Interview with the winning team of the mechatronics contest

Hojae Kim, Jinho Park, Yunho Choi, Seungwoo Han

1. Introduction to team project topics

The topic of our team project was “Electric kickboard fraud prevention system.” Specifically, two types of fraud prevention were defined:e was drunk boarding and the other was multiple passenger boarding. These two are representative examples of illegal riding that will result in punishment if you do not follow the rules when riding an electric kickboard, and they are also highly likely to cause safety accidents, so we chose this topic to prevent this.
For alcohol measurement, we implemented a system using an alcohol sensor and a pressure sensor, similar to a standard alcohol measurement device. To prevent multiple riders, we utilized an infrared sensor to distinguish between single and multiple riders based the position of their feet. In our system, self-measurement is done during alcohol measurement, and to prevent bypassing such as having someone else measure, we use FaceID as a key technology.
The product consists of a measurement unit that includes alcohol sensors, a detection unit with buzzers and infrared sensors for preventing multiple riders, and a control unit that manages these components through an integrated application. The control unit and the measurement unit communicate via Bluetooth, and providing these three components as a unified system is the core of our project.

1. Strengths of the team project topic

[Hojae] I think the strength of the project we did is that the product is easy to actually use. We believe it is effective in preventing the causes of electric scooter accidents, and it is easy to install, with a simple device that can be easily introduced to existing electric scooters. This allowed us to visually confirm the results when creating a model of the electric scooter for demonstration, contributing to positive evaluations.
[Seungwoo] The prevalence of scooters the streets was an advantage. Despite being common, there are still unresolved issues such as drunk driving or riding with others, and the fact that these problems are well-known to everyone was crucial. Additionally, being able to demonstrate the actual use of the product in real situations and its intuitive understanding by users were significant.
[Yunho] Our project, focusing electric scooters that we encounter frequently in our daily lives, is valuable in addressing safety risks associated with operating electric scooters. Moreover, the alcohol measurement device, multiple rider detection system, and mobile app developed by our team can be applied to the operational systems of many electric scooter companies, ensuring marketability and differentiation.
[Jinho] From the perspective of taking the "Mechatronics" course, a notable strength of our project is that the theme and goals are very intuitive. While all teams in Mechatronics perform exceptionally with creative topics, presentation times are often limited compared to the effort each team invests. However, our clear and straightforward theme allowed us to highlight the strengths in a short time during demonstrations and presentations, leading to good scores.

1. Challenges faced during the project

[Hojae] The most difficult thing was deciding what kind of product to make. There were many things to consider, such as price, usability, and differences from existing products, and it was not an easy process because we had to determine what parts we could actually produce, decide the product, and make a plan. I feel that the product production process becomes much easier when the team member's abilities are considered and decided well, so selecting the product and deciding how to develop it seems to be the most important step and requires a lot of thought.
[Seungwoo] Rather than the process of carrying out the project, I think the most burdensome part was that the deadline overlapped with the final exam period. This was a burden because I had to prepare for the project in advance even when I was busy. In addition, when constructing a circuit, wires are not laid out and connected in a complete form like in the actual product, so even if the contact is slightly distorted, it may not work, making it difficult to continuously correct this.
[Yunho] In class, wely covered basic circuit theory and Arduino practice, but in the project, we applied it and used a lot of techniques that we didn't learn in class. It was difficult to study additional skills in parallel with studying for class.
[Jinho] Product production-oriented practical classes such as creative engineering design and mechatronics are often limited by materials. Situations often arise where you are working at night and suddenly need a specific sensor module or run out of available jumper cables. In that case, if I was in a hurry, I would quickly go to Yongsan Electronics Market to airlift the parts, but the most difficult thing was that it took a lot of time, including spending half a day such a minor problem. In order to prevent these difficulties in advance, I think it is important to make the most of the product purchase opportunities provided in advance during the mechatronics class.

1. Lessons learned while working the project

[Hojae] I was able to learn by doing what I should keep in mind when making a product, and by composing a circuit using Arduino and composing mechanical elements to complete it into a product, I was able to learn from various perspectives when making a product. I was able to learn how to approach it.
[Seungwoo] Usually, in mechanical engineering projects, we create mechanical products, but in mechatronics projects, we also have to design the electrical circuits that will be included in the actual product, so I was able to approach the project from a different perspective.
[Yunho] I think being in charge of mobile app development gave me an opportunity to experience IoT control using Bluetooth, configuration of circuits, and implementation of control logic. We also learned that differentiating ourselves with technology that the market needs, rather than simply a technical approach, brings great value.
[Jinho] Through this project, I realized that, as an engineer, it is important to create a good product with groundbreaking technology, but it is equally important to appeal to the strengths of that product. I don't think our product stands out very much compared to all the works of other teams submitted to the mechatronics contest. However, I think it received good reviews due to the presentation and demonstration that clearly appealed to the product's strengths. Between creating a product worth 100 points and giving a 50% presentation, or creating a product worth 80 points and giving a 90% presentation, the latter is perceived as having better performance from the evaluator's point of view. This will be applied notly to these practical classes, but also to future research paper poster presentations or business projects. The mechatronics class is a class that helped me learn lessons that I could not learn in simple theory classes.

1. A word of advice to students who will be working the future projects

[Hojae] I think that if each team member identifies what they are good at and chooses to create a product that utilizes this well, they will be able to create a more complete product during the subsequent product creation process. Also, even if it is simple, if it has a clear difference from existing products, you can proceed with a project that will be well-received, so it would be a good idea to think about this carefully.
[Seungwoo] In fact, there were many groups that had more complex and well-made theoretical aspects and product composition than ours. Still, I think the reason our group was able to take first place was because of the project topic. Therefore, we recommend that you think a lot about the topic itself and decide well before starting the project.
[Yunho] The biggest key points of a mechatronics project are marketability and differentiation. Identifying unresolved problems in the existing market and conducting a project that can highlight a product that is differentiated from other products can receive positive reviews. Basically, it is a class to learn circuit theory, but various technologies such as CAD, robotics, artificial intelligence, and mobile apps can be freely applied to the project, so it is a good idea to secure a variety of technologies when forming a team.
[Jinho] I think our team distributed time very efficiently. We never worked past 10pm, and we never gathered the weekend. The reason this was possible was the systematic division of labor. By dividing the four tasks of IOS app development, measurement unit production, detection unit production, and 3D modeling among four team members, we were able to individually perform the tasks in advance and achieve a high degree of completion while minimizing gathering time while everyone was busy. . I hope that students working this project should keep in mind that the shortcut to success is to give up the desire to take charge of everything and accurately distribute tasks to team members to perform the work efficiently.

MEch-SSENGER Sangmin Lee