Global warming is leading to more frequent and severe heatwaves, increasing reliance on air conditioning systems and, consequently, energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. To address this, the Smart Light-Reactive Blinds System is designed to help maintain cooler indoor temperatures while reducing energy use.

Link to YouTube video demonstration can be found here

The project explores how light-reactive blinds can be designedv to effectively maintain cooler indoor temperatures and reduce energy consumption in response to global warming.

This project involves the development of a Smart Home Device using an ESP32 microcontroller. The device hosts an HTML webpage that displays real-time indoor conditions by measuring light intensity using a light sensor. The webpage includes a JavaScript simulation that visually demonstrates how the blinds adjust to different light conditions, aiming to reduce the need for artificial cooling by regulating sunlight exposure.

• ESP32 Microcontroller: Collects light intensity data and hosts the web server.
• Light Sensor: Measures light levels and sends the data to the ESP32.
• Web Server: Hosted on the ESP32, it visualizes sensor data and simulates a room.
• WebSocket Communication: Ensures real-time data transfer between the ESP32 and the web client.

To run the Smart Light-Reactive Blinds System, Visual Studio Code (VS Code) with the PlatformIO IDE extension is used. Follow the steps below to set up the environment:

1. Install PlatformIO Extension:

   • Open VS Code and navigate to the Extensions marketplace.
   • Search for "PlatformIO IDE" and install the extension.

2. Create a New Project:

   • Once the PlatformIO extension is activated, create a new project within the PlatformIO environment.

3. Add Required Libraries:

   • Within the PlatformIO environment, add the WebSocketsServer library by Markus Sattler to your project.

4. Set Up Project Structure:

   • Create a data/ folder in your project directory.
   • Inside the data/ folder, add the index.html and script.js files containing your code.
   • Update the src/main.cpp file with the appropriate code provided in this repository.

5. Install ESP32 Drivers:

   • Ensure that the general drivers for the ESP32 are installed on your device to allow proper communication with the microcontroller.

6. Execute the Program:

   • After setting up the environment and adding the necessary files and code, you can execute the program to start the web server and view the real-time data visualization.

The light sensor is connected to the ESP32 to measure light intensity:

• Connections:
  • Connect the LDR VCC pin to the 3.3V pin on ESP32
  • COnnect GND on the ESP32 and LDR.
  • Connect the output of LDR (A0 pin) of the sensor to the analog input pin (34 in our case) on the ESP32.

• Vladyslav Horbatenko - GitHub
• Salar Komeyshi - GitHub
• Kacper Hvid - GitHub