For my capstone project at the end of my time at Queen’s University, three of my classmates and I created a remote-control stove that can be operated through the user’s phone. Each of us owned a different subsystem; I focused on safety systems so the prototype would be safe for us and end users. The key feature I built was pot presence detection: the stove turns off when a pot is removed and turns back on when it’s replaced.

Pot Detection System

The system uses OpenCV to monitor pixel-level changes across continuous frames from a camera mounted above the stovetop. Each burner has a defined bounding box; changes inside a box indicate pot placement/removal and drive the safety interlocks.