Project · Singapore Polytechnic
A smart dining hall monitor that tracks how many people are inside and shows live status on an LCD, to manage queues and keep within safe diner limits during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The problem
Campus dining halls had long queues and risked overcrowding, which mattered especially under COVID-19 limits on diner numbers.
How I approached it
Identified the key problems in campus dining: long queues and overcrowding.
Designed a system combining IR sensors, a microcontroller and an LCD that shows live status.
Programmed the logic in MATLAB to keep the sensor inputs and the LCD display in sync.
Built the complete setup into a physical enclosure and tested it in simulated real-time use.
The result
A working prototype with sensor-based occupancy tracking, live LCD updates and embedded control logic, designed to streamline takeaway operations in busy areas.