Cocktail making is one of those crafts that few people know and master, yet many immensely enjoy discovering new cocktails, experiences, and exploring new flavors. Although knowledge in this field brings fulfillment, only a few embark on the journey of becoming a mixologist, learning cocktail-making techniques and combining exciting ingredients.
We have addressed this problem by developing a smart shaker and a mobile app named ShakeUp. After analyzing the competition, we developed a final product with the important features we found were missing in their products. The shaker and the app are designed to be suitable for both beginners and more advanced users who wish to enchance their cocktail-making skills. The design of the shaker being based on the Arduino Nano 33 BLE Sense microcontroller enabled access to built-in accelerometer as well as facilitated the integration of an external battery and a temperature sensor. We were able to successfully integrate a machine learning model into the Arduino platform, which enabled evaluating the shaking technique of the shaker while simultaneously measuring the drink's temperature. Both data points are then transmitted via Bluetooth to a mobile terminal, where they are interpreted using the user-friendly interface of the ShakeUp application. The shaker is entirely operated by an Android app, where the user selects the desired drink and is then guided through the process of curating that cocktail. During the process the app retrieves all of the necessary parameters and instructions for the technique evaluation and cocktail making from the Google Firebase database.
This project showcases many useful technologies and processes, from developing the machine learning model, establishing Bluetooth connectivity on both the server and client sides, to hardware development and soldering various components. It also includes the prototyping of a friendly user interface and the development of the app using the Android Studio IDE. The final product is a fine example of close integration between hardware and software, which uses a modern approach to overcome the challenges of exploring the world of cocktails. The shaker and the ShakeUp app represent a working prototype and are opening numerous possibilities for further development and implementation of improvements.
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