Spring 2016
Hyefi: Hydroponics Automation System
The goal of the proposed project is to create a system that monitors and controls the key components of a standard hydroponic system. Hyefi should be able to automatically control the light cycles, fans, and feeding cycles of the plants that will be growing in the system. The system should also be of sound construction and should be safe for an average person to operate.
The proposed solution or Hyefi will contain all of the standard elements of any hydroponic setup in addition to a digital system that through the use of sensors will monitor and control the environment of the plant. Hyefi will feed the plants when it is time for them to feed, turn on and off the lights when necessary, and turn on a fan when the enclosure is too hot or humid.
Sol-Hyd: A self-sustained, water purification system
Sol-Hyd will be using a custom UV-C light and heating system to remove viruses and bacteria from the water, prior to this there will be filters before-hand to make sure none of the larger pieces will damage the motors being used in the system. This process is currently being cheaply-interchangeable pieces that can be added to other projects/machinery.
Easy Spice Dispenser
The idea is to create a programmable system that would allow any user to input their personal recipes into our product’s interface. The team has done much research and has noticed that having a touch screen panel on any technology-based product in the sales world has benefited many sellers. Our product, Easy Spice, will have two options available for the user. It can give the option of selecting individual spices and dispensing them at the user’s preference of measurement. It will also give the option of selecting a recipe from the product’s list of choices that the user would want to prepare and dispense each spice with the correct measurement at the push of a button. Another thing the team proposes would be having the option of selecting a certain extra quantity in case the owner would like to add more spice of a certain kind to his or her food. This will benefit the cooker in preparing his or her meals in their own way.
Aether: An autonomous mobile classroom
The team proposes the creation of an Autonomous Mobile Classroom called “Sachons, Sourions” which means “Let us learn, let us smile” in French. Aether is a community-based project made for disadvantaged areas like Western Africa, focused on providing the necessary educational materials for students in need. It is hoped that this mobile classroom will help improve literacy rates and allow students who participate a chance to give back to their community in other productive ways. The classroom will be built using quality hardware components, ensuring that the lab will be able to withstand harsh conditions. This will provide students with a safe and dependable classroom even with prolonged usage.
Solar energy will be a one of the main focuses of the project for it is the source of energy the classroom will thrive from and be able to make the classroom work. The classroom will be supported by deep-cycle batteries that will be able to store the energy that is coming from the sun. With the great amount of power the batteries are able to hold, the classroom should be able to sustain on its own even during times when the sun isn’t out. The computers the team will be using will be carefully picked to fit the power standard for the classroom.
JournE Memo: Vehicle safety sign
The goal of this project is to reduce vehicle related incidents by allowing drivers to communicate road and vehicle conditions directly with each other via LED display. Instead of creating dashboard display messages, we have narrowed down the scope of the project to simply display messages to the vehicle behind yours. The project requires building a bright and large enough LED matrix to be visible through bright daylight and tinted windows, while not being too large to obstruct the driver’s rear field of view. We will also need to make the interface easy and accessible enough, so as to not distract the driver from keeping their primary focus on personal safe driving.
Amma Cycle: Smart massage system
The team have set out to design a massage device that can be controlled and modulated through a smart phone application. The product will be able to deliver a kneading and “hot stone” like massage by utilizing high torque motors, heating pads, and a wide range of motion for targeting various areas of the back. All the actions of the device will be programmed into a micro-controller, and can be adjusted through the smart phone app’s easy to use GUI.
Inspiration for this project came from looking at the statistics of how stress can affect the lives of people in various ways. One of the best ways to reduce stress and tension is through a proper and well done massage, which led our team to design our very own device that can treat customers to a well-deserved massage. The smart phone app will be able to communicate with the micro-controller via a Bluetooth module. From there, the user will be able to modulate the speed, intensity, heat, and movement of the massaging nodes. There will even be a live-control feature, which will allow the user to move the massage nodes according to how the user interacts with the virtual interface.
The Smart Green Home
The objective of this project is to place solar panels on the top of a small model of a house which would power the appliances along with charging the power storage system to run the house at night. Also, a filtration system would be attached to a rain water collection system which would collect and filter rain water. During the day the solar panels would collect sun light and convert it to electricity which would provide power throughout the electrical outlets. At night, the power storage system would turn on and supply the house while the panels are no longer collecting sun light. The filtration system would collect the rain water which goes down the pipes into the system where the water would be filtered. The water would go through several filters which remove waste from the water. At the end of the system the water would be placed into a storage tank which would be connected to the pipes of the house. There, the water would be pumped from the tank to be distributed right into the faucets in the house. End users would be people who live in residential and commercial homes. The goal for the team is to conserve the amount of electricity being used in the home from power plants and building a possible alternative to using water from utility companies. Technical areas that would need to be addressed are the filtration system, power storage system, and the solar panels. Competitive benchmarking would be done to show how much more efficient our green home is compared to the average home.