Lakshman One School of Engineering Science Simon Fraser University Burnaby, British Columbia V5A 1S6 RE: Letter of Transmittal Dear Lucky, The attached document is a proposal for an Automatic Cat Feeder project. Our project is to develop an automatic feeding device that helps cat owners alleviate some of the daily feeding chores involved in owning a cat. The final product will give cat owners the ability to feed their cats even if they are not home. This proposal provides the plan that will be carried out to develop our proposed product. The systems overview, budget and funding, development schedule and our team organization are included in this document. The document also compares our proposed product to other alternative solutions to show that our product provides cat owners greater flexibility when feeding their cats. Nekotek consists of five creative and talented engineering students, Benjamin Wang, Jason Chang, Eric Huang, Leung Hoang and Christian Losari. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us by sending an e-mail to ensc440-nekotek@sfu.ca Sincerely, Benjamin Wang Benjamin Wang Chief Executive Officer Nekotek Enclosure: Proposal for Automatic cat feeder
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Executive Summary A situation arises and it prevents you from reaching home in time to feed your cat. Pet owners often encounter the above scenario. The situation may be unexpected or planned. In either case, cat owners need a solution for the problem. A solution for the problem is an automatic cat feeder. Though commercial and noncommercial solution exists, Nekotek is a company striving to produce the best solution. Many automatic pet feeder devices currently in the market tend to disassociate cat owners from their cats. In the eyes of cat owners, their cats are family members. They will always want to provide the best for their cats. Naturally, feeding becomes an important and often enjoyable daily event. However, in the fast paced world, cat owners often find themselves too busy with their work to provide their cats with the adequate care and attention. Unscheduled meetings, business trips, or accidents force cat owners to delay or deviate from erase interrupt their cats regular feeding times. With a problem that happens so regularly to cat owners, we can provide the needed solution with MEO. MEO is an automatic feeder that feeds cats at appropriate times when pet owners are unable to do so. With MEO s help, people can schedule important events at any time without worrying about feeding their cats. MEO keeps track of previous feeding times and feeding amounts so that when required, it can automatically feed the cats with appropriate amounts of food at the right times. MEO s ability to be activated remotely with a telephone call also gives cat owners greater control of their lives. Nekotek consists of five motivated fourth-year engineering science students from Simon Fraser University. We are trained and experienced in hardware/software design and have a detailed plan for our project funding and time schedule. The estimated budget for this project is $785. The expertise and determination we possess will ensure our success on the completion of this project. ii
Table of Contents Executive Summary ii 1. Introduction 1 2. System Overview 2 3. Possible Solutions 3 3.1. Ask Somebody to Feed the Pet 3 3.2. Wait Until Pet Owners Can Feed their Pets 3 3.3. Existing Automatic Pet Feeders 3 4. Proposed Solution 4 5. Sources of Information 5 6. Budget and Funding 6 6.1. Budget 6 6.2. Funding 6 7. Schedule 7 8. Team Organization 8 9. Company Profile 9 10. Conclusion 11 11. Sources and References 12 A. Survey Results 14 iii
1. Introduction Unpredictable situations arise. Daily routines are interrupted. You cannot feed your cat. Nekotek understands that cat owners love their cats, treating cats as members of their families. Feeding and caring for their cats is among the highest priorities for cat owners. Loving owners are committed to providing the best for their cats, feeding them regularly and promptly. In today s hectic society, people holding full-time jobs are faced with unanticipated events. Unscheduled meetings, closing deadlines and congested traffic are several reasons preventing cat owners from tending to their cats. Statistics show that there are approximately 75 million cat owners in America. In the United States alone, 62% of all households own a pet and 21% of the households own a cat. Cat owners really love their cats since 37 million cats receive Christmas gifts and 13.5 million cats have their birthday celebrated. A survey was performed on a small group of cat owners revealing that about 30% of cat owners will put off feeding their cats until they arrive home. Approximately half of the people surveyed were interested in purchasing an automatic feeder. More detailed results of the survey are attached in Appendix A. Nekotek s MEO provides cat owners with greater flexibility when it comes to feeding their cats. The MEO is configurable and it also provides automated feeding along with a system that monitors feeding habits. Remote access via telephone to the MEO makes it even more convenient for users. Nekotek strives to provide ease of mind to busy cat owners. The proposal will provide an overview of the MEO s functions and features. Estimated budgets, sources of funding and a timeline will be presented. In addition, team organization and team member profiles will be provided in the proposal. 1
2. System Overview The overall system will operate according to the block diagram shown in Figure 1(a). Container Latch open, Telephone Dispense food Touch Pad Micro Controller Bowl LCD Display (a) (b) Figure 1: (a) Sketch of MEO (b) Level 0 Block Diagram This system has one LCD, which serves the purpose of helping the user to interface with the system easily. The processing unit of the system is a micro-controller. The controller receives and processes signals from the touch pad or the telephone. Then it will send signals to the output devices for performing tasks such as controlling the food dispenser and displaying required information on the LCD. Figure 2 shows the flow chart for controlling the latch of food dispenser. N System is activated by either phone or touch pad Open the latch, Dispense food Is the bowl full? Y Close the latch Figure 2: Flow Chart for Controlling Food Dispenser 2
3. Possible Solutions Unforeseen situations arise, such as working overtime, unexpected meetings or short business trips, which prevent pet owners from feeding their pets. In these situations, pet owners have limited options in solving the problem. 3.1. Ask Somebody to Feed the Pet Through the survey results, most pet owners resort to asking somebody, perhaps a friend or a family member, to help feed their pets when they are unable to do it themselves. Although this is a viable solution, it may become an inconvenience for the people who have to help with the chore of feeding pets that they do not own. Also, trust must be established between the pet owners and the helpers who help feed the pets as well as the pets and helpers. Thus, asking somebody to help feed the pet is not a long-term practical solution for pet owners, as it becomes an annoyance to the helpers and a trust issue. 3.2. Wait Until Pet Owners Can Feed their Pets Another solution for some pet owners is to hold off feeding their pets until they are able to do it personally. Although this does not inconvenience other people, it will affect the pet s health and eating habits over prolonged periods of time. Thus this option is also not a good solution the well being of the pets. 3.3. Existing Automatic Pet Feeders Several commercial solutions are available for pet owners. However, current automatic pet feeders tend to restrict pet owners from being pro-active in feeding their pets. In addition, they cannot be used as the main feeding centre for their pets due to the limited food storage capabilities. Automatic pet feeders are timer-based and always dispense the exact amount of food at exact times everyday. They are inflexible solutions that are designed for users with planned trips rather than unpredictable circumstances or daily use. Another problem with current automatic pet feeders is that they do not compensate for leftover food. Most manufacturers assume that the pets will finish the dispensed amount in between feeding times. They do not take into account when pets fall sick and thus reduce the amount of food consumed. 3
4. Proposed Solution Nekotek s proposed solution overcomes the inadequacies of current automatic pet feeders by providing users with more flexibility. The system will monitor the cat s feeding habits such as feeding times and amount of food dispensed. By monitoring the feeding times, the system can automatically feed the cat when feeding is overdue. Users can observe the collected data from the LCD of the MEO, such as average amount food dispensed per week. Hence, users have helpful information in managing their pet s diet. There will be two main inputs into the proposed system. First, the system can be controlled through the use of a telephone call, which allow users to remotely access the automatic feeder command to dispense food. Nekotek s engineers will build a module that can decode telephone tones to communicate with the micro-controller. Thus the micro-controller can send signals to appropriate components to perform required tasks. Second, users may also control the system through the use of a keypad. A button will be available to the user to initiate immediate food dispensing when pressed. Upon pressing the food-dispensing button, the event will be time stamped and recorded in the microcontroller for monitoring the cat s feeding habits. Sensors are located at the food container and the bowl. The sensor at the container will send a signal to the micro-controller when the container is almost empty. As a result, the micro-controller sends a signal to the LCD regarding the status of the container. Similarly, the weight sensor at the bowl will monitor the status of the bowl; it indicates whether the bowl is full, empty or in between. Information is fed back to the micro-controller determining the amount of food to dispense. Possible future implementation for MEO is to add internet-controlled feature, which will make the system controllable from Internet browser. In addition, a camera could also be added to the system. The camera will allow users to see and monitor the condition of theirs pets remotely. Future generations of the MEO can also be adapted feeding other pets such as dogs. Constraint to the proposed solution includes limitations to the dry food, cats and size of the food container. Other limitations of the project are time and money. Due to the limited time of thirteen weeks, it will be a challenge to include all the features within the system. 4
5. Sources of Information Numerous sources of information will be explored to aid the members of Nekotek in researching and designing an automatic cat feeder. The sources of information range from course textbooks to seasoned university faculty. An essential source of information is the pet-owners. Nekotek s design priority is based on the users. Thus, Nekotek makes every effort in establishing communication channels between its engineers and customers. In fact, a survey was conducted and the suggestions and statistics were used to tailor features to potential customers. Continued consultation is open and ongoing with pet-owners. Valuable and up-to-date information will also be collected using the Internet. Through the Internet, Nekotek can examine similar solutions and locate optimal cost-effective parts. Aside from technical research, further inspection of domestic cats diets and habits will be investigated using the Internet. More advantageous sources are the SFU faculty and lab technicians available to support Nekotek in developing a first class product. Moreover, SFU professors with expertise in mechanics, sensors and microcontrollers will prove invaluable. Undergraduate peers can also be consulted for supplementary assistance. Additional sources include catalogs, electronic periodicals and manufacturer s component specification sheets. 5
6. Budget and Funding 6.1. Budget Table 1 illustrates the estimated costs for each component required during the development of the MEO. The costs are based on online quotes of North America distributors such as Digi-Key and Technological Arts. The contingency fund is predicted to be 15% of projected budget. 6.2. Funding Table 1: Estimated Development Budget Components Estimated Cost Power source (AC adaptor, batteries) $50 LCD $75 Keypad $10 Sensors $150 Microprocessors, clock, memory $200 Mechanical Component $150 Miscellaneous $50 Contingency Fund $100 Total Cost $785 Since MEO has the potential to be marketed in the industry, Nekotek will attempt to fund through contributions from companies and organizations interested in the development or purchase of the automatic feeder. Nekotek has considered numerous sources of funding to develop the MEO. Nekotek hopes to take advantage of the ESSEF program established by the SFU Engineering Undergraduate Student Society (EUSS). The goal of the ESSEF program is to encourage undergraduate students in creating innovative projects. MEO fits in categories B Entrepreneurial, C Class, and D Miscellaneous. Other sources of funding include government funds, such as the BC Knowledge Fund. Another source is from the University/Industry Liaison Office (UILO) Prototype Development Fund. During numerous stages of the development cycle, Nekotek will seek out additional funding from recruited sources. Funding from internal members of Nekotek is also a possibility. Nekotek is confident that adequate resources will be generated for the completion of the MEO. 6
7. Schedule Nekotek has planned the approximate time required for each task in the project and a Gantt chart is provided in Figure 3. Figure 3: Gantt Chart Nekotek has also listed out the important completion date for each task in the milestone chart in Figure 4. Figure 4: Milestone Chart 7
8. Team Organization Nekotek is comprised of five innovative and skilled fourth year engineering undergraduate students from Simon Fraser University: Benjamin Wang, Jason Chang, Christian Losari, Eric Huang and Leung Hoang. Through the variation in skills that each member possesses, many obstacles that the company may encounter will be solved with the amalgamation of skills. The structure of the company is organized such that each member will be responsible for a specific field. Benjamin Wang, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), will oversee the progress of the project, making sure that specifications of the project are met and progress is on time. Jason Chang, Chief Technology Officer (CTO), will develop and manage the technology infrastructure and technology based equipment and resources. Eric Huang, the Chief Financial Officer (CFO), is in charge of the financial issues and the budget demands of the project. Christian Losari, Chief Marketing Officer (CMO), will be responsible for generating capital for R&D, product advertisement and web page design. Leung Hoang, Chief Operations Officer (COO), ensures compliance with company s policies and procedures and works closely with the Chief Executive Officer in the overall progress of the project. Meetings are held once a week to discuss the progress of tasks assigned to members. The meeting format will be open forum so that all members hear everyone s suggestions and concerns. Creating an open forum during meetings is important as it ensures that members have the same perspective on the project. During the project, each member will be assigned primary tasks that are related to his expertise. However, each member will also be assigned secondary tasks that are meant to aid other members in their primary tasks. Thus, an overlap of tasks will ensure that all tasks will be completed on time and members of the company share the same goal. 8
9. Company Profile Benjamin Wang Chief Executive Officer (CEO) I am a fourth year Electronics Engineering student at Simon Fraser University. I have had previous Co-op experience at Glenayre Technologies and Moderntimes Inc. From past academic and work experience, I have gained skills in C and HC11 assembly programming language. I am also experienced in real-time and embedded design through a laser-table control project under QNX environment. Other than my technical skills, I am also an efficient team player. I provide my opinions and suggestions openly to people that I work with and I take criticisms and comments in order to produce the best result for the team. Jason Chang Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Jason is a fourth year Electronics Engineering student at Simon Fraser University. He has programming experience with Java, Assembly, VHDL and C++. He also has experience with analog circuit design, digital circuit design and working knowledge of a variety of sensors and motors. Jason s previous co-op term in the Advanced Network Division of Agilent Technologies has provided him with valuable experiences with programming, testing and debugging FPGAs that interface with other integrated circuits. Eric Huang Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Eric is currently a fourth year Electronics Engineering student at Simon Fraser University. Eric has competent knowledge for software languages such as C++, VHDL, and Assembly language. Eric is experienced with digital/analog circuitry and semiconductors such as CMOS and MOSFET design and analysis. Eric has a previous co-op where he was responsible for developing/executing feature test plans for modem and ADSL integrated circuits. Christian Losari Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) Christian is currently enrolled as fourth year electronics engineering student at Simon Fraser University. He is experienced in programming using several software languages, such as assembly, C++, and VHDL. In addition, he also possesses knowledge of using sensors and motors as well as skills in analog/digital circuit design and communication system. 9
Leung Hoang Chief Operating Officer (COO) Leung is currently a fourth year Computer Engineer at Simon Fraser University. Through notable academic projects, Leung has acquired extensive knowledge of software languages such as C/C++, VHDL, Verilog and Assembly language. Also, Leung has gained skills in analog and digital designs using tools including SPICE, Synopsys and Cadence. Leung has a previous co-op term at Infowave Software, where he honed his skills in software development and user interface elements. 10
10. Conclusion "It is difficult to obtain the friendship of a cat. It is a philosophical animal...one that does not place its affections thoughtlessly." --Theophile Gautier As Theophile Gautier quotes, the affections of cats must be earned through the devotion of their owners. The attitude of cat-owners is that cats are not just animals. To cat owners, they are companions and friends. Our goal is to provide a flexible and reliable solution that will satisfy the needs of cat owners with busy lives. With 62% of the household in the United States owning pets, an automatic cat feeding device captures a strong market potential and will benefit a majority of cat owners lives. MEO provides a solution to balance the requirements of the time demanding society with the desire to care for cats. The proposed MEO system allows cat owners to attend to other important business while their cats are still being fed on time. It also includes the ability for pet owners to activate the MEO remotely with a telephone call. Such a feature provides pet owners with greater flexibility and control of their time. Nekotek has the technology and expertise to carry out the development of the MEO system. We also showed that we have the appropriate funding and detailed planning for completing the project in a timely and cost effective manner. 11
11. Sources and References 1. Digi-Key Corporation (www.digitkey.com) 2. American Pet Association (www.apapets.com) 3. Technological Arts (www.technologicalarts.com) 4. Radio Fence (http://radiofence.com/index.html) 5. Pet Mate (www.pet-mate.com) 12
Appendix A 13
A. Survey Results Survey (Please check only 1 response unless otherwise specified) 1. Do you own a cat or a dog? Yes 100% No 0% 2. How many cats/dogs do you own? Average: 1.82 3. Are you the primary feeder of your cat/dog? Yes 52% No 48% 4. How often do you feed your cat/dog? Once per day 34% 2 times per day 38% 3 times per day 28% 4 times per day 0% More than 4 times per day 0% 5. What types of food do you usually feed your cat/dog? You may check more than 1. 6. If you feed your cat/dog with dry food, how many days out of the week do you feed your cat/dog with it? 7. If you feed your cat/dog with canned food, how many days out of the week do you feed your cat/dog with it? 8. If you feed your cat/dog with personally prepared food, how many days out of the week do you feed your cat/dog with it? Dry food 76% Canned food 28% Personally prepared food 41% Don t Use Dry Food 17% 1 to 2 times per week 10% 3 to 4 times per week 14% More than 4 times per week 59% Don t Use Canned Food 59% 1 to 2 times per week 24% 3 to 4 times per week 7% More than 4 times per week 10% Don t Use Personally Prepared Food 48% 1 to 2 times per week 10% 3 to 4 times per week 3% More than 4 times per week 31% 14
9. What would you do if you were not able to feed your cat/dog at its usual feeding time? Ask somebody to feed your cat/dog for you 62% Do nothing; you will feed your cat/dog when you get home 28% Other 10% 10. On average, how many times in a week were you not able to feed your cat/dog at its usual feeding time? Always on time 55% 1 to 2 times per week 28% 3 to 4 times per week 3% More than 4 times per week 14% 11. Does your cat/dog require a sound to know that it is feeding time? If Yes, how many different sounds can your cat/dog recognize? 12. Does your cat/dog wear a magnetic collar used to activate automatic pet doors? 13. Will you be interested in buying an automatic cat/dog feeder? Yes 17% No 83% 1 sound 0% 2 sounds 20% 3 sounds 40% More than 3 sounds 40% Yes 7% No 93% Yes 41% No 55% 14. Choose 2 most important features you would like the automatic cat/dog feeder to have: Using a telephone call to activate feeder to dispense food 69% Monitors the eating habits of your cat/dog and automatically feeds your cat/dog when you miss a feeding session 62% Play sounds to let your cat/dog know that it is feeding time 24% Detection of leftover food in the bowl 28% Other 10% 15. How often are you willing to clean this automatic cat/dog feeder? Daily 24% Twice a week 24% Weekly 34% Twice a month 7% Monthly 3% 15
16. How much are you willing to spend on this automatic cat/dog feeder? Currency: CAD $30 ~ $50 86% $50 ~ $80 4% $80 ~ $100 0% Over $100 0% 16