Table of Contents

Introduction

After weeks of user interviews, system design, and architectural brainstorming, Week 9 finally marked the beginning of something we’ve been eagerly waiting for: the construction phase. This week, we began to bridge the gap between theory and reality - where wires replace whiteboards and progress becomes something you can physically touch.

Midterm Presentation

Sharing the Story So Far

One of the most significant moments of the week was our Midterm Project Presentation, delivered by Vasco. It gave us a chance to not only reflect on our journey but also articulate our progress - from early assumptions to a technically grounded, socially meaningful system.

The presentation served as a valuable checkpoint, allowing us to align our vision, share our architectural redesign, and hear constructive feedback from mentors and peers. Beyond the technical elements, we were challenged to communicate our impact and strategy more clearly — an exercise that left us with sharper focus and renewed motivation for what lies ahead.

Prototype Planning & Early Assembly

Picking Up Parts

Meanwhile, Gonçalo, João, and Hugo made the short (but exciting) journey to the Electrical Engineering Tower to pick up the physical components for our prototype. After weeks of learning how to interface with the Raspberry Pi, ESP32, and experimenting with the Arduino IDE, it was finally time to transition from simulation to reality.

With sensors and boards in hand, our project felt more tangible than ever. This was the first real step toward bringing Who?Cares to life in hardware.presentation stronger.

The Build Begins

Back in our workspace, we rolled up our sleeves and began planning the assembly: What’s the most logical build sequence? Which components should we test first? Where are the risks?

Although we’re still in the early days of putting things together, these first discussions were key to laying the groundwork for a more robust prototype. We’re beginning to understand the real-world challenges of integration — especially around circuit stability, module compatibility, and power distribution.

Building the Server

At the same time, Gonçalo started developing the initial server infrastructure using Flask, along with some HTML and CSS to sketch out a dashboard for our system. While these technologies were brand new for us, diving into this backend setup was a crucial step toward structuring system communication and building the interface that we will try to feature at Demo Day.

There’s still a long way to go, but the foundation is officially in place.

Week Recap

This was a turning point in our project: after weeks of user research, system architecture, and presentation prep, we’ve officially stepped into the hands-on phase. From pitching our solution to holding the first components in hand, we’re now watching our ideas evolve into something real - one wire, one test, and one line of code at a time. Next week, our focus sharpens on:

• Assembling and debugging the first prototype

• Developing a basic functional dashboard

• Testing sensor readings and module communication

The road from idea to implementation isn’t linear - but for the first time, we’re walking it with tools in our hands.

Stay with us. The build has begun.