improve the farming capacity of social workspaces, but it helps people who need a little bit more care. Our robot allows people with Down syndrome to more easily perform work, giving them a way to spend their day and make themselves (somewhat) useful. This benefits society by allowing better participation across all layers of society and show empathy and care toward those who need it the most.

Secondly, this helps relieve some of the workload of social caregivers who are often overworked. Financing for this sector generally low {does this need a source?} and our product might save some valuable time by automating some simple repetitive tasks.

Enterprise

This product of course has to be developed and manufactured. This creates jobs and potential revenue which is all good for the economy. Products of these types do already exist (see sources XXXX) but there are mainly focused on increasing greenhouse yield. This product has a different goal and is therefore unique enough to not have to deal with fierce competition in the market, giving it a fair shot at succeeding in our opinion.

Plan

Week 1

Come up with an idea (all)

Make the planning (Bert, Nando)

Find relative papers (all)

Decide who the USErs will be (all)

Research about why it is good for the users (all)

Name	Total hours	Tasks
Marijn	10	Group formation(0.5), watched lectures(0.5), done research about the subject(3), searched for sources about the subject(4), edited the cstwiki(2)
Bert	10	Group formation(0.5), watched lectures(0.5), done research about the subject(3), searched for sources about the subject(4), edited the cstwiki(2)
Nando	10	Group formation(0.5), watched lectures(0.5), done research about the subject(3), searched for sources about the subject(4), edited the cstwiki(2)
Dorien	10	Group formation(0.5), watched lectures(0.5), done research about the subject(3), searched for sources about the subject(4), edited the cstwiki(2)

Week 2

Literature study (all)

Contact the carehouses for information (Nando, Dorien)

Improve USErs section on wiki (Marijn)

List the needs this user requires (Marijn, Dorien)

Research about possible components (Nando, Bert)

RPC list (Dorien, Marijn)

Design an electrical circuit (Bert)

Name	Total hours	Tasks
Marijn	10	Group meeting (2x2u), Improving the users/society/enterprise section (1u), Literature study into the needs of people with DS (2u), improving our schedule and gathering action points for this week(1u), redefining our goals and thinking about a way to test those (2u)
Bert	10	meetings (5.5u), research about components (2u), designing possible electrical circuit (0.5u), thinking about questions we want to ask (2u)
Nando	13	Group meeting (1x1u and 1x3.5u), Improving the approach section(0.5u), literary study into simular systems that already exist(4u), meeting with a caretaker and processing the results(4u)
Dorien	9.5	Group meetings (1+3.5h), literary study into the approach of people with DS (2h), prepare questions to healthcare institutions (2h), prepare mails and calls to healthcare institutions (1h)

Week 3

Research about the components and order them (Nando, Dorien)

Adjust the planning with the test weeks (Dorien)

Make CAD design of the 3D printed pot (Nando)

Work on the code (Bert)

Make test plan for the experiment (Marijn)

Prepare the experiment (all)

Re-adjust RPC list (Nando, Marijn)

Extend the approach section on the wiki (Dorien)

Make the BoM (Dorien)

Name	Total hours	Tasks
Marijn	10.5	Meetings (5h), writing the goals section (1.5h), writing the hypothesis section (1h), writing the experiment section (1h), writing the questionnaire (1h), writing the RPC list (1h).
Bert	11	meetings (5h), contacting care facilities (2h), research about the M5Stack (2h), research about how the programming works (2h)
Nando	9	meetings (5h), research about components and order them (2h), Working on the CAD design (2h)
Dorien	11	Meetings (5h), research about components and order them (2h), make BoM (1h), adjust planning including test week (1h), extend the approach section (2h)

Week 4

Print the pot (Nando)

Pick up the components of the system (Dorien)

Built the system, finish the first, start with the second

Start testing the code (Bert)

Name	Total hours	Tasks
Marijn	hours	tasks
Bert	hours	tasks
Nando	hours	tasks
Dorien	Hours	tasks

Week 5

Debug the code

Finish building the second system

Prepare the experiment

Name	Total hours	Tasks
Marijn	hours	tasks
Bert	hours	tasks
Nando	hours	tasks
Dorien	Hours	tasks

Week 6

Debug the code

Perfectionalize the hardware

Finalize preparations for the experiment

Finish all the wikistuff

Name	Total hours	Tasks
Marijn	hours	tasks
Bert	hours	tasks
Nando	hours	tasks
Dorien	Hours	tasks

Week 7

Test week -> monitor the experiment (one contact person per carehouse)

Orden and finalize the cstwiki (the others)

Start working on the final presentation

Name	Total hours	Tasks
Marijn	hours	tasks
Bert	hours	tasks
Nando	hours	tasks
Dorien	Hours	tasks

Week 8

Gather data from the experiments at the carehouses

Process the data to a report for the wiki

Include in final presentation

Start making the demo

Name	Total hours	Tasks
Marijn	hours	tasks
Bert	hours	tasks
Nando	hours	tasks
Dorien	Hours	tasks

Week 9

Finalize the cstwiki (all)

Finalize the final presentation / demo (all)

Name	Total hours	Tasks
Marijn	hours	tasks
Bert	hours	tasks
Nando	hours	tasks
Dorien	Hours	tasks

Approach

In order to achieve the goals and milestones, a good approach need to be made and followed. x% of the people born everyday, is born with a mental disability like Down Syndrome [source]. A lot of those people live in care homes where they are loved and taken care off by the caretakers. Though the mental disabled live in a care home because they cannot live independently, it brings great satisfaction to be as independent as possible [source], and thus we designed a tool that helps them with that.

Our system will be placed in a plant pot, in the ground of the plant and on top. It will detect whether the plant needs water or whether it needs to be placed in the sun or if it needs shade. When it detects it needs those changes, in other words when the plant needs to be taken care of, the system will ask for this.

To achieve our goals, we first need to read ourselves into the subject. Literature study is needed to understand the problem we want to make a solution for; for whom exactly we are making the system and what it needs to be capable of. Therefore a USEr analysis needs to be made. This reflects on our solution to the problem from the perspective of the user (U), how it will benefit the society (S), and how it will be realistic from and beneficial for the enterprise (E). Also an RPC (requirements, preferences, constraints) list for the system and a list of user requirements need to be made.

Parallel to that, we need to think about the technical side of our system. Research about the components needs to be done, as well as a circuit model, the software of the system and the 3D-printed plant pot. When the components are arrived, the system will be built and the software will be uploaded to make sure the system works like we imagined beforehand.

Because of the fact we are designing a solution to a problem that involved mental disables people and their caretakers, the best research, next to literature study, would be to hear it exact form the people involved. Via contacts, an appointment for an interview will be made with a caretaker for more understanding of the problem and to get feedback on more useful functions of our plant pot system, as well as to remove unnecessary parts. Also we need to test our system in the real world. Therefore, in the meantime the experiment must be prepared and executed on time.

Goals

To make a successful project that can be shown to be successful, we need to define clear measurable goals and a way to test them.

Our main goal is to add something to the daily lives of people with DS. We want to give them a way to spend their time, and give them something to care for. Interacting and caring for the plant should be a hobby, something that they enjoy doing and spending time on. This is a beautiful idealistic goal that improves the wellbeing of these people and can therefore be marketed as a healthcare product that could even be covered by healthcare insurance.

This can be measured by keeping track of how much time is spent interacting with our pot compared to a control plant that does not have our systems attached to it. Secondly, we can question the users about their overall experience with our product. We do this by asking the users to rate individual aspects of this product on a 5 point scale as an improvement over normal plants? This way we get a quantitative measure of what our system adds to the weekly routine (time and enjoyment wise).

Our second goal is to improve the independence of the users with DS and teach them how to care for something. Our product provides routine and clear simple instruction. This will help the people with DS to take care of the plants themselves without any external help from caretakers. This improves their independence which is a trait that is heavily valued by the caretakers we interviewed. When these people become more independent they require less care and gain more freedom, which improves their quality of life. Secondly, this product will develop the skill to care for something. This is a useful skill for people who need care. If you teach these people basic caring skills they can help themselves and each other better.

Testing the increase in independence and caring skills from 1 week of usages will be difficult since changes are expected to be small and these characteristics are not so simple to measure. Hence this will probably be assessed by the caretakers who will be present during the testing stage.

Our third goal is to remove some workload from the caretakers. We know that it is not always easy to work in the (health)care sector and especially with the covid-19 situation the pressure on these people is high. If our product manages to independently keep the people with DS occupied, it will mean more free time for the caretakers to spend on others work or just relax a bit so this goal ties in with the second goal.

This can be tested by comparing the time a caretaker spends on helping these people take care of normal plants VS the time spent installing and explaining our product. If our product proves to be too complicated to use, we can get feedback from the caretakers that it took too much time and energy to adapt to the new system and that it was not as independent as we had hoped.

Our fourth and least important goal is to improve the health of the plants. Having healthy plants benefit the air quality and the overall look of a space [SOURCES]. Secondly it is nice if the care institution has to less regularly buy new plants, this saves time and money (which are already scarce resources).

This can be tested by starting off with two plants of the same type and health. One will be the control plant and the other will be planted in our pot. Both will be placed in the care home. After the testing period, the health of both plants will be assed. We do realise that assessing plant health is a bit subjective and that the sample size is really low, but we have to make do with what we can do in the restricted time and budget. It is also interesting to note that a smart pot that improves plant health is also an interesting product for the agricultural sector and greenhouse industry, seeing how dutch farmers need to produce with high efficiency to compete in the market because of the high prices for ground.

Experiment

To test whether our smart pot achieves the stated goal we will perform two simultaneous tests that are one week long. For each test, we will need two similar plants that are in similar health. The plant that we have chosen for this experiment is a tulip with a bulb. This was done because 1) they are available in this spring period. 2) They are flowers so we expect them to show relatively large changes over the short testing period of one week. 3) Because they are flowers we hope that the caretakers and the clients like them. 4) The blub prolongs the life of the tulips compared to cut flowers. This way we want to prevent the tulips from dying naturally within a week. 5) Because of the bulb we can plant the tulips into the dirt. Otherwise, it would have been a smart vase, which makes the needs for a moisture sensor obsolete. 6) bulb-in-pots need a bit of water once or twice a week. So the clients actually need to water the plants within that week. 7) Tulips require sunlight but not full sun. This is a bit more interesting in terms of programming our software and using the sensors.

In the experiment, one plant will be placed in a regular pot and will serve as a control. The other plant will be placed in our smart pot. Both plants will then be placed in similar environments (with the same temperature and amount of light) but in different locations (as to not trigger care for the control plant by association with the smart plant). Then the caretakers will introduce the people with DS to the plants and the smart pot and tell them that they have to care for these plants during that week. The caretakers also mention that one plant is a magical talking plant and that it can communicate if it needs something so that the clients will not be scared or too confused.

We know that one week is a very short time span and that a sample size of N=2 is small but we have to work with what we have. After the test period, we will assess the health of both plants to see if one is in better health than the other, suggesting the smart plant influenced the wellbeing of the plant. Due to the situation with Covid-19 we are not allowed to enter the care-houses in person. And due to the mental vulnerability of the clients, their privacy, and the fact that we are strangers to them, we are not allowed to set up a webcam feed to more scientifically measure some parameters like: time spent with the plant. Therefore we will gather results by questioning the caretakers (and the clients indirectly). The results from the two parallel tests will be combined, paying attention to any possibly interesting similarities and differences. From these combined results we will be able to judge whether our product achieved the goals we set for it, and what still needs improvement.

Hypothesis

We expected that we will achieve our main goal of helping people with Down syndrome to have more ways to spend their time in a joyful manner, that is why we decided on this design. We are fairly confident we will reach this prioritized goal when the design experiences no malfunctions during the testing period. This concretely means that the caretakers will rate the “time spend” and “enjoyment” in the questionnaire higher for our smart pot than for the control plant. Our second goal is to take some workload from the caretakers. For this, we expected a negative result but that is due to an unresolvable flaw in the design of the experiment. We hypothesize that the installation process adds extra workload, and so does the becoming accustomed to using the product. We expect that the clients will need some time and guidance from the caretakers when using the smart pot for the first few times. However, we do expect the workload to drop after the product has been fully integrated. Therefore we will also ask the caretakers if they foresee a reduction in workload if the smart pot were to be used longer than a week, say a month. For this, we do expect a positive answer, at least for the client who possess the necessary intellectual capabilities to learn and remember some new skills. Our third goal is to help the client to become more independent and caring. We expect that these characteristics will be hard to measure with such a small sample size and test time. But we might be wrong. It could also be the same that some clients quickly develop a caring fondness for the talking tulip (POSSIBLE NAME?). This again will have to be rated by the caretakers. We expected to measure some degree of increased independence. An increase in independence is defined as a report by the caretaker that the clients get activated by our system to perform a task that they had forgotten in the control plant. Our final goal was to improve the health of the tulip. For this, we expect an inconclusive result. We think that there will be no significant change between the control plant and the smart pot in one week, even if the control plant gets completely forgotten. On the other hand, it could also be the case that our plant model is not ideal or if the instructions aren't followed carefully enough by the client. Which may lead to drowning the smart pot tulip whilst the control plant lives.

Questionnaire for hypothetical use

Questionnaire after prototype use

The caretakers that we are in contact with prefer a questionnaire in Dutch so that is why this section is written in Dutch. It is important to keep the questionnaire short with only the most vital questions. The caretaker are voluntary helping us by spending their time on using our product and answer our questions. Be do not want to burden them or scare them off. Secondly, we think that it would be better to have few complete and carefully answered vital questions instead of 30 questions that are answered minimally.

Beste …, Nogmaals bedankt voor uw medewerking. Afgelopen week hebben u en uw cliënten onze slimme pot getest. Hieronder bevindt zich een korte vragenlijst met 8 stellingen over jullie ervaring met de slimme pot. Het invullen zal ongeveer XX minuten duren. Wij zullen deze resultaten alleen gebruiken om te beoordelen of ons prototype heeft voldaan aan vooraf vastgestelde doelen, en wat er bij een volgende uitvoering eventueel verbetert kan worden. Enkel wij als project groepje en onze supervisors zullen de antwoorden lezen en we zijn niet geïnteresseerd in privé gegevens zoals namen. Bij elke stelling dient u één antwoord wat van toepassing is te omcirkelen. Daarnaast is er open ruimte om uw menig te geven of uw antwoordt toe te lichten. Alle feedback is welkom, ook kritische uiteraard. We hebben liever te veel dan te weinig informatie dus wees niet terughoudend.

Stelling 1) De installatie van de slimme pot was een prettige procedure.

Sterk oneens // Oneens // Neutraal // Eens // Sterk eens Open ruimte voor feedback over de installatie procedure)

Stelling 2) Mijn cliënten hebben meer tijd besteed met de slimme pot dan met de controle tulp.