This is an expertise area which I haven’t put as much focus on this year, as I have felt that it hasn’t been as crucial for my projects and progression towards my vision.

Despite this, I did improve my electronics skills. Within Project 3, I created the electronics set-up for our prototype. This involved an M5Stack Atom microcontroller, power supply, and long-range UHF RFID scanner. This allowed us to read the labels within the clothes used in the project, which enabled us to provide tailored instructions to help children with brain damage get dressed independently. This tool was crucial in providing an added layer of support for these children, and acted as a way to allow the application to ‘see’ more of what the child was doing without actually seeing them.

This wasn’t an easy process—I realised that the RFID scanner wasn’t compatible with the original microcontroller that I had, and therefore I had to purchase a new one, wasting both time and money. In the future, I need to do more research before I purchase or source parts, instead of compulsively buying them.

Overall, I am much more confident now with electronics and, more importantly, with how to create connected systems of electronics, applications, and users so that the user experience is as seamless as possible. This is something that I am yet to perfect, and I want to ensure that my FBP is an interactive product that harnesses emerging technology to benefit people and their lives, without being intrusive or merely novel.