Senior Design

Compact Magnetic Sensor (CMS)

Anonymous — Tue, 25 Jun 2019 21:47:45 +0000

Compact Magnetic Sensor (CMS) Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 06/25/2019 - 15:47

Sponsored by: Creative Magnetism Solutions, LLC

The Compact Magnetic Sensor (CMS) is a low cost, low power, weatherproof device that detects small changes in Earth’s magnetic field. It is capable of running in battery mode for a week in various environments, and can store recorded 3-axis magnetic field data to permanent storage. When interrogated, data is transferred to the user’s mobile device wirelessly, allowing the device to remain undisturbed in its location. The user interacts with the sensor through an Android app to receive stored data and check sensor conditions such as remaining battery life and operating temperature. The CMS is developed by the Weathernauts, consisting of Sam Solondz, Panupoan Xiong, Courtney Howell, Sean Barich, and James Li. It was initially proposed by Dr. Manoj Nair and Dr. Rick Saltus of Creative Magnetism Solutions, LLC.

Earth’s magnetic field protects the atmosphere from damaging solar wind particles. However, solar winds cause variations from 1’s to 100’s of nanoteslas in Earth’s magnetic field. Few solutions for measuring these fluctuations exist outside of expensive and non-portable units built into one location. Creative Magnetism Solutions previously created an extremely high-precision sensing device, but it is expensive and ill-suited to remain in the field for long periods of time. The CMS is a cost-effective solution that improves power consumption, portability, and data handling while upholding a standard of high-precision.

The product is targeted toward researchers in the geophysics field to improve their knowledge and understanding of the Earth’s magnetic field. When a GPS signal is unavailable, magnetic field models are essential for providing accurate navigation. Government and educational researchers can spread many of the CMS units across the world to measure, model and ultimately predict the effects of solar winds. Additionally, the CMS is useful for oil drilling companies to monitor magnetic field variations during an operation. The CMS is easy to operate and has applications to studies related to Earth’s magnetic field. No technical experience is necessary to obtain data from the CMS. All that is required is the CMS, the included Android app, and a desire to measure fluctuations in Earth’s magnetic field.

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The ScubaScope

Anonymous — Tue, 25 Jun 2019 21:43:59 +0000

The ScubaScope Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 06/25/2019 - 15:43

In Too Deep team: Jordan Wright, David Liu, Richard Cosenza, Manuel Steinbach, Brandon Hernandez, and Charles Van De Mark

Sponsored by: Dr. Kimberly Newman Frey and Dr. Frank Barnes

The ScubaScope will address long and short term cardiovascular health concerns associated with deep sea scuba diving. Cardiovascular health is one of the most severe health risks for scuba divers. As described by the British Cardiac Society (and many others), these issues can include pulmonary oedema, hypertension and structural heart disease, arrhythmias, and intracardiac shunts.

The Diver Alert Network (DAN) has identified an analysis of heart and lung signals as a top priority in investigating incidents of injury. The ScubaScope allows the user to capture such signals from their heart and lungs in audio form during a dive, able to be synced to and processed with dive computers for an immediate post dive analysis of cardiovascular performance. The ScubaScope integrates seamlessly and comfortably under the scuba diving suite and uses a piezoelectric sensor under the rib cage to pick up the auditory cardiovascular signals. The device has enough power to take samples for three, 40 minute dives a day before recharging.

The primary beneficiaries of The ScubaScope are older and at risk members of the scuba diving community (typically 40+ years old). People of this demographic are most likely to benefit from heart and breathing pattern monitoring while diving, and currently, frequent trips to the doctor is not a cost effective solution for them.

The closest related device available on the market to measure heart readings in this manner would be wearable electrocardiograms (EKGs). There are several issues with this kind of sensor for scuba diving purposes. First EKGs cannot measure lung signals as the ScubaScope can, and such signals play a vital role in detecting cardiovascular problems. Additionally, EKG’s need to be placed carefully and precisely in order to function properly.

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Apotech medication distribution system

Anonymous — Tue, 25 Jun 2019 21:39:04 +0000

Apotech medication distribution system Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 06/25/2019 - 15:39

It is estimated that over 55 percent of Americans are reliant on daily medication. These medications have various dosage requirements and can become a burden for people to store, keep track of, and use correctly. Conventional medication distribution systems still require a significant amount of time to set aside correct dosages for every different medication. With many people taking 5 or more medications, this can become overwhelming. In addition, the prescriptions often run out at different times so the patient must always check the pill quantities.

Apotech is an in-home solution to the widespread need for medication distribution. Under the supervision of a faculty sponsor, Eugene Freeman, the Airmed team consisting of Kristina Brunsgaard, Brian Caverly, Isaiah Jones, Chris Morroni, Jacob Melonis and Fritz Norwood designed and constructed a prototype of this device.

Apotech eliminates these problems by handling the logistics of getting the medication to the prescribed user when they need it. It allows for programmable dosage schedules of up to eight medications of pills with length between 5 and 25mm and diameter between 2 and 10 mm through an app. Apotech notifies the user via WiFi to the smartphone app when it is time to take their pills. Apotech also keeps track of current pill quantities and notifies the caregiver via the app when a refill is needed before it becomes a problem.

In addition to assisting people with managing their medication, Apotech will benefit caregivers and family members. Sorting pills and ensuring they are consumed when needed is a tedious process which Apotech automates entirely. This frees up caregiver and family time to be better spent on other tasks.

At an affordable price, Apotech will provide the user with the capability of dispensing a 30 day supply of 8 different medications into an easy-to-use hopper. Medication statistics such as which prescription is in which bin, the dose of the prescription, frequency of administration, and the amount of medication left in each bin is available on a user interface. This is reprogrammable depending on the current prescriptions. Apotech dispenses medication with a high degree of accuracy and alerts the user when it is time to consume the medication. It runs on a standard 120V outlet with battery powered back up in case of a power outage.

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Ballistic Threat Evaluation System

Anonymous — Tue, 25 Jun 2019 21:36:59 +0000

Ballistic Threat Evaluation System Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 06/25/2019 - 15:36

Under the supervision of Lockheed Martin, Team Rocket Wreckers has developed the Ballistic Threat Evaluation System (BTES). The team that is working on this product, Team Rocket Wreckers, consists of six members, James Wells, Joewid Sharza, Yanzhi Chen, Nelson Botsford, John Gadbois, and Kyle Murphy. Additionally, Rocket Wreckers collaborated with another team of 11 Aerospace engineers to design, develop and build BTES.

Increasing situational awareness on the battlefield is the sole responsibility of BTES. There is a payload in the system that gathers images of the battlefield. Once an image is captured, it’s transmitted to the ground station where analysis is conducted which allows counter measures to be issued. BTES has three primary systems, a payload for capturing and transmitting images, launch vehicle to carry the payload to an aerial vantage point, and then a ground station. The ground station executes required image processing and displays vital threat information via a user interface.

BTES offers soldiers the ability to get visual information on their surroundings should they suspect an incoming hostile force. It offers useful information in real time. The system can accurately identify potential threats within a radius of 2000 to 4000 feet in under three minutes of the time when the user suspects a threat. The primary intended customer for the product is the U.S. Military. Situational awareness is necessary to keeping service men and women safe in the line of duty. BTES has the ability to analyze immediate surroundings in real time. This functionality could prove to be a critical last line of defense for American soldiers.

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RADAR-based Robot Localization and Mapping

Anonymous — Tue, 25 Jun 2019 21:34:11 +0000

RADAR-based Robot Localization and Mapping Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 06/25/2019 - 15:34

Team Members: Joshua Biggio, Jason Gallmeyer, Xi Hu, Nur Umar, Kyle Wislinsky, Sarah Withee

The ARPG, a research group at CU Boulder directed by Prof. Christoffer Heckman, is one of the research groups that have been funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to compete in the Subterranean Challenge. In this competition, autonomous robots will attempt to find visual, chemical, or thermal “goals” in a cave or other underground environment. Such environments present significant challenges to the navigation and sensing platforms typically used on autonomous robots. Consequently, a new means of robotic perception is necessary.

The solution is a sensor and data pipeline for mm-wave RADAR signals that provides localization and mapping data for autonomous robots. Radar does not suffer from the same limitations as LIDAR, hence will increase the functionality of autonomous robots in challenging environments.

Such a robot could be used in a variety of applications. For examples, organizations and institutions can use it for hazardous materials remediation, agriculture, and search and rescue operations. The sensor can also be integrated into products for consumer realm, such as robotic vacuums. Companies like Amazon can also utilize this sensor for delivery robots. Zillow for example, will find such robots with this sensor useful for mapping exact dimensions for houses; since getting exact measurement of a house has been a huge challenge for them.

Capabilities of the system include improved three dimensional mapping that outperforms stereo vision, reliability in a wider variety of environments than LIDAR-based systems, and low power draw, which increases mission time and allows users to fit the system on a small quadrotor, enabling the system to perform in space-constrained environments.

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FireGuard fire detection system

Anonymous — Tue, 25 Jun 2019 21:31:32 +0000

FireGuard fire detection system Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 06/25/2019 - 15:31

Design Team (MOD Squad): Anshumaan Reddy, Nisha Shrestha, Anup Hassan Murali, David Kabeya, Chris Mann

Sponsored by: Inovonics

Smoke detectors are outdated and do not provide enough information to emergency responders. A current smoke detector detects smoke and sets off the whole building or at least an entire floor of a building, they cannot tell first responders if there is a actual fire or if there are people in the area or even which smoke detector detected the smoke. Additionally, if there are multiple detectors activated, it would be useful for firefighters to know the originating source of the fire via the real-time information from the smoke detectors and perhaps, the severity of the situation around each fire.

FireGuard is a device that can better identify if there is actually a fire. If a fire is identified and verified, FireGuard will check for people. Using a LoRa, FireGuard applies multiple detection mechanisms to verify that there is a fire. It will then direct the emergency responders to the location of the people in need as well as the blaze to decrease response time and potentially save lives.

The main customers for FireGuard are the building owners and managers that will be purchasing the device. They are most concerned with cost and reliability. When someone buys a fire detection system for a commercial building, they want a low cost without having to worry about the system functioning properly. Emergency responders or the building employees interface with the device these people will likely not have any training on this specific system, making a intuitive user interface a necessity. This system lowers overall response time by giving first responders the most information possible about the situation.

Capabilities

This system can detect people in a room.
Can detect a fire through heat or smoke.
The fire detection system has a verification system with multiple different types of sensors to avoid false alarms or a failure to detect a fire.
This system communicates with the LoRa protocol which is a long-range wireless communication protocol capable of going through buildings and providing locating capabilities.

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ActiView biometric sensor system

Anonymous — Tue, 25 Jun 2019 21:27:29 +0000

ActiView biometric sensor system Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 06/25/2019 - 15:27

Team Members: Zachary Asmussen, Chad Di Lauro, Dylan Holloway, Andrew Pavey, Cameron Schimmoller, Keenan Wulff

The wrist has long been a dominant place for wearable biometric sensors, but it does present some drawbacks, the largest of these include difficulties in checking real-time data and having enough space for useful electronics. A problem many high-performance athletes and workers face is getting real-time data about their performance without having to check their wrist or phone consistently. Additionally, the size and placement of the device limits the amount and type of useful data that can be collected. Finally, people engaged in physical activity can lose focus without realizing it, which can detriment performance.

ActiView is a biometric sensing system centralized on the head. Instead of users needing to look at their wrist to view their data, an on-device heads-up-display (HUD) allows the wearer to continuously see relevant information. ActiView wraps its electronics around the head of the user, allowing the product to extend its capabilities beyond simply gathering heart rate. Additionally, ActiView employs the use of electroencephalography (EEG) technology, allowing real-time monitoring of users’ focus. In this way, ActiView brings lab-quality data to everyone.

Health is a big part of our daily lives, and as such ActiView is able to help anyone looking to energize their workout routine. In short, ActiView is for rock climbers, bikers, runners, or any athlete looking to record useful health data in a more convenient way. On top of this, employees working in hard physical labor jobs could use this to ensure that they are not engaged in harsh physical activity when it might detriment their health.

ActiView combines the use of a HUD and EEG analysis to set itself apart from normal fitness tracking devices. Other competing head-mounted wearables separate into two camps: those that monitor EEG, and those that monitor other health data. ActiView combines these, and adds a HUD for real-time monitoring, allowing users to focus on the activity rather than the device. Using EEG, ActiView will alert you if losing focus. If your state of mind is dangerous for your current activity, you will now know that and be able to see that without ever taking your eyes off what’s in front of you. Finally, ActiView includes a mobile app solution called ApptiView, which gives users a place to monitor workout progress over time. ApptiView provides workout visualization and options to control ActiView.

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Blitzr self-defense smartwatch

Anonymous — Fri, 21 Jun 2019 20:34:11 +0000

Blitzr self-defense smartwatch Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 06/21/2019 - 14:34

Team members:

Khalid Almeer
Haley Basti
Lianne Gill
Cameron Handeland
Blake Tellefsen

Product Origin: Entrepreneurial Product

Personal security is a major issue faced by people of all walks of life in modern society. At any moment, environmental disaster, accidental mishap, or acts of terrorism can occur; leaving in their wake confusion and devastation with little that can be done in the moment. Often, all that is needed is an extra moment to act to make the difference.

Bltzr is an innovative, stylish, and functional self-defense smartwatch aimed at protecting the populous via immediate threat disruption and reporting technology. Using myoelectric sensing, high-power optics, and smart-interconnective applications; Blitzr can give users the extra second that just may be needed to escape, disarm, or be rescued from such events. With the first subtle a gesture of making a fist, the user can signal to emergency authorities that something is wrong. If more immediate action is needed, extremely powerful and distracting pulses of light are emitted from the Blitzr at the flick of a wrist. This stunning action can buy precisely the time needed to enact longer lasting means of protection for the individual being assaulted.

Blitzr is an asset for any person that wishes to feel safer in their surroundings and is especially useful for college students that are required to walk home alone at night. Armed with Blitzr, citizens gain the ability to function as a greater collective, the more people that are connected, the better the protection. In this way, all those associated with Blitzr, whether you are using it for yourself or giving it as a gift to a loved one, can rest assured that the self-defense smartwatch is always on hand and ready to activate. The functionality of Blitzr remains for the individual in the event of personal attack in an isolated space. The flashing light of Blitzr can be extremely disorienting and the user can rest assured that backup or reassurance is on the way soon. Society can take full advantage of the Internet of Things and wearable technology by integrating the awareness and responsivity of the Blitzr into its collective culture.

Blitzr provides the individual an immediate response to danger that is always on hand and does not draw attention until the moment demands, allowing the user to gain the edge in any encounter.

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Smart Agriculture Control System

Anonymous — Fri, 21 Jun 2019 20:31:26 +0000

Smart Agriculture Control System Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 06/21/2019 - 14:31

The Agriculture Boys: Bennett Miller, Gabriel Anhalzer, Heinz Ulrich Boehmer Fiehn, Dhruva Koley, Ruben Vargas

Project Origin: Alan Mickelson

Agricultural cooperative farms in Uganda and in many parts of the developing world harvest many tonnes of produce per year. However, they face challenges getting consistent water supply, particularly in the dry season, which affects their harvest due to crop losses from poor water management. Lack of information by the cooperatives about seed varieties also affects the quality of their crop harvest.

The Smart Agriculture Control System demonstrates cost effective smart farming in the developing world by utilizing IoT technology to address challenges facing agricultural cooperatives, specifically water management and crop quality. With a more consistent water supply, better seed and fertilizer, cooperatives have the potential to significantly increase their production.

Africa Development Promise is a US-based NGO with a local branch in Uganda. ADP supports women’s economic empowerment with one of the approaches being support to local agricultural cooperatives. Through them, the primary beneficiaries of the Smart Agriculture Control System are two local women’s cooperatives (comprising of 26 members each) located in Gombe and Nangabo sub-counties in Wakiso district, Uganda; as well as indirect beneficiaries (family members and community members in the sub-counties). The beneficiary community will also include consumers of the agricultural produce of the cooperatives.

The Smart Agriculture Control System consists of a full agricultural irrigation and monitoring system. This system is able to provide irrigation to all crops by using solar pumps to keep water holding tanks full. The amount of water that each of these crops receive is controlled by a central unit based on inputs from sensors positioned throughout the fields. Smaller units containing said sensors are laid out strategically and have the ability to communicate with the central terminal via wireless RF communications. With this, the coops have better control of water output and make informed decisions to maximize agricultural produce based on local sensor data.

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Firefighting Advanced Asset Communication and Tracking System (FAACTS)

Anonymous — Fri, 21 Jun 2019 20:28:26 +0000

Firefighting Advanced Asset Communication and Tracking System (FAACTS) Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 06/21/2019 - 14:28

Capacitor Crunch team: John Kim, Yushen Chang, Shane Kirkley, Kalae Miller, Andrew Kahn, Eric Daugherty

The Firefighting Advanced Asset Communication and Tracking System (FAACTS) is a communication and asset tracking solution designed to assist wildland firefighters in the field. FAACTS is composed of two distinct systems - a ruggedized, satellite communication enabled tablet that provides valuable situational data to firefighters, and disposable GPS transmitters known as drop balls that can mark important locations to be seen by crew members using the tablet. FAACTS is designed to facilitate communication, coordination, and situational awareness in large, remote areas where wildfires occur.

FAACTS is developed by Capacitor Crunch, a team of six senior electrical engineering students that have experience in power systems, RF systems design, software engineering, and embedded systems design. The members of Capacitor Crunch are Yu-Shen Chang, Eric Daugherty, Andrew Khan, John Kim, Shane Kirkley, and Kalae Miller. Funding for FAACTS is provided by RoGo LLC, a Colorado-based company focused on improving the communication capabilities of wildland firefighters in remote, hostile environments.

Currently, wildland firefighters use VHF radios and paper maps to communicate and coordinate their location in the field. Communication has been limited to radio because cellular service is often unavailable in the remote areas where wildfires occur. FAACTS primary focus is on improving and facilitating remote communication and tracking for wildland firefighters. There is currently no technology on the market that provides firefighters with location tracking and communication over satellite. This product will replace the out-of-date L-band radios and paper maps used by firefighters. The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection designates iOS as the sole operating system approved for use on computer systems for firefighters, therefor FAACTS is designed to work with iPad tablets. FAACTS interfaces with proven emergency response software provided by Rhodium Incident Management. This software allows all firefighters to view the same map, with the same important locations, all updated in real-time, thus eliminating potential confusion from the use of old paper maps.

The drop ball is a portable, tennis ball sized beacon that sends out valuable data to tablets. When a firefighter places a drop ball, they can designate the type of position they are marking with the use of a single button. A fixed directional indicator on the drop ball can be used to communicate vector information. If necessary, further information can be assigned to a drop ball from the tablet with an NFC tag. This allows for special circumstances to be easily marked on the map, such as a slurry drop, supplies, or an injured firefighter. Drop balls are meant to last up to 20 hours depending on the frequency of location updates, and the device is designed to be disposable. The location of the drop ball is accurate to within 10 feet. Firefighters often carry large amounts of equipment, so the FAACTS tablet and drop balls are designed to be lightweight, durable, and easy to carry.

Firefighters will benefit from this product because it will enhance their ability to communicate and track resources, squad member, high value structures and the injured. Firefighters can now coordinate the fight against wildfires with real time data updates using satellite communication. Such coordination is critical for the efficiency of firefighter operations and the safety of firefighting teams.

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