{"id":1319,"date":"2020-09-23T05:04:09","date_gmt":"2020-09-23T09:04:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.ideate.cmu.edu\/48-339\/f2020\/?p=1319"},"modified":"2020-11-06T05:55:25","modified_gmt":"2020-11-06T10:55:25","slug":"privacy-for-cats","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/courses.ideate.cmu.edu\/48-339\/f2020\/?p=1319","title":{"rendered":"Privacy for cats"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>For cats, the litter box is not only a place to do one&#8217;s duty; it is also a safe space. Never stare at your cat when one&#8217;s in the litter box. Either they are there to use the toilet or for a safe space, cats feel the extreme emotional pressure when humans stare at them while they are in the litterbox.<\/p>\n<p>My cat Nala is the shiest cat you will ever meet. She hides inside the litter box from Ginger, our other cat, when she gets chased. After having many occasions where we tried to look for Nala and found her in the litterbox and unintentionally interrupting her privacy, I decided to come up with a device.<\/p>\n<p>This device shows you if the litterbox is occupied, and it also tells you when it needs to be emptied.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_1321\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1321\" style=\"width: 1674px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/courses.ideate.cmu.edu\/48-339\/f2020\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/default.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-1321 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/courses.ideate.cmu.edu\/48-339\/f2020\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/default.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1674\" height=\"1212\" srcset=\"https:\/\/courses.ideate.cmu.edu\/48-339\/f2020\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/default.png 1674w, https:\/\/courses.ideate.cmu.edu\/48-339\/f2020\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/default-300x217.png 300w, https:\/\/courses.ideate.cmu.edu\/48-339\/f2020\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/default-1024x741.png 1024w, https:\/\/courses.ideate.cmu.edu\/48-339\/f2020\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/default-768x556.png 768w, https:\/\/courses.ideate.cmu.edu\/48-339\/f2020\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/default-1536x1112.png 1536w, https:\/\/courses.ideate.cmu.edu\/48-339\/f2020\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/default-1200x869.png 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 1362px) 62vw, 840px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-1321\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Default screen<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>It includes two sensors: the PIR sensor and a methane gas sensor. The PIR sensor will be placed inside the litterbox to tell one if it is occupied. The gas detector detects various types of gases that create an odor, but methane gas mainly. It tells you when the box has to be emptied.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_1322\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1322\" style=\"width: 1686px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/courses.ideate.cmu.edu\/48-339\/f2020\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Gas-detector.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-1322 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/courses.ideate.cmu.edu\/48-339\/f2020\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Gas-detector.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1686\" height=\"1236\" srcset=\"https:\/\/courses.ideate.cmu.edu\/48-339\/f2020\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Gas-detector.png 1686w, https:\/\/courses.ideate.cmu.edu\/48-339\/f2020\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Gas-detector-300x220.png 300w, https:\/\/courses.ideate.cmu.edu\/48-339\/f2020\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Gas-detector-1024x751.png 1024w, https:\/\/courses.ideate.cmu.edu\/48-339\/f2020\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Gas-detector-768x563.png 768w, https:\/\/courses.ideate.cmu.edu\/48-339\/f2020\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Gas-detector-1536x1126.png 1536w, https:\/\/courses.ideate.cmu.edu\/48-339\/f2020\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Gas-detector-1200x880.png 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 1362px) 62vw, 840px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-1322\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">When the gas detector detects the methane gas<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>When the litterbox needs to be emptied, the red LED turns on and it displays the message &#8220;Empty the box!&#8221;. Through various range testing, the adequate value that corresponded with times of the toilet being used was &#8220;110.&#8221;<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_1323\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1323\" style=\"width: 1654px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/courses.ideate.cmu.edu\/48-339\/f2020\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/PIR-sensor.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-1323 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/courses.ideate.cmu.edu\/48-339\/f2020\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/PIR-sensor.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1654\" height=\"1166\" srcset=\"https:\/\/courses.ideate.cmu.edu\/48-339\/f2020\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/PIR-sensor.png 1654w, https:\/\/courses.ideate.cmu.edu\/48-339\/f2020\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/PIR-sensor-300x211.png 300w, https:\/\/courses.ideate.cmu.edu\/48-339\/f2020\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/PIR-sensor-1024x722.png 1024w, https:\/\/courses.ideate.cmu.edu\/48-339\/f2020\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/PIR-sensor-768x541.png 768w, https:\/\/courses.ideate.cmu.edu\/48-339\/f2020\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/PIR-sensor-1536x1083.png 1536w, https:\/\/courses.ideate.cmu.edu\/48-339\/f2020\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/PIR-sensor-1200x846.png 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 1362px) 62vw, 840px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-1323\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">When the PIR sensor detects the movement<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>When the cat is inside the box, the blue LED turns on and it graphically displays what the cat is doing inside the box.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_1320\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1320\" style=\"width: 1930px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/courses.ideate.cmu.edu\/48-339\/f2020\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/activated.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-1320 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/courses.ideate.cmu.edu\/48-339\/f2020\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/activated.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1930\" height=\"1324\" srcset=\"https:\/\/courses.ideate.cmu.edu\/48-339\/f2020\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/activated.png 1930w, https:\/\/courses.ideate.cmu.edu\/48-339\/f2020\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/activated-300x206.png 300w, https:\/\/courses.ideate.cmu.edu\/48-339\/f2020\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/activated-1024x702.png 1024w, https:\/\/courses.ideate.cmu.edu\/48-339\/f2020\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/activated-768x527.png 768w, https:\/\/courses.ideate.cmu.edu\/48-339\/f2020\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/activated-1536x1054.png 1536w, https:\/\/courses.ideate.cmu.edu\/48-339\/f2020\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/activated-1200x823.png 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 1362px) 62vw, 840px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-1320\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">When both sensors are on<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>This is when both sensors are activated.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Video demonstration of how this works:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/drive.google.com\/file\/d\/1c-2hyGFoSVJmicfLqxxD7Vq3-VhMbg-t\/view?usp=sharing\">https:\/\/drive.google.com\/file\/d\/1c-2hyGFoSVJmicfLqxxD7Vq3-VhMbg-t\/view?usp=sharing<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Now that we\u00a0 know that it works, it was time to actually get real.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-1325 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/courses.ideate.cmu.edu\/48-339\/f2020\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/test.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"992\" height=\"1326\" srcset=\"https:\/\/courses.ideate.cmu.edu\/48-339\/f2020\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/test.png 992w, https:\/\/courses.ideate.cmu.edu\/48-339\/f2020\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/test-224x300.png 224w, https:\/\/courses.ideate.cmu.edu\/48-339\/f2020\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/test-766x1024.png 766w, https:\/\/courses.ideate.cmu.edu\/48-339\/f2020\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/test-768x1027.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 1362px) 62vw, 840px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>For some reason, my 9V battery was not working; so I had it connect to my computer. It already told me that the box needs to be cleaned.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/courses.ideate.cmu.edu\/48-339\/f2020\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/ginger1.png\"><br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-1326 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/courses.ideate.cmu.edu\/48-339\/f2020\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/ginger1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"990\" height=\"1322\" srcset=\"https:\/\/courses.ideate.cmu.edu\/48-339\/f2020\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/ginger1.png 990w, https:\/\/courses.ideate.cmu.edu\/48-339\/f2020\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/ginger1-225x300.png 225w, https:\/\/courses.ideate.cmu.edu\/48-339\/f2020\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/ginger1-767x1024.png 767w, https:\/\/courses.ideate.cmu.edu\/48-339\/f2020\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/ginger1-768x1026.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 1362px) 62vw, 840px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>So I came back after cleaning; the display does not say that it needs to be cleaned anymore, so I needed to get a participant. Nala knew what was going on so I couldn&#8217;t get her inside the box, so I tried to get Ginger to be my first participant.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/courses.ideate.cmu.edu\/48-339\/f2020\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/ginger2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-1324 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/courses.ideate.cmu.edu\/48-339\/f2020\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/ginger2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"914\" height=\"1224\" srcset=\"https:\/\/courses.ideate.cmu.edu\/48-339\/f2020\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/ginger2.png 914w, https:\/\/courses.ideate.cmu.edu\/48-339\/f2020\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/ginger2-224x300.png 224w, https:\/\/courses.ideate.cmu.edu\/48-339\/f2020\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/ginger2-765x1024.png 765w, https:\/\/courses.ideate.cmu.edu\/48-339\/f2020\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/ginger2-768x1028.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 1362px) 62vw, 840px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>He seemed quite convinced, but he seemed uninterested because he already emptied his stomach before the testing.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The questions might be:<\/p>\n<p>Why the gas detector?<\/p>\n<p>-The commonly used sensor for movements would be the ultrasonic sensor; however, cats are very sensitive to sounds. So I used the PIR sensor that detects the infrared light coming from moving objects with heat.<\/p>\n<p>Why do we need this to be visual?<\/p>\n<p>-I have been working with cats since the introduction to physical computing class. My cat Nala is now 8 years old, so I wanted to do something fun with her and also wanted to make her life better and more convenient because all cats deserve the best life. As much as humans, cats need some privacy as well, and this gets often interrupted when we share the space. Cats can&#8217;t say &#8220;Hey I need some space&#8221;\/&#8221;I need this to be cleaned&#8221; or when you find them in the litter box\/private settings, their privacy is already interrupted. So I thought the mutual ground that we have is having things visual.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Schematic:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/courses.ideate.cmu.edu\/48-339\/f2020\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Screen-Shot-2020-09-24-at-11.24.22-PM.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-1345\" src=\"https:\/\/courses.ideate.cmu.edu\/48-339\/f2020\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Screen-Shot-2020-09-24-at-11.24.22-PM-1024x569.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"840\" height=\"467\" srcset=\"https:\/\/courses.ideate.cmu.edu\/48-339\/f2020\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Screen-Shot-2020-09-24-at-11.24.22-PM-1024x569.png 1024w, https:\/\/courses.ideate.cmu.edu\/48-339\/f2020\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Screen-Shot-2020-09-24-at-11.24.22-PM-300x167.png 300w, https:\/\/courses.ideate.cmu.edu\/48-339\/f2020\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Screen-Shot-2020-09-24-at-11.24.22-PM-768x427.png 768w, https:\/\/courses.ideate.cmu.edu\/48-339\/f2020\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Screen-Shot-2020-09-24-at-11.24.22-PM-1536x853.png 1536w, https:\/\/courses.ideate.cmu.edu\/48-339\/f2020\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Screen-Shot-2020-09-24-at-11.24.22-PM-1200x667.png 1200w, https:\/\/courses.ideate.cmu.edu\/48-339\/f2020\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Screen-Shot-2020-09-24-at-11.24.22-PM.png 1800w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 1362px) 62vw, 840px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<pre>#include &lt;Wire.h&gt;\r\n#include &lt;LiquidCrystal.h&gt;\r\n\r\n\r\n\/\/const int rs = 12, en = 11, d4 = 5, d5 = 4, d6 = 3, d7 = 2;\r\nLiquidCrystal lcd(12, 11, 5, 4, 3, 2);\r\n\r\n\r\nint GasPin = A0; \r\nint CatPin = 6; \r\nint LED1 = 8; \r\nint LED2 = 7;\r\n\r\nvoid setup() {\r\n\r\nlcd.begin(16,2);\r\npinMode(GasPin ,INPUT); \r\npinMode(CatPin, INPUT); \r\npinMode(LED1, OUTPUT); \r\npinMode(LED2, OUTPUT);\r\npinMode(CatPin, INPUT); \r\nSerial.begin(9600);\r\n\r\n\r\nlcd.print(\"=^._.^= S\");\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n}\r\n\r\n\r\nvoid loop() {\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\ndigitalWrite(LED1,LOW);\r\n\r\n\r\nif (digitalRead(CatPin) == HIGH){ \r\ndigitalWrite(LED1,HIGH); \r\ndelay(1000);\r\nlcd.setCursor(11,0);\r\nlcd.print(\"O o o\");\r\n}\r\n\r\nelse { \r\ndigitalWrite(LED1,LOW); \r\n\/\/delay(1000);\r\nlcd.setCursor(11,0);\r\nlcd.print(\" \");\r\n}\r\n\r\nif ((analogRead(GasPin))&lt;190){\r\nSerial.println(analogRead(GasPin));\r\ndigitalWrite(LED2, LOW);\r\nlcd.setCursor(0,1);\r\nlcd.print(\" \");\r\n}\r\nelse {\r\nSerial.println(analogRead(GasPin));\r\ndigitalWrite(LED2, HIGH);\r\nlcd.setCursor(0,1);\r\nlcd.print(\"Empty the box!\");\r\n}\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n}<\/pre>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>For cats, the litter box is not only a place to do one&#8217;s duty; it is also a safe space. Never stare at your cat when one&#8217;s in the litter box. Either they are there to use the toilet or for a safe space, cats feel the extreme emotional pressure when humans stare at them &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/courses.ideate.cmu.edu\/48-339\/f2020\/?p=1319\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Privacy for cats&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[13],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.ideate.cmu.edu\/48-339\/f2020\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1319"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.ideate.cmu.edu\/48-339\/f2020\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.ideate.cmu.edu\/48-339\/f2020\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.ideate.cmu.edu\/48-339\/f2020\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/20"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.ideate.cmu.edu\/48-339\/f2020\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1319"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/courses.ideate.cmu.edu\/48-339\/f2020\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1319\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1800,"href":"https:\/\/courses.ideate.cmu.edu\/48-339\/f2020\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1319\/revisions\/1800"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.ideate.cmu.edu\/48-339\/f2020\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1319"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.ideate.cmu.edu\/48-339\/f2020\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1319"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.ideate.cmu.edu\/48-339\/f2020\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1319"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}