Our IETP project commenced with a foundational orientation, illuminating the program's overarching goals and the expected interdisciplinary engagement across various engineering fields, including Electrical and Computer Engineering. This initial session quickly highlighted a pressing deadline;our team was tasked with presenting a preliminary project title to our advisor within just two days. This compressed timeline immediately spurred us into initial brainstorming, where we balanced considerations of cost-effectiveness, novelty, and the pragmatic application of our diverse skill sets.

Following this expedited briefing, I facilitated our team meeting with our advisor to discuss our first project concept. His insights were incredibly valuable, indicating that our initial proposal was underdeveloped and failed to encompass the full range of engineering disciplines within our group. This feedback strongly emphasized that a truly impactful project necessitates the effective integration of the majority of our team's varied expertise.

This productive discussion led us to pivot, dedicating the remainder of the week to an intensive re-evaluation of our project ideas. We channeled our efforts into developing fresh concepts, ultimately submitting three new and more comprehensive project titles for our advisor's consideration. Week 1, though challenging with its tight deadlines and initial redirection, proved instrumental in solidifying our team's understanding of effective collaboration and adaptable problem-solving.

As for the second week, our team reconvened to refine potential project concepts, culminating in the development of three revised titles: a Smart Plant Monitoring Device, a Smart Disaster Alert System, and a Smart Gas Leakage Detection and Alert System. For each idea, we constructed proposals outlining the objectives, proposed system design, anticipated outcomes, and the designated contributions of each team member. These were then dispatched to our advisor for his critical assessment. While our improvements were acknowledged, we were encouraged to pursue a more innovative and distinctive direction.

Fueled by this feedback, we engaged in further brainstorming, prompting a shift towards concepts with greater real-world relevance, feasibility, and originality. The pivotal moment arrived when a team member suggested an Automated Underground Water Detection Robot, an idea that instantly resonated with the group. Following comprehensive evaluation, we determined that this concept satisfied all our core criteria: innovation, skill alignment, and budgetary feasibility. Our advisor formally approved this project, signaling the official commencement of our IETP journey and highlighting the value of both persistence and creative thinking in surmounting design challenges.

Establishment of  the project's technical foundation began here,on the third week. Our team dived deep into researching viable underground water detection methodologies, with a particular focus on soil resistivity measurement using techniques like the Wenner method. Concurrently, we investigated how robotic platforms could effectively automate environmental sensing tasks. As an ECE student, I found the initial outlining of our robot's core subsystems—comprising the mobility, sensing circuit, control unit, and display/output components—especially crucial for defining our electrical and computational pathways.

Building on this foundational research, we engaged in market analysis to gather precise information regarding the cost and availability of essential materials, meticulously refining our system design to ensure budget adherence. This phase also involved clearly delineating each team member's responsibilities, from circuit design and programming to mechanical assembly and documentation. We then synthesized all this information into a comprehensive project proposal, articulating our essential system functionalities, their implementation strategies, and ensuring alignment with our overarching objectives before submission. This week truly solidified our technical direction and propelled us from an approved concept to a structured plan.

This past week primarily involved bringing our project's formal documentation to its conclusion and progressing significantly into the initial hardware schematic. Our team meticulously completed the comprehensive written project blueprint, detailing all aspects of our Automated Underground Water Detection Robot. Simultaneously, we began illustrating the preliminary layouts for the robot’s crucial propulsion system and sensing unit. As an Electrical and Computer Engineering student, I focused intensively on examining vital components such as the  Arduino microcontroller, operational amplifier, and the essential soil electrodes, paying close attention to their intended functional interplay.

A key milestone this period was our consultation with the advisor, where we presented our refined proposal and preliminary design concepts. We were provided with invaluable feedback, specifically targeting enhancements for overall system cohesion and greater clarity regarding our measurement protocols. Following this guidance, we commenced outlining the robot's entire operational sequence, from its locomotion and data gathering processes to the ultimate presentation of its findings. This structured engagement considerably deepened our technical insight and bolstered our confidence in the underlying engineering principles of our design.

Week five centered on a rigorous evaluation of our initial submission, which highlighted several gaps in our technical depth and document presentation. This critique served as a vital lesson in the necessity of precision and accessible communication within engineering reports. I collaborated with my teammates to overhaul our structural layout and technical specifications, ensuring the final draft met high-level professional benchmarks. Following our advisor’s endorsement of the updated plan, we have successfully pivoted from the conceptual phase to active development, where I am now focusing on drafting the logic for our microcontroller's primary algorithm.

Sixth week began with the analysis of the components we need for our project.As an electrical engineer I was focusing on the physical assembly and circuit architecture. I developed a strategic wiring schematic for the motor drivers and power distribution, ensuring a stable electrical foundation for the system's signal paths.

Our seventh week focused on a strategic consultation with our advisor to solidify our technical blueprints and design logic. We performed a detailed audit of the necessary hardware components, evaluating market pricing and stock status to secure a viable procurement path. To ensure the system’s operational reliability, we established a series of pilot trials and diagnostic protocols to be executed before full-scale integration. This moment officially shifted our project from theoretical modeling into active development, providing a precise trajectory for the construction phase.

For this period, our primary focus was the strategic acquisition of hardware for our water-sensing system, which involved comparing the cost-efficiency of pre-packaged sets against individual electronics. We conducted a rigorous inspection of the gathered supplies to ensure every piece met our engineering standards and was fully compatible with our proposed circuit. This successful transition into the sourcing phase has effectively shifted our efforts from abstract modeling to the tangible construction of the prototype.

We concluded our sourcing by obtaining the final materials from 4-Kilo Electronics, ensuring that all part substitutions adhered to our technical and financial requirements. Having finalized our hardware inventory, we have now officially advanced to the system integration and physical assembly phase.

We initiated the physical integration of the chassis and drive system, prioritizing the precise mounting of actuators and evaluating electrode configurations for optimal signal acquisition. I specifically focused on the electrical wiring and power distribution layout, ensuring that the circuitry was properly routed to support stable current flow and signal integrity. This hardware assembly stage was essential for mapping our microcontroller’s I/O pins and identifying potential mechanical alignment issues before full system deployment.

This particular week was when our collective synergy successfully transformed our blueprints into a functional system. Our team showed impressive dedication and unity, with everyone working together. The ECE team focused on the critical connections between our controller and the hardware, ensuring proper power regulation and reliable interfacing between the Arduino, motors, servo, and sensing electrodes. We specifically managed voltage stability and protected the electrode signal paths. Our entire group spent long nights in the field, collecting various soil samples and solving circuit problems as a unified team. I worked to ensure the power distribution was robust so that the Arduino could accurately communicate with the motors and sensing probes. Ultimately, this intense collaboration across different engineering fields was key to making our software and physical components work in perfect harmony.

Our twelfth week opened with a decisive meeting on Wednesday to demonstrate the integrated underground water detecting robot’s complete operational cycle, ranging from mobility to autonomous soil resistivity measurements. This session served as a testament to the seamless synergy between our various disciplines, including the software, electrical, mechanical, electromechanical, civil, and mining teams. After reviewing our progress, the advisor confirmed the functional results were successful and recommended that we finalize the chassis with a protective cover and ensure all internal wiring and power connections were fully secured.

In response, we dedicated the following two days to refining the physical structure and stabilizing our hardware interface to achieve a professional finish. We returned for the formal evaluation shortly after, presenting a polished system that performed exactly as intended. During this final walkthrough, we successfully verified that our automated process strictly adhered to the foundational Wenner resistivity theory. The positive feedback we received validated our months of interdisciplinary teamwork, marking a rewarding and official conclusion to our project development.