Smart Mirror using Raspberry Pi

Abstract

Abstract: This project has been developed within the context of a time where every day we see more and more connected devices. The Internet transformed our lives by connecting us more easily to information and other people in the virtual world. Mobile phones then became smartphones and since then this concept has erupted and morphed into the Internet of Things, things that connect us to everyday objects. There is no end to objects that could be made “smarter”, some being more suited to this than others. Mirrors, for example, provide a large surface ideal for displaying information and interacting with it. Most people have mirrors at home so the concept of a smart mirror that you can interact with is attractive and has been fantasized about in many futuristic movies. Smart mirrors, such as Magic Mirror and Home Mirror, have been only developed by people in the Maker community, with varying degrees of interactivity. However, so far, the features of these mirrors have been limited. This final year project describes how a smart mirror was built from scratch using a Raspberry Pi for the hardware and custom software built on top of Raspbian, a Linux distribution. The goal of the project was to create a Smart Mirror device that people could interact with but also to further develop the technology so that it would let you install and develop your own applications for it. Overall, results were good because a higher level of interactivity has been achieved by being able to use voice commands, gestures, and smartphones. A few problems arose in the construction and software side of the project, such as the glass not being reflective enough and the gesture recognition being unreliable, but these drawbacks can be addressed by doing more tests and trials to further develop the Smart Mirror