Course Overview

Welcome!

Welcome to ECE 445! If you've looked at the course Calendar, you've probably already noticed that this class is quite different from most other classes in the department. The class only meets as a whole for the first few weeks of the semester. During these lectures you will meet the Course Staff, learn about specific assignments, requirements, and resources for the course, and have a chance to meet other students to share ideas and form teams. These are some of the most important weeks for the class since the decisions you make during this time will determine what you'll get out of this class and, in many ways, how much you'll enjoy it.

Outside of lecture, you are expected to be working on your own to develop ideas and form teams. You are also expected to actively participate on the web board to exchange ideas, receive feedback from course staff, and eventually get your project idea approved. Once your team has a project approved, you will be assigned a TA, with whom you will have weekly meetings. Think of your TA as a project manager. Keep in mind that they are not there to do the work for you. Rather, they are there to keep you on track, point you towards resources (both within and outside of the department), and evaluate the result of your efforts.

Expectations and Requirements

We have high expectations for students participating in ECE 445. You are soon to be alumni of one of the top ECE departments of the world. Our alumni hold themselves to high technical and professional standards of conduct. In general, projects are expected to be safe, ethical, and have a level of design complexity commensurate with the rigor of the ECE Illinois curriculum. Requirements for specific assignments due throughout the semester can be found by looking through the Grading Scheme for the course. Please read through this documentation well before each assignment is due. Specific due dates can be found on the course Calendar.

Below are a few words of wisdom to keep in mind throughout the semester to increase your enjoyment and success in the course:

GYMplement

Srinija Kakumanu, Justin Naal, Danny Rymut

Featured Project

**Problem:** When working out at home, without a trainer, it’s hard to maintain good form. Working out without good form over time can lead to injury and strain.

**Solution:** A mat to use during at-home workouts that will give feedback on your form while you're performing a variety of bodyweight exercises (multiple pushup variations, squats, lunges,) by analyzing pressure distributions and placement.

**Solution Components:**

**Subsystem 1: Mat**

- This will be built using Velostat.

- The mat will receive pressure inputs from the user.

- Velostat is able to measure pressure because it is a piezoresistive material and the more it is compressed the lower the resistance becomes. By tracking pressure distribution it will be able to analyze certain aspects of the form and provide feedback.

- Additionally, it can assist in tracking reps for certain exercises.

- The mat would also use an ultrasonic range sensor. This would be used to track reps for exercises, such as pushups and squats, where the pressure placement on the mat may not change making it difficult for the pressure sensors to track.

- The mat will not be big enough to put both feet and hands on it. Instead when you are doing pushups you would just be putting your hands on it

**Subsystem 2: Power**

- Use a portable battery back to power the mat and data transmitter subsystems.

**Subsystem 3: Data transmitter**

- Information collected from the pressure sensors in the mat will be sent to the mobile app via Bluetooth. The data will be sent to the user’s phone so that we can help the user see if the exercise is being performed safely and correctly.

**Subsystem 4: Mobile App**

- When the user first gets the mat they will be asked to perform all the supported exercises and put it their height and weight in order to calibrate the mat.

- This is where the user would build their circuit of exercises and see feedback on their performance.

- How pressure will indicate good/bad form: in the case of squats, there would be two nonzero pressure readings and if the readings are not identical then we know the user is putting too much weight on one side. This indicates bad form. We will use similar comparisons for other moves

- The most important functions of this subsystem are to store the calibration data, give the user the ability to look at their performances, build out exercise circuits and set/get reminders to work out

**Criterion for Success**

- User Interface is clear and easy to use.

- Be able to accurately and consistently track the repetitions of each exercise.

- Sensors provide data that is detailed/accurate enough to create beneficial feedback for the user

**Challenges**

- Designing a circuit using velostat will be challenging because there are limited resources available that provide instruction on how to use it.

- We must also design a custom PCB that is able to store the sensor readings and transmit the data to the phone.