🧭 GuideLine

An augmented reality tool that visually guides users through the breadboarding process.

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🧠 Inspiration⼁

As students running a robotics club, we kept seeing the same thing:

New members join, excited to learn electronics — but the moment breadboards and schematics come out, they freeze.

• The diagrams are confusing
• The connections aren’t clear
• One small mistake can break everything

Eventually, they give up — not because they lack potential, but because the tools fail them.

We built GuideLine because everyone deserves a chance to build and learn without being held back by bad UX and intimidating tools.

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💡 What It Does⼁

GuideLine is an augmented reality tool that visually guides users through the breadboarding process.

• Upload a schematic (from Fritzing, KiCad, or EAGLE)
• Point your phone at your breadboard
• See glowing highlights showing exactly where each wire and component goes
• Follow step-by-step instructions until your circuit is complete

📍 It’s like a GPS for electronics.

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⚙️ How It Works⼁

• AR & Computer Vision detect and calibrate the physical breadboard layout
• Schematic Parser extracts wiring instructions and component locations
• Real-Time AR Overlay lights up individual holes for each connection
• Step-by-Step Mode guides the user through each placement with optional haptic feedback

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🏆 Accomplishments⼁

• Functional AR interface with real-time wiring overlays
• Accurate schematic parsing from Fritzing exports
• Breadboard recognition using corner detection + homography mapping
• Optimized mobile performance to maintain 30 FPS with AR overlays

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📚 What We Learned⼁

• Computer vision + AR is way more fragile on mobile than expected
• Robust schematic parsing across platforms (Fritzing, KiCad, EAGLE) is non-trivial
• UI/UX matters as much as the tech — if users don’t trust it, they won’t use it
• Cross-functional collaboration is essential in CV, AR, and mobile development

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🚀 What’s Next for GuideLine⼁

• Add support for more schematic formats (e.g. KiCad netlists, JSON)
• Build a real-time feedback system to detect incorrect placements
• Integrate with education platforms (classroom/curriculum support)
• Launch a community schematic library for beginners
• Polish the UI, expand to iOS, and test in schools & makerspaces