The Shelf Scanner

Overview

I love cooking, but not having the right ingredients can sometimes be an issue. I decided to combine my interest in cooking with my interest in computer science and engineering to try to solve this problem and came up with the Shelf Scanner. The idea behind the Shelf Scanner is to weigh the ingredients on a pantry shelf to determine when an item is low and needs to be replenished. To come up with my design, I researched multiple components, including load cells (weight sensors), wires, breadboards (a tool used in electronics to build and test circuits), and microcontrollers. Once I had a schematic, I began building my prototype to measure items, which required wiring, coding, and problem solving. First, using tape and a breadboard, I connected a load cell, an hx711 amplifier that reads the load cell data, and a Raspberry PI (the microcontroller). Next, I opened pipermake.com (a coding software program for kids) on my computer and began the coding process using Piper’s built in tutorials to assist me. To create the physical shelf, I used cardboard covered in duct tape, and stocked it with a soup can. With the full system of the shelf complete and the coding done, I began to test my mockup. I ran the Piper software program integrated with the shelf hardware and placed the soup can on and off to simulate different weights of an item as it gets used. Ultimately, the system was able to recognize differences in weight, but was not stable enough to provide specific weight data to support a working product. I did a significant amount of trial and error processing to attempt to fix it. In summary, I tried to create an innovative product based on my interests that could solve an everyday problem for cooks.

Competition history

• CSEF 2026 Electronics & Electromagnetics (Junior Division) · Entry J-10-17

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