Title: Building a Better MicroMouse
Advisors: Prof. Melvin Lewis
Participants: Dmitriy Kalantarov, Brett Greenberg
Description: In previous years of the Regional IEEE micromouse competition, a classical micromouse design, consisting of two unipolar stepper motors and three IR sensors was used.Ê Although a well built classical design made the mouse fairly accurate it also made it very slow, resulting in a rather boring competition where many of the teams couldnÕt finish in the allotted time. This paper presents a new design which consists of two geared DC motors for much greater speed, six IR sensors for higher resolution for more accurate mapping, and finally, a high resolution optical sensor for mapping the micromouseÕs position as its makes its way through the maze instead of the less accurate classical method of counting steps.
Title: Interactive Game for Child
Advisors: Prof. George Slack
Participants: Christopher Yang, Nick Babin, Alana Malina, Ketan Surender, Jesse Muszynski, Neil Pinto, David Carmichael, Claude Jerome, Robert Modzelewski, Pei Hong Tan
Description: The goal of this project is to create a custom handheld game for Luke, a nine-year-old child with
severe visual limitations. To accommodate this limitation, the handheld was designed to engage
multiple senses with a lower emphasis on visual interpretation. It is expected that this handheld
will provide educational and physical benefits. The lower emphasis on visual cues will help Luke
to develop other senses such as touch and hearing. Although visual cues are not a primary focus
they are included, this will provide a common activity in which all children can enjoy and will
facilitate Luke to interact with his peers while providing entertaining and educational benefits.
The final version of the project is a small, rechargeable battery powered, handheld with a 4Ó
LCD display, tactile feedback motors, stereo speakers and a simple user interface. The interface
consists of a D-pad, two action buttons, two triggers, a pause button, an analog volume control
with a headphone jack and a power button. The game is selected by inserting the game cartridge
of choice. Three games are currently provided to the user, a maze game, an avoidance game and
a rendition of the classic game Simon.
Title: Alternative Solar Cell and its implications
Advisors: Dr. Sergey Makarov
Participants: Omar Kiyani, Arvind Srinivasan, Mairaj Aftab
Description: In our project we designed a liquid based solar cell that can serve as an alternate to the solid state cell which is widely used in industry today. The cell makes use of photovoltaic effect, first discovered by by A.E Becquerel in 1839 and is able to produce a potential difference of 200mV and a steady current of 20mA.
Various factors influence the current producing ability of the soalr cell including, the light intensity, surface area of electrodes and concentration of solution.
The implications of this solar cell are tremendous. As theoretically, whole of earth's water body( which forms 72% of the earth's surface area) together with copper electrodes can be used to produce extremely cheap solar energy.
Title: Autonomous Navigation for an Ornithopter
Advisors: Dr. Yifei Li
Participants: Stephen Moniz, Jared Montrowl, Jeffrey Paulson, Andrew Patten
Description: The project involves the navigation of a remote control helicopter by a
ground station to a predefined target. The only user interface will be
done preflight to set the initial target coordinates, mission (land,
hover, return, etc.) and height. The original proposal was to use an
ornithopter because of its realistic appearance and flight characteristics
but due to budget constraints, the ornithopter could not be used.
The deliverable is going to demonstrate that a low cost autonomous
aircraft can be built. Also, with only a small increase in funding and
development, the distance of the flight will be limitless; the ornithopter
would be able to land on power lines to recharge itself (no longer
dependent on battery) and use an onboard microprocessor (would not need to
stay within certain range of ground station).
An ornithopter will be capable of carrying a light payload such as a
camera, jammer, or other deliverable. This makes the ornithopter a
platform for surveillance, radar scrambling, or a weapon delivery system
at a low cost.
Title: Design and Implementation of an Electric Drive-Train for a Golf Car
Advisor: Prof. Shaahin Filizadeh
Participants: Neil Crawford, Kossi Gaglo, Asadilan Indrabudi
Description: Due to their typical drive cycles, which involve short trips, frequent stops and periods of
engine idling, golf cars are excellent candidates for conversion to electric drives. An electric drive-
train offers silent, emission-free and energy-efficient operation. Emissions are eliminated through
use of an on-board battery that provides energy for electric drive motor(s). Engine idling that is an
entirely wasteful mode of operation of conventional gas engines is eliminated and is replaced with
electric motor shut-downs. The overnight down-time provides guaranteed opportunity to re-charge
the on-board battery pack for next day operations.
The project has undertaken conversion of a golf car to one with an electric drive. A compact,
high-power dc motor is used for the drive, and is controlled through a power electronic converter.
The converter is controlled through an embedded micro-controller, which generates command
signals to the converter according to the userÕs request and with consideration of the safe limits for
the operation of the vehicle. The project has involved the study of the power and energy
requirements of the vehicle, development of the drive converter, and design and optimization of the
associated drive strategy. The project has resulted in a working prototype of an electric golf car.
Title: Personal Head-up Display
Advisors: Prof. Tilman Wolf
Participants: Ivan Bercovich, Radu-Andrei Ivan, Jeffrey Little, Felipe Vilas-Boas
Description: Our project develops a personal head-up display to provide users with
an "augmented reality." Based on the user's position and their head's
tilt, pitch, and yaw, relevant information is displayed in their field
of vision such that it appears to be part of the environment. The
system consists of three main components: (1) a sensing unit, which
uses an accelerometer, gyroscope, solid-state compass, and global
positioning system to determine where the user is looking, (2) a
embedded processing system to compute the image that needs to be
displayed for the user to create the perception of an augmented
reality, and (3) the head-up display that displays that image. We have
designed a custom printed circuit board for the sensing unit. An
embedded microcontroller performs signal processing tasks to reduce
the noise from various sensors. The embedded processing system runs
embedded OpenGL on Linux and uses the position information from the
sensing unit to adjust the camera angle in the virtual OpenGL
environment. The rendered image is displayed on semi-transparent,
semi-reflective glass using a small, LED-based projector. We have
implemented and tested each system component and are in the process of
integrating the complete system.
Title: Design Optimization of a Quad-Rotor Capable of Autonomous Flight
Advisors: Willam R. Michalson, Michael A. Demetriou
Participants: Tanvir Anjum, Paul Lindenfelzer, Kyle Gustafson, Antonio DiCesare
Description: This report covers the design, analysis, manufacturing, and testing of an autonomous quad-rotor helicopter. A control system was designed and implemented through the use of an onboard microcomputer and inertial measurement system. The goal of the helicopter was to maintain a hover at a programmable altitude.
Title: Thermoelectric Light
Advisors: Dr. John Ventura
Participants: Nicholas Brown, Amanda Taylor
Description: Electrical power is a vital prerequisite for any modern economy. Therefore, an extraordinary amount of electricity is used every day around the globe. Today, electricity is incredibly easy to produce and via modern technologies, is an amazingly efficient way to power most things. If one lives in a moderately developed country there is always electricity available. This surplus of energy does not come without a price; however, electricity is considered somewhat of a staple and able people pay for it despite the cost. In America, life without electricity is somewhat unimaginable. In contrast, the vast majority of people living in developing countries have little or no electricity. As mentioned before, electricity is generally easy to produce so the real challenge is determining how to develop a viable source of energy at little or ideally no cost.
This project includes the complete design and implementation for a portable thermoelectric generator. This includes all supporting mechanical and electrical equipment systems as well as detailed specifications on operation. The main goal of this design is to create a device which can be implemented in developing countries for the purpose of providing cheap, environmentally friendly energy for lighting. Specifically, the goal is to develop a low cost Seebeck Effect driven thermoelectric generator that provides sufficient power to illuminate high intensity light emitting diodes. This project stands as a demonstration of how engineering fundamentals, coupled into the hands of determined engineers, can develop solutions to energy deficiencies around the world.
Title: Watt Watcher
Advisors: Victor Derefinko
Participants: Kishore Padmaraju, Matt Magill, Tyler Kieft, Icy Cao
Description: Our project is a power meter, dubbed the Watt Watcher. It is a standalone device that interfaces between a wall outlet and any appliance that normally draws power from the wall outlet. The Watt Watcher plugs into the wall, and the appliance plugs into the Watt Watcher. The Watt Watcher measures and logs the reactive and real power consumption of the appliance. User input buttons and a large LCD display allows the Watt Watcher to display the real time and past power usage in numerical and graphical form. We would hope that consumers would use the Watt Watcher to monitor their long-term energy consumption and change their habits so as to reduce energy usage.
Title: Odin: The Cartographic Conductor
Advisors: Greg Phillips
Participants: Paul Moreau, Jeremy Paquet
Description: The Odin system allows a user to interact with a digital map using
only hand gestures in free space. Available interactions include
panning, zooming and rotating the map, plus the ability to add symbols
to user-specified map locations and to manipulate those symbols. The
system was implemented at a very low cost through the use of a
Nintendo WiiMote¨, infrared light emitting diodes configured in
specially-developed gloves, and a sophisticated software system
designed and implemented by the project team. The WiiMote provides
high-resolution tracking data for up to four light spots. The Odin
software maps these spots onto fingers, performs gesture recognition
(based on a gesture set developed for the system), and translates
gestures into map manipulations, all in real-time with no perceptible
lag. Engineering challenges overcome in the implementation of Odin
include development and refinement of the infrared gloves for maximum
detection, algorithmic design of robust gesture recognition,
appropriate handling of unrecognizable gestures, and performance
tuning of the map rendering subsystem. The final system is simple,
effective, fluid, and fun to use.
Title: Wildfire
Advisors: LTC Michael Brownfield
Participants: Thomas Marks, Adam Szczypka, Andrew Jones, Steven Mahoney, Justine Swift, Christopher Generazio
Description: The Army needs remote self-operating wireless sensor networks to detect enemy targets ranging in size from a single human to a tank and to relay that information to either a monitoring or an automated munitions system. The network must have a total lifetime of at least 30 days with an ideal of greater than 90 days. To fulfill this requirement, our project utilizes Parallax passive infrared sensors and MicaZ motes programmed in nesC arranged in a grid-array using standard D-cell batteries. Currently, our network system is capable of detecting a human sized target at a distance of 33 feet. It implements an intelligent power management system that allows one mote to poll its sensors while the others conserve power; upon target acquisition, a wireless alert is transmitted to activate the dormant motes. Our approach extends the battery life well beyond 90 days without sacrificing target detection capability. Target location is currently accomplished by displaying a LED box around each moving target with ongoing efforts directed towards improving remote monitoring. The near-term implications of this project, when coupled with automated munitions, will result in more intelligent and effective minefields with less collateral damage and civilian injury. For sensor networks in general, our energy saving and communication algorithms are immediately beneficial for any applications that demand speed and efficiency. This project represents the capstone design experience for four electrical engineering and two computer science majors at the United States Military Academy.
Title: SimEx
Advisors: Major Marc Fricker
Participants: Charles Grenier-Chalifoux, Michel Gosselin
Description: Our engineering project is an explosion simulator called the SimEx. Our project consisted of designing and implementing three devices that work together in order to properly simulate the effects of an explosion in order to help with the training of Canadian military and law enforcement personnel. The devices are the SimEx itself, the vest worn by the training personnel and the wireless remote detonator.
The SimEx emits two signals simultaneously, a radio frequency signal and an audio frequency signal. The vest receives the two signals from the SimEx at different times. By measuring the difference in their arrival times, the vest can calculate its distance from the SimEx. It then calculates the damage done to the soldier by using the measured distance from the explosion; the closer the explosion, the more damage.
Our project is very important for the Canadian Forces Combat Training Center. Pre-deployment training for soldier going to Afghanistan is currently lacking a proper Improvised Explosive Device (IED) simulator. With the increasing number of soldiers killed (52% of the Canadian soldiersÕ death in Afghanistan were from IEDs) or wounded due to IEDs in Afghanistan, it is imperative that the soldiers learn to properly react to an IED explosion and therefore need an adequate simulator during their training.
Title: SAMIS
Advisors: Philip H. Viall
Participants: Michael Rijo, Keith Tremblay, Paul Zeller, Michael Daly
Description: SAMIS is comprised of two major components, the buoy locator unit (BLU),
and the mooring unit (MU). The BLU will remains on a boat, where a user
will operate the system. It receives GPS coordinates and status
information from the MU using a RF modem. The BLU will display this
information on its LCD touch screen and also then sends this data as a
waypoint to a NMEA 0183 compatible chartplotter, which is then plotted on
a nautical map. The BLU has a user interface that will allow the user to
select from multiple moorings at one time.
The MU will be mounted to a mooring and left at sea for an extended
duration. The MU is equipped with a GPS module to collect data, an RF
modem to communicate with the BLU, a 12 volt battery charger to recharge
the batteries between uses, a micro-controller to manage the system and
two powerful LED's to illuminate the MU for visibility. The MU is
shielded from the elements in a watertight housing that is buoyant and
weather resistant. SAMIS is intended to help a user determine the
location of a mooring and then navigate to this mooring with ease.
Title: Design, Layout, and Fabrication of an 8 Bit Successive Approximation ADC and 4 Bit Microprocessor
Advisors: Dr. Lynn Fuller
Participants: Garret Phillips, Andrew Ryan
Description: The goal of this project is to successfully design, layout, fabricate, and test both an 8 Bit Successive Approximation ADC and 4 Bit Microprocessor in RIT's 2 micron Sub-CMOS Technology. The devices are being fabricated in RIT's Semiconductor Manufacturing and Fabrication Laboratory. The design and layout was preformed with Mentor Graphics software. Key design techniques were implemented in both designs to ensure the robustness of the devices against the variation of the fabrication process. The Sub-CMOS technology is a 2 micron technology that is a single work function process utilizing LOCOS isolation as well as lightly doped drains.
Title: Ultrasonic 3D Camera
Advisors: Duane Marcy
Participants: Taylor Johnson, Gafei Szeto, Charles Slominski, Daniel Corcoran
Description: The Ultrasonic 3D Camera is a system that creates a mapping of a room
or an object and displays it as a three-dimensional surface in a
modeling program. A phased array of ultrasonic transducers is
predictably driven by an FPGA in order to perform beam forming and
beam steering. After a beam is formed, it is steered in the direction
of the target object. When the beam contacts the target object, some
of the beam reflects off its surface and returns to the phased array.
The phased array detects the return of the beam, and performs a
time-of-flight calculation to determine the distance from the phased
array to the target object. This distance, combined with the known
direction in which the beam was originally steered, can then be used
to represent a single point in three-space, if the array itself is
taken to be the origin. After this process is repeated multiple times,
enough data is available so that a point cloud can be sent over a UDP
connection to our modeling software, where a three-dimensional mesh is
then created based on the point cloud.
