Level of Education of Students Involved

Undergraduate

Faculty Sponsor

Nicholas S. Rosasco

College

Other

Discipline(s)

Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Software Engineering, Electrical Engineering

ORCID Identifier(s)

Trent Miller, 0009-0004-0784-2371; Jake Wischer, 0009-0000-3243-5402; Lilu Smith, 0009-0007-4890-1034; Nathan Fox, 0009-0000-6755-8381

Presentation Type

Poster Presentation

Symposium Date

Spring 4-25-2024

Abstract

The Harre Union at Valparaiso University currently has a vintage photo booth that is run by a Windows Desktop and AutoIt. This has led to issues with reliability and maintainability. To remedy this, the university’s engineering department has requested an overhaul of the toolchain. For this overhaul, the team chose to implement a Raspberry Pi 5 programmed via Python. The Raspberry Pi 5 was chosen because it offers great performance and a simple way to program and assemble an embedded system with complex functionality - all on a 3x2 inch board. Python was used due to its integration with the Raspberry Pi's GPIO. Within the photo booth’s software, many libraries are utilized. OpenCV is used to get input from the camera and display it on the screen along with other GUI elements such as text. Everything that is shown to the user is generated using the powerful tools in the OpenCV library. The pictures stored are tied to a key that the user can enter into a form along with their email to receive their pictures. The minimization of the system has decreased the points of failure and vastly improved the performance, reliability, and maintainability relative to the previous system.

Biographical Information about Author(s)

Trent Miller is a senior mechanical engineering and computer science student with a specialty in automation and robotics. He worked for Valpo’s flagship, NSF-sponsored thermochemical research team in the summer of 2022 and was a process control intern for U.S. Steel Gary and U.S. Steel Midwest in 2023. He is currently signed with Eli Lilly as a robotics engineer.

Jake Wischer is a senior computer engineering major that focuses on embedded development and PCB design for embedded applications. He has designed a variety of PCBs for many different applications such as motor control as well as programmed microcontrollers to serve as the central logic controller for those PCBs.

Lilu Smith is a junior computer science major with success designing and developing software applications in Java and HTML. She is experienced in analyzing and solving complex problems related to database management, algorithms, and software engineering. She has successfully collaborated with peers on research projects and delivered robust, comprehensive, and innovative software solutions which result in improved efficiency and user satisfaction.

Nathan Fox is a senior computer engineering major. He has various experiences with programming and circuit design. His specialty is with control systems and autonomous programs.

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