EECS 497: Food Allergies App

Brian Murphy, Jason Stanley, Jeremy Darby, Edgar Watson IIEECS 497: Food Allergies AppNeedsource: www.fda.gov/Food/ResourcesForYou/Consumers/ucm079311.htmOver 160 foods are known to cause food allergiesFDA requires only 8 to be identified on food labelsPeople with special dietary needs must know what brands they can/cant buySome ingredients are tricky and unexpectedly contain allergense.g. Whey(milk), lecithin(soy), flour(wheat)

SolutionEasy-to-use Android app that identifies specific allergens in foodCharacter recognition software reads label ingredients Notifies user of potential allergensCustomizable allergen filtersScreen image

Software ArchitectureCharacter recognition software (OCR)Database of FDA-identified ingredientsDatabase of user allergiesClassifies ingredients

GOTCHASImplementing character recognition softwareSmall vocabularySimple typefacesBuilding database of ingredients and allergiesPhotographic quality of phoneLabel corner casesDoes not contain nuts

Secret SauceCharacter recognition softwareTaking picture of ingredients labelCharacter recognition vs. barcodeSupports unlimited number of productsCustomizable allergy filter

Milestone chartWeek:EdgarBrian JeremyJasonJan. 15-22BrainstormingBrainstormingBrainstormingBrainstormingJan. 22-29Architecture DesignArchitecture DesignArchitecture DesignArchitecture DesignJan. 29-Feb. 5Ingredient DatabaseAllergy DatabaseIngredient DatabaseAllergy DatabaseFeb. 5-12Ingredient DatabaseOCRIngredient DatabaseOCRFeb. 12-19OCROCRPhoto CapturingOCRFeb. 19-26Menu & UI FrameworkOCRMenu & UI FrameworkOCRFeb. 26-March 4Core CodeCore CodeCore CodeCore CodeMarch 4-11Initial Testing AudioAudioInitital TestingMarch 11-18Ingredient HelperTestingTestingIngredient HelperMarch 18-25Optional FeaturesOptional FeaturesEating PringlesOptional FeaturesMarch 25-April 1Final TestingFinal TestingFinal TestingFinal TestingApril 1-8Presentation PreparationPresentation PreparationPresentation PreparationPresentation PreparationCompetitionMy Food Facts iPhone AppSimilar idea, costs $1.99, and has relatively poor reviewsOnly allows scanning of barcodesFrom about.coms review: My Food Facts shows a lot of promise, but the database behind the app is not quite robust enough at this point to make it useful on a day-to-day level for people with food allergies. The limited number of allergens that My Food Facts will screen for also limits the usefulness of the app.

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