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It is solved by living: Magic Mirror on the Wall

Hunter Eschallier ’22 is a perfect example of taking advantage of all that Perkiomen School has to offer. The senior has been a member of the Perkiomen School community since Middle School. As Vice-President of the student body and a member of Student Senate, Hunter is a leader on campus.  He is also a leader in athletics, earning varsity letters in football and track, as a defensive back, sprinter, thrower, and long jumper. Academically, Hunter is on track to graduate with distinction in Artificial Intelligence Institute where he is working to complete his capstone project. Hunter has taken an idea that sparked his interest and is bringing it to life in the Innovation Center.

The AI Institute provides students an opportunity to get involved with and see the benefits of the fast-growing Artificial Intelligence field. Hunter entered the courses with limited knowledge of what would be needed to create the project he had envisioned. 

“I lacked materials, time, and knowledge on coding,” says Hunter. “After getting involved with the AI Institute I finally had the resources and enough background knowledge to start this project.” He began the process of creating what he calls the “Magic Mirror.” 

“This device is an informational display, stored in a frame, covered by 2-way glass,” Hunter explains. “When off, there is no light that shines through the glass, so it looks like an ordinary framed mirror. When on, different modules shine light making it visible through the glass. Modules consist of the academic schedule for that specific day, time, weather, current events, and the school’s logo alternating through different color variations.” 

He hopes that the mirror, once created, can be hung in hallways so that students can use the functions to see updated information and schedules. 

Hunter credits his Engineering and AP Computer Science Principles courses for giving him the background knowledge to start bringing this project to life. He also credited Mrs. Allison Rodgers, the Director of the AI Institute, as a massive resource for completing this project.

“Mrs. Rodgers was a great help out of the classroom as well,” says Hunter. “She helped debug code, supplied anything and everything needed to complete this project, and answered any of my questions I asked at any time, day or night.”

In conjunction with the other Institutes at Perkiomen School, the AI Institute provides a place for students to learn and grow and find new passions as well as practice other necessary skills for success in the real world. 

“I learned a lot within the field of engineering and computer science throughout this project,” says Hunter. With some unexpected issues that arose throughout the project, he honed his problem-solving skills and learned to take advantage of resources like the internet, faculty members, and experience learned in previous projects.

The “Magic Mirror” project is still in progress.  The technology is complete, but the frame and glass still need to be built and installed. Hunter is excited to see the project come to fruition and hopes it will get great use among his fellow students. 

 

The Institutes at Perkiomen School