Project Hub /Artificial Intelligence & Edge ML/Gesture Recognition/The Smart Panel

Intermediate

ESP8266

₹1,500 – ₹5,000

6 – 12 Hours

Partial Kit

The Smart Panel

A custom smart panel featuring a Sipeed Maixduino AI+IoT board and an ESP8266, equipped with touch sensors, relays, an LCD screen for time and environmental data, and gesture recognition.

Originally published on CircuitDigest

View original tutorial

Parts You'll Need

This project is sourced from another site, not written by us — this list is our best match of their components against what we stock, not a verified bill of materials. Always check the original blog (linked above) for the actual parts list before buying.

NodeMCU ESP8266 WIFI development board based on CP2102 Rs. 660.00
5V 1 Channel Relay Module Rs. 45.00
TTP223 Touch Sensor (Blue PCB) Rs. 39.00
DHT11 Temperature and Humidity Sensor Module for Arduino Raspberry Pi Rs. 89.00
IR Proximity Sensor Module With Pot Rs. 55.00
MB102 Adjustable Breadboard Power Supply Module (3.3V & 5V) for Arduino & Raspberry Pi Rs. 139.00
400 Points Mini Solderless Prototype PCB Breadboard High Quality Rs. 89.00
Jumper Wire 10 Pin Male To Male 20cm Rs. 45.00
Jumper Wire 10 Pin Male To Female 20cm Rs. 45.00

Selected: Rs. 0.00

We don't carry yet: Other Dev Board (Indusboard / Maixduino / misc)
TFT / Touch LCD
Speaker / Audio Amplifier
LED Strip / NeoPixel / WS2812

Browse all components

How It Works

The Smart Panel functions as a centralized hub for automation, environmental monitoring, and interactive control, driven by a dual-controller architecture utilizing the Sipeed Maixduino AI+IoT board and an ESP8266 NodeMCU. The Sipeed Maixduino acts as the primary vision and edge AI processor, capturing visual data to enable gesture recognition, which allows users to interact with the system using hand movements. Visual feedback and system data, such as time and sensor readings, are rendered on the ST7789 LCD Screen, while the onboard speaker provides audio cues. Environmental monitoring is handled by the DHT11 sensor for temperature and humidity, alongside an IR obstacle sensor for proximity detection. User input can also be captured locally via TTP223 touch sensors. The ESP8266 manages network connectivity and auxiliary tasks, coordinating with the 4-channel relay board to switch external electrical loads, such as lighting or appliances. Addressable WS2812B LED strips provide customizable visual status indicators or ambient lighting effects. The entire hardware suite is powered reliably by a dedicated 5V 20W power supply, ensuring stable operation across all logic boards, sensors, and display modules.

Why Build This

Design and deploy an advanced edge AI interface utilizing gesture recognition for touchless smart home appliance control.

Integrate multiple microcontrollers and communication protocols to process environmental sensor data and display it on an ST7789 screen.

Implement high-level automation systems combining relay switching, WS2812B addressable lighting, and environmental monitoring for real-world IoT applications.

Real-World Application

Smart home wall panels, interactive environmental monitoring displays, and automated lighting control systems.

Skills You'll Learn

Edge AI deployment

Gesture recognition processing

Environmental sensor interfacing

Relay control logic

Addressable LED data timing

Serial communication protocols

Display rendering

Safety Precautions

Ensure proper handling of AC mains relays if connected to high voltage, and use a reliable 5V 20W power supply.

Technology Tags

AIOT

K210

ESP32

DHT11

ST7789

UART

PLATFORMIO

ARDUINO

TOUCH SENSORS

RELAYS

Frequently Asked Questions

Why are both a Sipeed Maixduino and an ESP8266 used in the same project?

The Sipeed Maixduino provides the heavy computational power required for edge AI vision tasks like gesture recognition, while the ESP8266 handles networking and auxiliary control duties.

Can I power all the components and the WS2812B LED strips directly from the microcontroller pins?

No, WS2812B LED strips and relays draw significant current. The project utilizes a dedicated 5V 20W power supply to ensure sufficient and stable current delivery to all components without overloading the boards.

What software environment is required to program the boards?

The project uses the Arduino IDE and PlatformIO within VS Code to write, compile, and upload code to both the ESP8266 and the Maixduino platform.

Gallery

This page is part of Kitkraft's Project Hub — a curated collection of electronics & robotics projects gathered from the maker community to help students and hobbyists discover and learn to build. Kitkraft does not claim authorship of the original project, and makes no representation as to the accuracy, completeness or safety of third-party source material. The summary and "How It Works" explanation above are AI-generated, rewritten with reference to the original tutorial — not a reproduction of it. Full credit and a direct link to the original source are provided above. If you're the original creator and have a concern about how your work is represented here, please contact us and we'll address it promptly.

Kitkraft Project Hub — curated from the maker community, credited at the source.

PRJ-01067