Apollo
Date
2019
Authors
Awad, Wala
Shunnar, Ruba
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
Lighting, in general, affects the way we see our surrounding, and it affects our judgement on things or
relaxation whether we knew it or not. Since many people spend a relatively long time on their desks, either
working, studying or reading, and they need to use different types of lanterns or they just depend on the
typical neon light. Having a lantern that can be easily moved around the whole desk, and generating the
light that is exactly needed by the user, is such a great tool and a one that is strongly wanted.
Apollo Lantern is special because it has a controllable arm, which means that it is movable to reach
different points by itself and provide the best possible lighting. Worth to be mentioned, that the Apollo
Lantern moves its own arm to find if there is an opened book or something that needs a special light, then
lightens the area according to its measures. This is highly preferred by any user since it means that one
lantern can be used to light different spots in a limited range. Furthermore, the light provided by the Apollo
Lantern is dynamic which is an addition that provides what is needed for a human eye to relax and see
clearly without tiring it. The light that comes from the Apollo lantern has a changeable brightness and
lighting modes and forms and always chooses the best lighting conditions that suit the surrounding
environment the max.
Moreover, the light that comes from the Apollo lantern has multiple colours which are, white, red, green
and blue. One chooses the colour that will light their desk in a way that they like and find comfortable to
see and work.
This project will be built using Android Things as an embedded operating system. The board that will be
used is NXP i.MX7D which has an internal chip that runs Android Things. The lantern will use image
processing techniques to find if there is a near book so that it lightens in a way that suits the reader the
most. More than a single sensor for different purposes will be used in order to let the brightness go along with the surrounding environment for the best of the user. A mechanical arm will be built to enable the
move of being shorter or longer according to what is needed.
There are many dynamic lights and lanterns nowadays, and there are ones that can be placed on one’s desk.
Also, there are lanterns with a movable arm that can be held to lighten different spots. However, Apollo
Lantern is a project that combines all of the previously mentioned features together, and it is smart enough
to look for the piece that needs to be lightened using image processing. Additionally, it has a variety of
colours and brightness modes that can be used to give the user the most convenient experience.