2018

Just Dew It

Anonymous — Wed, 09 May 2018 14:18:01 +0000

Just Dew It Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 05/09/2018 - 08:18

Team Members: Mackinley Kath, Derek Mullen, Alanna Siler, Lauren Lee

Project Sponsor: Professor Al Gasiewski

Currently the CET lab has an airborne system that drops into a hurricane and sends useful data back to be analyzed. The issue is that there is no way to tell when the system is in a cloud. We need to know when it is in a cloud because that is where the most important data comes from. Information gathered outside of the clouds is of little use.

A solution is a very small sensor and LED integrated into the preexisting dropsonde system. The LED will flash with high luminosity and if the lidar is actually in a cloud, the LED will reflect off of the the water particles and the sensor will detect the reflection. The system will then receive an alert as to whether the data is viable or not. Based on the amount of reflected light, the lidar system will be able to determine if it is inside a cloud.

The lidar system will most directly benefit the meteorological community and their study of large and developing storms. The lidar will transmit data on the cloud formations as it falls through, giving meteorologists a better understand of the structure of the storms they are studying. This will then indirectly benefit the communities that could be impacted by these storms, as they will be provided with more information and will be able to prepare accordingly.

The current system has no way to detect if it is in a cloud. Analysts can give an educated guess that they’re in cloud if the humidity reading is over 100%. However, there is no part of this system that is designed to detect a cloud. With our sensor, they will be able to know what sections of the data are most relevant and therefore make a better prediction on the incoming storm.

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Volt Vision

Anonymous — Wed, 09 May 2018 14:15:14 +0000

Volt Vision Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 05/09/2018 - 08:15

Team Members: Marisa Edwinson, Bader Albader, Ahmed Algallaf, Walter Wright, Muhammad Abdul Rahman, Alexis Deukam

Most products on the market are not designed to include paralyzed or physically challenged individuals in their end user group. These users face the challenge of moving through their day autonomously, without the help of a secondary individual. The product ( V.V.) allows users of all physical capacities to control external devices hands-free and become more independent in manipulating their environment to meet everyday needs. In this way, the product achieves accessibility for just about all individuals in the global population.

The V.V. is a wireless wearable that controls an external device using one’s eyes to send commands. The V.V. merges human touch with technology, evolving from machine-to-machine communication to human-to-machine communication.

V.V. would benefit a large variety of people ranging from children to the elderly. Simply put, anyone with control over their vision is able to use this device.

The focus of the V.V. is to be used to control IOT (Internet of Things) technologies ranging from helping and supporting physically impaired individuals to giving developers a platform to work off of. Developers will benefit by having access to V.V’s SDK, allowing them to program any device to be controlled by V.V. Below we have outlined specific V.V. applications and the groups who would benefit from them:

Entertainment Electronics [ i.e. Toys ]

Children
Gamers
Developers

Unmanned Aerial Exploration Vehicles [ i.e. Drones ]

Disaster relief groups
Military
Drone Enthusiasts
Terrain exploration

Assistive Appliance [ i.e. Wheelchairs ]

Physically Debilitated Individuals

Capabilities:

The V.V brings a new concept of controlling devices without the need of handheld device. It uses wireless connection and eye movement to remotely command an interfaced external device with minimal effort, hands-free. Below are more specific use cases outlined to demonstrate the different capabilities of the V.V.

Toys/Entertainment: V.V could be used to control mobile toys for entertainment purposes with ease, no matter to what degree a child is able to move their limbs.
Control of UAVs: Military personnel could discreetly control unmanned aerial vehicles from behind enemy lines or in other life threatening environments in which path traversal is physically unsafe. Security systems programmed into device such that a “code” must be unlocked using a specific sequence of eye movements.
Control of Robots: This wearable device could be used by individuals exploring unknown or perilous terrain to control mobile robotic devices equipped with surveillance devices (cameras) to capture data on the stretch of land. V.V would allow robots to traverse a specific path to find individuals seeking help or to find a location of interest. Cameras equipped on robot allow continuous and real time field of view for the user, allowing the user to remain stationary. The same concept could be applied to users residing inside of buildings such as schools and places of business who use the robots to seek assistance or physical objects to aid in an event of crisis or danger.
Control of Wheelchairs: Individuals suffering from muscular or limb movement inhibiting conditions could easily transport themselves around environments by using this V.V to control the movement of their wheelchair without assistance from another individual.

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B�ǳܲԳ��

Anonymous — Wed, 09 May 2018 14:03:37 +0000

B�ǳܲԳ�� Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 05/09/2018 - 08:03

Team Members: Trevor Dunn, Troy Davis, Thomas Gayagoy, Zachary Linder, Shaun Byrne

Sponsored by: Encore Electric Inc.

A recurring issue for many outdoor professionals is the absence of reliable cellular connection for their mobile devices. In today's market, there exists no cheap option to personally extended cell phone coverage into mountainous regions. Satellite phones, and personal
beacons require expensive subscriptions, and often lose coverage in steep terrain or inclement weather. This lack of coverage results in two major problems. First, the absence of a cellular communication limits the abilities of emergency personnel who are searching for missing persons. Second, a lack of cell coverage limits semi-urgent communication which might result in an emergency situation. Loading a trail map, coordinating a trail head pick up, or locating lost individuals are all examples of semi-urgent communications. In a world of increasing data demands, our product aims to provide extended data coverage to a demographic who frequently travel outside cellular network range. Through the use of Bounce our group hopes to provide text and data coverage from individual to cell network.

The Bounce system establishes a mesh network which allows individuals to transmit emergency communications by relaying signals across several nodes to an existing cellular network. In addition to emergency communications, users can send and receive data and text
messages to anyone in the world. Bounce also aims to add a level of comfort and security to a class of people that can be classified as adventurers. This group includes all people that enjoy backcountry skiing, hiking, fishing/hunting, and camping. These adventurers are able to stay in touch with family and friends by sending updates on their location and how their experience is going. Sending pictures, downloading websites, and text messaging is a comfort we have all come to enjoy. Bounce is geared towards bringing comfort, convenience, and safety to adventures around the world.

Backcountry mesh network systems currently exist on the market. GoTenna, a main competitor, uses multiple devices to establish an encrypted mobile ad hoc network in which users send messages to each other. The fault of this product is a lack of outside communication
to cellular networks. Bounce bridges this gap by providing an onboard cellular modem that handles data and SMS relay capabilities. GoTenna and similar products restrict the number of total users by requiring one network node per user. Bounce can host multiple users on a single network node by using a proprietary node management system.

Communication shouldn’t be hard. Bounce works out of the box, so gear up and grab some friends. Don’t worry, we’ll take care of all the technical nonsense so you can stay focused on your epic adventure.

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Nannies for Grannies

Anonymous — Wed, 09 May 2018 13:57:12 +0000

Nannies for Grannies Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 05/09/2018 - 07:57

Team Members: Christopher Maesaka, Joshua Asmussen, Jeremy Storey, Bryce Griebenow, Mohammad AlNoaimi

Sponsors: Frank Barnes, Kimberly Newman

With the rising costs of personalized healthcare some seniors cannot afford to hire a nanny and are forced to move out of their home. Seniors with risk of injury due to dementia are especially vulnerable to this. Simple tasks for patients with dementia can almost be impossible to accomplish without assistance like taking medication on a timely basis or even maneuvering around the home.

The robot is capable of maneuvering throughout a home and completing simple tasks to assist the elderly in everyday activities. Tasks include but are not limited to monitoring heart rate and location of individual, calling for emergency services, environment sensing, and accepting verbal commands.

This product will benefit those who require assistance in caring for themselves as a supplement, before turning towards a nurse or assisted care. Mainly, it will focus on aiding the elderly in monitoring their home and completing minor tasks, especially if they are particularly
forgetful. The target user will normally have a relative or friend that has to come over often to check on them. This system will assure this relative/friend that their loved one is safe and sound.

The product addresses the concept of sending seniors to nursing homes and handle the unnecessary costs.

Capabilities:

Able to recognize emergencies and act accordingly.
Work round the clock and monitor health and provide care without the presence of a nurse.
Provide basic data a user can access on an app.
Administer medication on time
Monitor Air Quality/Temperature/Heart Rate

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MagnetICs

Anonymous — Fri, 04 May 2018 22:00:30 +0000

MagnetICs Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 05/04/2018 - 16:00

Team Members: Huan Nguyen, Clint Olsen, Doan Bui, Ben Herman, Matt Zarekani, and Gabriel Yen

Guidance from: Dr. Richard Saltus and Dr. Manoj Nair from NOAA/CIRES

The measurement of Earth’s magnetic field has been an interesting and profitable field for scientists past and present. Such data allows for navigational techniques (through the creation of maps of the planet’s field data) and exploration of natural phenomena, such as the way Earth’s magnetic field shields flora and fauna from harmful cosmic events such as solar wind and radiation.

The scientists, both professional and hobbyist, who wish to record measurements of Earth’s magnetic field for interest and profit (e.g. in the creation of NOAA’s magnetic/true north declination models) currently face two main problems: the first is that noise is prevalent in magnetic measurements due to both internal and external interference. The data provided to NOAA is therefore not as accurate as desired. The second problem is that scientific-quality instruments are expensive, and difficult to deploy on a larger scale.

In the CrowdMag phone app, the current widespread tool for measurement of magnetic fields that both amateur and professional scientists can use, the internal noise comes from a variety of sources, the first being that magnetic sensors embedded in the phones are subject to interference from the metal of the enclosures, which holds the phone’s integrated circuits. These ICs also emit heat and electromagnetic interference, which has an outsized distorting effect on the magnetic sensors, invalidating measurements affected by thermal and magnetic interference.

This thermal and magnetic interference can also come from powerful external sources such as power lines, electrical transformers, large vehicles and other electromechanical structures. The scientific-quality instruments that are sophisticated enough to account for thermal and magnetic interference are difficult to deploy on a large scale due to cost, in both dollars and man-hours. In addition, operating and interpreting these instruments requires specialized knowledge.

The CrowdMag External Sensor (CES) implements a sensor system that abstracts the collection of important magnetic data from internal smartphone sensors to a portable external unit. This external unit provides a more accurate representation of data through the use of sensitive componentry which is communicated wirelessly to the CrowdMag mobile application.

The primary benefactors of CES are scientists and the citizen scientists looking to study the Earth’s magnetic field or satisfy their own curiosity. By crowdsourcing data collection, this product provides scientists with a cost-effective but accurate magnetic map. Ultimately, the CES has the potential to help on a global scale by improving magnetic modelling that ultimately contribute to navigational ability and understanding natural phenomenon associated with the Earth’s magnetic field.

The main feature of the CES is that it contains sensor technology about two orders of magnitude more precise than any available in a mass market device, allowing for accurate scientific readings of magnetic fields to take place in any location. This bridges the gap between scientific-grade data collection and practicality through portability, simplicity, and affordability.

Having a more precise, cheaper, and user-friendly sensor system is but half of the solution. Previously, there has been a concern over existing scientific equipment being durable enough to take measurements in more extreme climates and noisy environments. The CES addresses this issue by being operational at a wider range of temperatures and atmospheric conditions and is able to map and correct for internal and external sources of interference, such as heat, metal structures, and other artificial magnetic fields. In addition to its robustness and measurement accuracy, the sensor supports two functional modes: observatory and survey mode. Observatory mode addresses needs catered towards scientific applications where the long term collection of data is necessary at a single location. Survey mode is appropriate for many applications, but a common use for hobbyists is portable data collection over a potentially large area, allowing the user to generate a map of their magnetic environment.

In sum, the CES acts as a practical medium to provide data of high enough quality to be interesting to citizen scientists, as well as of practical use to professional scientists.

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MNAV-Autobots

Anonymous — Fri, 04 May 2018 21:56:15 +0000

MNAV-Autobots Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 05/04/2018 - 15:56

Mesh Network Vehicle Communication and Detection

Team Members: Christy Roney, Jacob Grunwald, Connor Carlson, Melissa Mantey, Megan Robinson, Maria Rodriguez

Project Sponsor: EEF/NHTSA/Ourselves

AV��ʪ shows that 90 percent of crashes are caused by human error. That’s why many government institutions, such as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), and almost all major automakers are focusing on systems that allow the vehicle to become a partner to the driver by monitoring a car’s surroundings, warning the driver of danger, and even taking control of the car in some situations. Our product is trying to help lower the amount of collisions based on human error.

Our system will be comprised of a mesh network that will communicate acceleration, braking, directional signals, real-time steering, and relative location data between vehicles to aid in the development of autonomous cars for collision prevention.

This product will alleviate traffic and provide information for government offices to study and predict traffic patterns. Direct vehicle communication will be influential in preventing accidents in areas where traffic is often dense such as big cities and major highways. Our device will be the medium for communication and coordinate speed in order to control traffic as well as allow cars to work with the emergence of autonomous vehicles to help integrate the two in traffic.

Our product will be able to communicate in remote locations with each other so that it can work relatively everywhere. The device is private in order to keep safety. The device is also easily integratable in both new and older models of cars to reach the people we need it for. Our device will communicate vehicle safety parameters such as: turn signals, acceleration, speed, wheel position, braking, and relative location. This will inform the drivers of these critical driving parameters and inform their decisions to relieve traffic pressure.

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Ohm Alone

Anonymous — Fri, 04 May 2018 21:44:44 +0000

Ohm Alone Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 05/04/2018 - 15:44

Sponsor: Inovonics

Team Members: Cameron Seamans, Kari van Zyl, Jonathan Gruen, Matthew Spydell, Ali Alnasser, Isaiah Sierra-Baron

Product Description: When it comes to location finding and tracking, GPS is an ubiquitous technology; however, GPS is only accurate and relevant for use outdoors. The complexities of buildings are far too great for GPS to retrieve an accurate location. Thus, there is great need across multiple industries for location services to function inside multi-floor buildings with many rooms.

Echo Locate implements various wireless communication protocols (RFID, BLE, etc.) to effectively monitor location indoors via wearable devices and base stations. The primary beneficiaries of Echo Locate are retirement homes and psychiatric wards where awareness of patient location is essential. The capabilities of Echo Locate can also be extended to other industries such as education, shipping, manufacturing, and security.

Unique Capabilities:

Accuracy within 10 feet
Distinction between building floors
Battery lifetime of longer than one year
Multiple wireless technologies used
GUI for patient identification/location

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insEYEt technologies

Anonymous — Fri, 04 May 2018 21:41:57 +0000

insEYEt technologies Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 05/04/2018 - 15:41

Team Name: Andrew Kaston, Meifang Li, Mohammed AlMehrezi, Khalid AlAwadhi, Vanika Hans, Josh Green

Sponsor: Dubai Municipality

Thank you to sponsor Dubai Municipality!

In today’s tech-savvy world, smartphones, self-driving cars, and artificial intelligence continue to be the frontiers of technological innovation. However, after James Biggs of Brisol invented the blind cane in 1921, Graham Carrick implanted the world’s first cochlear implant, and the crutches were first created in 1917 by Emile Schlick and A.R. Lofstrand, Jr., not much has advanced in terms of these traditional medical technologies. In addition, the costs of living a high quality life with a disability such as blindness range from extreme monetary amounts to daily inconvenience.

Specifically in terms of blindness, as it commonly results from disease, genetics, or injury, blind people often can have a difficult time navigating in new or unknown environments, especially in crowded streets. Further, although there exist many smartphone applications to aid reading/utilizing technology, there is still a challenge, as there are limited amounts of technologies available that may be inconvenient to carry around. Another potential issue, for anyone that is either blind or has astigmatism is health safety, especially if navigating alone or in a new city. However, arguably the biggest issue for blind people is society keeping low expectations for them; the social (and financial) implications of this can be very damaging, and technologies intended to aid blind people are primarily needed to help them become independent.

Thus, we propose a solution to these issues; the objective will be to culminate our multi-disciplinary range of knowledge to substantially contribute to the advancement of the blind cane. The Dubai Cane intends to help improve navigation and monitor health, in addition to alleviating the use of smartphones by providing basic data such as weather, date, and time. In hindsight, the Dubai Cane strives to encourage independence and equality of the blind, such that these people may live a normal life void of both physical and societal difficulties.

The Dubai Cane expands on the simplicity of the blind cane, and introduces a vast amount of features to the stick in order to provide blind citizens with the greatest advantages. The following features will aid the objectives above by utilizing the following:

The cane aids in navigation through the use of a Global Positioning System which depletes the aid for guide dogs and sends the individual's location to a selected group of people through text.
Ultrasonic sensors that expand on the basic back and forth movement of the blind stick to detect objects in the current path. This allows the individual to overall travel more safely.
Vibration motors with various vibration patterns to indicate objects to the left, right, or directly in front.
Heart rate and emergency sensor that allows the individual to call for assistance whenever an emergency occurs through the use of a button.
Bluetooth module that communicates the temperature, date, and time through UART.
The cane has a waterproof and plastic casing which allows protection for the cane and ensures that weather conditions do not prevent a blind individual from perform daily tasks.

It is through this list of functions that a blind individual may achieve great benefit. By creating a blind stick with these features, team insEYEt technologies hopes to revolutionize the blind cane, and create a more favorable model to the traditional cane. Implementing this project will optimize capabilities possible from the archaic technology.

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The Bode Builders

Anonymous — Fri, 04 May 2018 21:34:15 +0000

The Bode Builders Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 05/04/2018 - 15:34

Team Members: Matt Camacho, Sean McComb, Christopher Pifer, Jake Sagaser, Jack Williamson

Sponsor: Professor Zoya Popovic

User Problem: Potential customers in the petroleum industry are currently seeking a solution to enhance their knowledge of the composition of the fluid they are transporting. This real-time information can prove very invaluable to the operator. It would allow the operator to have accurate knowledge of the fluid composition without having to physically analyze it. This would save time and effort and allow the operator a faster response time to act accordingly if the fluid composition is undesirable.

Overall Product Solution: The product uses an antenna attached to a high-Q resonator to send electromagnetic radiation into the pipe and measures the waves reflecting off the substances in the pipe. The overall composition of fluid is determined by measuring the phase shift between input and output waves, due to the effect each liquid uniquely has on reflected waves. With a high-Q resonator, large shifts in phase will correspond to small composition changes so we can measure composition in the pipe accurately.

Large oil and gas companies such as General Electric are unable to measure the fluid composition in pipes around their facilities effectively and cheaply. The main benefactors of our product are companies needing to externally measure flow rates and compositions
in extreme enclosures.

Product capabilities:

This product can determine the percent composition of oil, water, and gas in a pipe.
Some fluid systems are at extremely high temperatures and pressures. This creates difficulty when try to insert a physical detector into these harsh conditions and have it operate nominally for a sufficient amount of time without destroying the sensor or breaching the pipe. This product allows an antenna to be incorporated onto the outside of the pipe and use electromagnetic radiation to penetrate the pipe instead of having a physical penetration.

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DANDE (Dandelion Autonomous Neural Determination and Extermination)

Anonymous — Fri, 04 May 2018 21:30:33 +0000

DANDE (Dandelion Autonomous Neural Determination and Extermination) Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 05/04/2018 - 15:30

Team: Jiaming Lin, Jinhong Chen, Logan Foley, Talin Larson, Yang Hu, Zhou He
Faculty Project Sponsor: Dr. Albin Gasiewski, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering

Large, manicured lawns are a cornerstone of American landscaping, but the reality is that there is a substantial amount of money and manpower required to maintain them. DANDE seeks to simplify a key aspect of lawn upkeep - weeding. There is no efficient system in mass-use that effectively eliminates weeds. Both in the industrial and domestic sector, the two most widely-used solutions are application of herbicides and manual labor. The result is a trade-off between costly, backbreaking manual labor or mass application of hazardous chemicals.

The DANDE rover navigates autonomously via differential GPS over grassy areas while an overhead camera scans the area ahead to pick out weeds using an extensively trained neural network.

Herbicides pose a significant environmental health risk at all levels of the ecosystems they interact with. By eliminating herbicide-caused damage in agricultural contexts as well as the potential harm done to children and pets playing in a backyard, DANDE is a safe and responsible alternative that keeps lawns weed-free.

DANDE’s autonomous system also reduces the need for human labor, drastically reducing situations where contracted landscapers could develop serious musculoskeletal disorders from repeated bending and kneeling. With the DANDE rover to do the weeding, this time-consuming and costly chore will no longer be a burden for landowners, farmers, and landscapers alike.

Product Capabilities

Chemical-free: DANDE is the first domestic yard weeder that eliminates the need for herbicides completely.
Autonomous: Through computer vision and an extensively trained neural network, DANDE analyzes each swath of grass it approaches to identify and locate weeds without the need for human interaction or supervision.
Complete removal of weed: DANDE’s unique extraction system mechanically uproots weeds without causing unsightly holes or dead spots on the lawn.

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2018

Just Dew It

Volt Vision

​B�ǳܲԳ���

Nannies for Grannies

MagnetICs

MNAV-Autobots

Ohm Alone

​insEYEt​ ​technologies

The​ ​Bode​ ​Builders

DANDE (Dandelion Autonomous Neural Determination and Extermination)

Product Capabilities

B�ǳܲԳ��

insEYEt technologies

The Bode Builders