Project Description

The CyberFridge project is to use Internet connectivity, vision and mechanical systems to create an intelligent and productive refrigerator. Many of our daily tasks revolve around the refrigerator, and a CyberFridge would allow the automation of many of these routine tasks.  Our project is a specific subset of this area which will allow you to use a recipe system to determine what recipe you would like to fix, and let you know if the items to make it reside in your kitchen. Specifically known as C.A.R.A. ( Clifford Automated Recipe Agent) the recipe agent will primarily serve the purpose of electronically making a shopping list and telling to its user the items which are lacking for a certain recipe and those items which currently reside in the fridge. CARA will therefore cross index the current inventory of the fridge and a recipe database in order to suggest what meals to make and what ingredients are to be bought( i.e. our grocery list). The recipe database will essentially have recipes of specific types of dishes (ex. Chinese, Italian,  etc.) which the family living in the home would like to eat. The database will also record the more popular dishes selected previously, which are determined by the number of times a certain dish is  requested in relation to other dishes. Our database can also be updated to add new recipes at the user's discretion.

Function Requirements Completed

     1)  Food Inventory

a)  The CyberFridge gives the user a list of all food items currently in its inventory.  CARA orders this list according  to criteria set by the user.  These criteria include food categories, alphabetical list, and the time remaining before  the items should be removed from the inventory.

b)  CARA returns information about any item requested by the  user.  This information includes whether the time is currently on hand, the quantity remaining, and the time remaining before  the item should be removed from the inventory.

a)  CARA allows the user to perform the completed recipe database actions finished above using the Internet-accessible interface. This interface allows the user to access the capabilities of the CyberFridge through the World Wide Web.

Function Requirements Not Completed

The recipe database was not completed as planned.  The actual database was implemented in FoxPro; however due to time constraints the Java interface was not finished.  This function would have allowed the following:

• Viewing recipes by categories defined by the user.
• Create or modify categories of food inventory.
• Add new recipes to the database.
• Modify or delete recipes.

The recipe search was to be implemented in FoxPro.  This also was not completed.  If there had been a little more time, then some search code could have been completed. This function would have allowed the following:

• Give a list of recipes prepared by the user.
• List items needed to prepare a recipe.
• Track recipes frequently prepared by user.
• Suggest recipes according to criteria set by the user.

 Long Range Project Direction

•  Finish linking the recipe database with the user interface.
• Add more functionality ( requirements not completed )
• Modify the GUI by both adding better cosmetics and making it portable.

• Gain access to a professional database of recipes to add initial recipes of system and provide greater variety.
• Integrate with an actual "cyberfridge" i.e. created by the Domicillica project.
• Be a part of a "smart" suite of tools that allow for automation of all types of kitchen and household appliances.
• Perhaps be accessible via a hand held system to allow for more functionality.

 Software Engineering Issues

We tried severals things to bring about good communication. We setup a list server which helped a great deal in email communication, but considering this is the first major project for many of the team members in CARA, communication was a major problem  for our team.  Miscommunication lead to uncompleted function requirements.

At the beginning of the quarter, our group assumed we could complete too much.  As a result, we had problems completing the requirements.  Time simply ran out.

At the beginning of the quarter, the manager did not know how to schedule time for the different tasks.  As a result, many tasks were not completed on time.  This lead to falling behind on the project as a whole.