Sam iannone - reflection

Throughout the course of our year of development, many successes and challenges have led AvAlert to where it is today. We found a lot of success in developing AvAlert in a quick way that allowed us to hit the ground running. We made a fully operational software system that easily displays data, allows the user to customize their system, and make informed decisions about the snow beneath their feet. Visually, it was modern and user friendly, something we aimed to do from the start. On the hardware front, I believe that we were highly succesful in developing a seamless integration of microelectronics and manufactured resin structures. Using my knowledge of past SolidWorks experience and expertise, I was able to create a CASE design that was completely integratable with the device software and microelectronics, and met out rubric requirements. I also think we found great success in the delivery of the project. From branding to presentation, we created not only an engineering project, but a marketing and business outline that made it bigger than the classroom. I created a seamless website that is visually appealing but also informational, while including a storefront for the device itself. In addition, promotional content on Instagram reached hundreds of viewers in mere days, alongside the advertising we did both verbally and materially with posters at backcountry hotspots. Our industry connections allowed for highly useful input and anecdotal testimony that rounded out our proof as to why AvAlert is the most promising solution out there. We really excelled in taking this project beyond the classroom, whether that was making a business model and market analysis, reaching a real target audience, doing on-site field testing in high-altitude environments, or making packaging and promotional materials that defined AvAlert as a realistic business and engineering company ready to solve real problems in a deployable and helpful way. Backing this up, our testing showed great promise for such an early prototype of AvAlert, with sensor values making real, clear predictions based off of data that is being measured actively and is off by less than 1% for all values. I am extremely proud of the work that my team and I have put in to bring AvAlert to the stage it is at today. There were also plenty of challenges that went along with this project. Early in the year, getting the code integrated and actually working with our wiring harnesses and microelectronics was a struggle. Repeatedly, we could not seem to figure out how to get a real software model onto our motherboard, and we only got it working by trial and error. We tried almost every possible wiring combination, order of daisy-chained electronics, and code loading systems. Eventually, it worked and we got a running software. Another struggle was in manufacturing the case. We ran into several problems with resin printing and failed prints, to which I had to fix by manually adding supports and calculating the right orientation to print with. In addition, sizing issues and case updates were needed several times along the way, causing us to print more than we would have liked to due to its time consuming nature. In addition, getting the battery system and charging port operational was a struggle. These problems arose from our lack of experience with microelectronics and software building, but nothing some YouTube tutorials couldn't fix. If there were some improvements we could make with more time, I would suggest changing the CASE material to a different plastic or metal that we could mold the case with, making the manufacturing process easier. I would also like to continue working on the software, to make it less scrappy and have a smoother user experience. In addition, I would attempt making the CASE smaller by creating our own custom PCB with all of the sensors pre-integrated. I also wish we could have gotten in more testing, which this year, was an unfortunate byproduct of having the worst winter season (snowpack wise) in hundreds of years, leaving us without snow by time we had the availability to miss school and go test. I truly believe that with some more time, the testing could become more real and we would have all of the confidence and necessary proxy information to take it to market. Looking towards the future, we hope to continue to test next winter and make the necessary revisions needed to actually sell AvAlert and pitch it to real backcountry manufacturers like BCA. I believe that AvAlert is a special product, and is truly revolutionizing skier safety in the backcountry market that will serve as the last puzzle piece to reducing avalanche related deaths. I am excited to see where this product will go after the class is over, and I am beyond ecstatic to have started this and have the opportunity to continue to work on this project in the future. 

- Sam Iannone