The graduate student Hammad Sheikh and his classmates have developed a technology -based intelligent kitchen assistant to help people without housing to learn to cook in their permanent support accommodation.
Cal State FULLTON’s computer majors team has created a prototype, which consists of a mini-computer with a camera and an infrared thermal camera which is above the stove. The temperature sensors mounted on the stove monitor a saucepan on the burner.
Low -cost prototype Can help users to cook simple recipes based on AI, such as Tériyaki chicken or spaghetti, said graduate students Sugandha Bhandari.
Bhandari and Sheikh, both graduates of the 2025 class, recently demonstrated the prototype.
“When someone chooses a recipe, the assistant looks at what’s going on on the stove and gives step -by -step instructions in real time,” said Sheikh. “He can see what cooks and guarantees that everything is well done, offering advice and support along the way.”
The kitchen assistant can also be used by the elderly and people with Alzheimer’s disease or other conditions that make cooking difficult.
Automatic learning algorithms are used to analyze the image sequence of a camera to identify the user’s cooking step, said Anand Panangadan, Associate Professor of Computer Science. He added that the innovative kitchen system communicate With the individual via an application on an Android tablet.
“This intelligent prototype formerly helps people who are poorly married to acquire independence and confidence by cooking,” said Sheikh. “This allows individuals to learn to prepare healthy meals at their own pace in their own space, encouraging self -sufficiency in a favorable and stimulating way.”
During its last year, community research in the Engineering and IT is supported by one year and 1.25 million dollars National Sciences Foundation to agree. The Grant project focuses on the development of prototypes of technologies from the smart house to support those formerly poorly married who now live in permanent accommodation.
Panangadan directs the project in collaboration with Kiran George, dean partner for higher education programs, research and innovation of the faculty and the professor of electrical and computer engineering; Tababhir Nobari, deputy professor of public health; And Benjamin Henwood, professor of social policy and health at the USC.
Researchers combine with Mercy House and Jamboree Housing Corp. Non -profit organizations offer permanent support housing, called community housing, combined with support services.
The use of technology in permanent support housing is limited, with little research carried out to examine technological innovations in housing for vulnerable populations, said Panangadan.
The project began with an assessment of needs developed in 2022 by Nobari, Henwood and their students. The team organized a series of discussion groups of people formerly incorporated living in permanent support housing to assess the types of technologies from which they would benefit from their new houses.
The discussion groups led to the decision to develop several technologies intended to work together in a house. The other prototypes created by teachers and students are:
- A Smart pill dispenser Manages the distribution and planning of pills, reminding individuals during the day and time to take their medication.
- A Verification of intelligent well-being The system helps residents deactivate incidents such as falls while preserving confidentiality. The system uses sensors to detect changes in the room to detect the body movement and send a warning message to a remote application if an anomaly is detected.
The next steps include the technology test of the smart house on permanent support housing sites this summer.
“Our work shows how technology can facilitate and improve services for people previously affected by homelessness,” said George.