Project

# Title Team Members TA Documents Sponsor
46 Stationary Stepper for Power Generation
 Beomki Cho
Joo Seung Kim
Zach Deardorff
 Qingyu Li design_document2.pdf
final_paper1.pdf
photo2.png
photo1.png
presentation1.pdf
proposal1.pdf
video
# Stationary Stepper for Power Generation

Team Members:
- Jooseung K (jsk4)
- Jayden C (beomkic2)
- Zach D (zjd3)

# Problem

Exercise in our era is difficult to fit into our busy schedules. Even when we can find the time to exercise, sometimes we are unmotivated or it comes at an opportunity cost. The pandemic also increased the amount of people working remotely from their desks at their homes.

# Solution

A sitting/standing exercise machine that could generate electricity by an up and down movement of the legs would be a viable exercise in an office setting, because it leaves the arms free and you are able to do it without your hands. It also is not an intense exercise so it fits criteria two. Finally this exercise machine can use that movement in order to generate some electricity, giving the user a sense of accomplishment.

The exercise machine we plan on creating is a step motion machine that can be used by sitting or standing. The steps will get a flywheel to start moving and after a certain point that energy will be able to be converted into electrical energy. We plan on using this electrical energy to efficiently charge a battery. Charging a battery may not be enough incentive however so we also plan on connecting the machine to a smartwatch or computer to be able to remind the user to use the machine.

# Solution Components

## Subsystem 1 - Flywheel Electrical Generation

For this we need a more mechanical system that can convert the step motion into electrical energy.
We plan on producing this by using a flywheel electrical generator that is turned by the step motion.

## Subsystem 2 - Power Electronics

We want our step machine to be useful as well as beneficial to one's health. We want to be able to charge different batteries such as a phone battery or other useful batteries with this machine. To do this we will need a PCB that can convert the power generated by the machine into power that is able to charge one or multiple types of batteries. This will likely involve an AC-DC power converter.


## Subsystem 3 - Computer Software

We will need a simple app on the user's computer to notify them when they should start using the machine again based on time intervals to promote activity throughout the day. The app should be able to set up a goal for the exercise and notify users periodically throughout the day to hit their exercise goals. The program will also be able to create a time for how long the user should use the machine at different times throughout the day to ensure sufficient charge of the battery.

## Subsystem 4 - Computer Connection (Arduino)

In addition to being a generator, we want the machine to give people information and motivation to work out. Therefore, we plan to connect the machine with a display screen. On the screen we will calculate and display the estimated time to fully charge the battery. We plan to use an Arduino to connect the computer and sensors on the stepping machine to know when the user is running the machine so that the notification to workout goes away. The sensor used to see if the user is using the machine will be a pressure sensor something similar to this (https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/SparkFun/SEN-09376?qs=WyAARYrbSnZm3k2OB4XwnA%3D%3D&mgh=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiArt6PBhCoARIsAMF5wahEqsN_8c_AXEb2AaG756w0WgdxK_h4lIjnifogcT7_M14uZFfPLTUaAg3CEALw_wcB).


# Criterion for Success

- Demonstrate that our step motion is able to produce usable energy.
- Demonstrate that the stepping motion can be performed while sitting or standing.
- Power electronics converts the energy to charge at least one type of battery (ideally a phone battery).
- Can notify the user to use the machine based on time intervals and battery charge throughout the day.
- Can turn off the notification when the user starts stepping.
- Small enough that it can fit under a desk so the motion can be performed while working.
- Successfully promotes exercise during daily work at a desk by app notifying the user to use the machine.

Habit-Forming Toothbrush Stand

John Kim, Quinn Palanca, Rahul Vasanth

Habit-Forming Toothbrush Stand

Featured Project

I spoke with a TA that approved this idea during office hours today, and they said I should submit it as a project proposal.

# Habit-Forming Toothbrush Stand

Team Members:

- Rahul Vasanth (rvasant2)

- Quinn Andrew Palanca (qpalanc2)

- John Jung-Yoon Kim (johnjk5)

# Problem

There are few habits as impactful as good dental hygiene. Brushing teeth in the morning and night can significantly improve health outcomes. Many struggle with forming and maintaining this habit. Parents might have a difficult time getting children to brush in the morning and before sleep while homeless shelter staff, rehab facility staff, and really, anyone looking to develop and track this habit may want a non-intrusive, privacy-preserving method to develop and maintain the practice of brushing their teeth in the morning. Keeping track of this information and but not storing it permanently through a mobile application is something that does not exist on the market. A small nudge is needed to keep kids, teenagers, and adults of all ages aware and mindful about their brushing habits. Additionally, many tend to zone out while brushing their teeth because they are half asleep and have no idea how long they are brushing.

# Solution

Our solution is catered toward electric toothbrushes. Unlike specific toothbrush brands that come with mobile applications, our solution applies to all electric toothbrushes, preserves privacy, and reduces screen time. We will implement a habit-forming toothbrush stand with a microcontroller, sensors, and a simple LED display that houses the electric toothbrush. A band of sensors will be wrapped around the base of the toothbrush. Lifting the toothbrush from the stand, turning it on, and starting to brush displays a timer that counts seconds up to ten minutes. This solves the problem of brushing too quickly or losing track of time and brushing for too long. Additionally, the display will provide a scorecard for brushing, with 14 values coming from (morning, night) x (6daysago, 5daysago, . . . , today) for a "record" of one week and 14 possible instances of brushing. This will augment the user's awareness of any new trends, and potentially help parents, their children, and other use cases outlined above. We specifically store just one week of data as the goal is habit formation and not permanent storage of potentially sensitive health information in the cloud.

# Solution Components

## Subsystem 1 - Sensor Band

The sensor band will contain a Bluetooth/Wireless Accelerometer and Gyroscope, or Accelerometer, IR sensor (to determine height lifted above sink), Bluetooth/Wireless connection to the microcontroller. This will allow us to determine if the electric toothbrush has been turned on. We will experiment with the overall angle, but knowing whether the toothbrush is parallel to the ground, or is lifted at a certain height above the sink will provide additional validation. These outputs need to be communicated wirelessly to the habit-forming toothbrush stand.

Possibilities: https://www.amazon.com/Accelerometer-Acceleration-Gyroscope-Electronic-Magnetometer/dp/B07GBRTB5K/ref=sr_1_12?keywords=wireless+accelerometer&qid=1643675559&sr=8-12 and individual sensors which we are exploring on Digikey and PCB Piezotronics as well.

## Subsystem 2 - Toothbrush Base/Stand and Display

The toothbrush stand will have a pressure sensor to determine when the toothbrush is lifted from the stand (alternatively, we may also add on an IR sensor), a microcontroller with Bluetooth capability, and a control unit to process sensor outputs as well as an LED display which will be set based on the current state. Additionally, the stand will need an internal clock to distinguish between morning and evening and mark states accordingly. The majority of sensors are powered by 3.3V - 5V. If we use a battery, we may include an additional button to power on the display (or just have it turn on when the pressure sensor / IR sensor output confirms the toothbrush has been lifted, or have the device plug into an outlet.

# Criterion For Success

1. When the user lifts the toothbrush from the stan and it begins to vibrate (signaling the toothbrush is on), the brushing timer begins and is displayed.

2. After at least two minutes have passed and the toothbrush is set back on the stand, the display correctly marks the current day and period (morning or evening).

3. Track record over current and previous days and the overall weekly record is accurately maintained. At the start of a new day, the record is shifted appropriately.

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