Non-Invasive Modification
The obvious approach to adding smart functionality to 'dumb' appliances is to add a small microcontroller to simulate the inputs from the various manually operated switches and knobs. One of the aims of this project, however, was to create a system tht could be fitted by an end user, meaning that it became necessary to develop mechanical solutions to the problems of how to press a button or how to turn a dial. Reading status outputs externally was also a challenge, as bi-colour and flashing LEDs all report vital information which needed to be transmitted to the smart system. The resulting product was therefore effectively an exoskeleton around the machine, which used voice commands, a GUI and web interface for user input.
