Final Technical Report

5. Introduction of Proposed Solution - ’EZIT’

‘EZIT’ is a smart microcontroller system which consists of basic inputs and output. The inputs consist of a touch panel and a bell together while the output consists of a holographic display.

Figure 5.1 - An illustration of ‘EZIT’ smart system, with bell and touchpad being inputs and holographic display being output

5.1  Features of ‘EZIT’

Smart system EZIT is designed to solve two main problems, boarding and alighting. ‘EZIT’ system incorporates three main features. They are the display of upcoming bus stops, Bell Alighting Systems, and the Empty Space Indicator. The holographic display will be mounted on the ceiling in the middle of the bus.

5.1.1 Display of Upcoming Bus Stops

The multi angled holographic display will show the upcoming bus stops, as shown in Figure 5.2 below, at all angles. In addition, the upcoming stop, located at the top of the display, will be shown more prominently as compared to the rest of the stops.

Figure 5.2 - Displaying of Upcoming Bus Stops

Results from the survey conducted indicates that commuters often miss their stops as they are unsure of when to alight. By displaying the upcoming bus stops, commuters will be more aware of when their stop is reaching and thus, facilitate easier alighting.

5.1.2 Bell Alighting System

The Bell Alighting System aims to solve the problem of commuters squeezing their way out of the bus by highlighting out the areas that commuters are alighting. For example, if commuters press the bell at area S and D, indicating that they wish to alight. Area S and D will be highlighted out in the holographic display as shown in Figure 5.3 below.

Figure 5.3 - Bell Alighting System

Commuters can refer to the display to facilitate giving way to the alighting passengers. On top of that, there will also be a visual and audio message prompting commuters to give way to alighting passengers. This added function is in line with LTA's vision to cultivate graciousness in commuters.

5.1.3 Empty Space Indicator

Using the cameras installed on the bus, the bus captain would be able to look out for any empty space in the bus. With just a simple touch, he can highlight the empty spaces out to the commuters through the touch panel which is located just beside the bus steering wheel. As shown in Figure 5.4 below, the interior of the bus has been divided in 3 sections, area X, Y, and Z. If the bus captain notice that area X and Y is crowded while area Z has empty spaces. He can highlight it out by touching area Z on the touchpanel. This would then be projected on the holographic display. This would make boarding easier for commuters as the spaces at the front of the bus will be freed up when commuters move in.

Figure 5.4 - Empty Space Indicator

Analytical reflection regarding mock oral presentation

It is extremely important to be able to express oneself and our thoughts to opposite parties in a clear and concise manner. It may be through normal conversations with people to the extent of presenting yourself and your thoughts to a group of people. In the case of presentation, it is essential to firstly, be able to grab the attention of the audience throughout the whole presentation. Followed by conveying your messages across clearly and concisely.

For my mock presentation, I did not start with an arresting introduction, presented with only a single tone and heavily depended on the slides throughout the whole presentation. Worst of all, I was soft and could not be heard all the way from the back. These were pointed out in my oral evaluation done by my peers and lecturer. I believe all of these happened because of the lack of preparation as I did not rehearse and practice beforehand. 

From this experience, with the constructive feedback from my lecturer and peers, I get to know both my strengths and weaknesses in presenting which are beneficial as I can improve on my weaknesses and not repeat the mistakes I made. 

For my final presentation, I will prepare myself adequately through practicing with my team mates. Most importantly, I will familiarize myself with the content of my presentation. By doing so, I hope to be able to present more confidently, fluently and enthusiastically to engage my audience. Audience engagement is important as the main purpose of the final presentation is to persuade the audience to adopt my team's idea. Hence, with improved presentation skills, I believe I can bring my team's idea across to the audience in a more effective way.