Capacitance Based Bathroom Sensors
Problem statement
The utilization of automatic sensors in bathrooms is a remarkable innovation. It is the key to keeping them sanitary, except when those automatic bathroom products don’t work. Current bathroom products use infrared sensors which rely on reflected light for activation. This, however, means they operate poorly with darker skin tones, low lighting, mineral build-up, and at large distances. For any one of these reasons, the soap doesn’t dispense when you wave your hand under it, and neither does the sink, and you decide to skip washing your hands altogether, gross. To keep public bathrooms and the general public safe and sanitary, a change must be made. Gr@vity proposed the alternative of capacitance based sensors, as they are activated by the human dielectric constant and therefore do not possess the limitations of infrared sensors. The sensors are able to detect human skin up to twenty centimeters away regardless of lighting, skin tones, and minerals obscuring the sensor. We plan to demonstrate how the use of capacitance based sensors will result in bathroom products that actually work.
Team members
Diego Morgan – leader
Sophie Heyer – communicator
Lake Schmidt – accountant
Matthew Gurka – admin
Client
Zach Zeurcher
Gr@vity