Project

# Title Team Members TA Documents Sponsor
10 Distributed Species Tracker
Jonathan Yuen
Max Shepherd
Ryan Day
Hanyin Shao design_document1.pdf
final_paper1.pdf
photo1.jpeg
photo2.jpeg
presentation1.pdf
proposal1.pdf
video
# Title
Distributed Species Tracker

# Team Members:
- Ryan Day (rmday2)
- Jonathan Yuen (yuen9)
- Max Shepherd (maxes2)

# Problem
Invasive species are organisms that find their way into an environment of which they are not a native. They are capable of inflicting great harm on their new ecosystems leading to the death of native species as well as significant economic damage in some cases. Removing invasive species is an incredibly intensive and difficult task. Some common methods include chemical control, bringing in new predators, or even uprooting parts of ecosystems in a desperate attempt to prevent the spread of the invasive species. The burden of controlling invasive species often falls on civilians who are called to look out for the invading species in order to provide intel on their location and help prevent any further spreading.

Endangered species are creatures that are on the brink of extinction. A lot of conservation efforts are made in order to restore the population of the species, including gathering the animals and breeding them in a controlled environment, as well as monitoring them via a tracking chip or satellite.

# Solution
We propose a network of nodes that, once deployed in the wild, can capture images and process them to determine whether or not a species of interest has been in a certain area. The nodes will communicate with one another in order to compile a report of all of the places and times that an animal was seen. This can be an improvement on satellite imaging that is hindered by trees and overbrush and is also an improvement over the manual scouring of wilderness that is often used in the hunt of invasive and endangered species. The network, if deployed for long enough, can offer valuable data and present a comprehensive view of a species’ behavior.

This semester, we aim to provide a proof of concept for this idea by building a small set of these nodes and demonstrating their ability to recognize an animal and log its whereabouts in a way that is redundant and node-failure-tolerant.

In order to do this, we will fit each node with a camera that will take images to be processed. If the species being monitored is detected, its location will be sent over the network of nodes via a routing subsystem. A power subsystem will supply and regulate power to the modules in each node. A sensor subsystem will provide GPS data and infrared detection. Therefore, the significance of the PCB in this project is that it hosts the MCU which is responsible for routing and communication protocols as well as all of the logic relating to the sensors and power modules which will also be fitted on the PCB.

All in all, we have a solution to a problem that we are really excited about turning into a project for this semester and are very determined to complete.


# Solution Components (Revised portion)
## Subsystem 1 : Routing
This subsystem will establish the network over which the nodes will communicate. These nodes will replicate local GPS data amongst themselves. We will currently plan on using LoRa as that best fits our use case as a network that would require low-power, long range communication in a real-world scenario.

Components:
LoRa transceiver (RFM95W); Antenna; Microcontroller

## Subsystem 2 : Camera and Classification
This subsystem will be responsible for gathering and classifying images. It will communicate with the MCU. We are now planning on using an ESP32 module to handle our image processing instead of a Raspberry Pi. This is to make our design more compact and also to save significant amounts of money. When choosing an MCU, we are prioritizing RAM, a suitable camera interface, and processing power. The ESP32-WROOM-32E is a good guess for now and is cited to have been used for each of our use cases. As soon as this RFA is approved, we plan on purchasing an MCU and a dev board to start testing out functionality.

Components:
Camera; Microcontroller (interface)

## Subsystem 3 : Power
This subsystem will handle the supply and regulation of power to the modules in each node.

Components:
Li-ion battery; Battery controller; Boost/buck converters; USB charger/port

## Subsystem 4 : Sensor
This subsystem will gather GPS data and send it to the MCU. It will also measure infrared radiation, signaling that a creature has passed by the module. This will trigger the camera to take a picture.

Components:
GPS chip; Infrared Sensor; Temperature Sensor

# Criterion For Success
Data redundancy - We should be able to demonstrate that data gathered on any arbitrary node is reflected on the rest of the nodes in the network.

Detection accuracy - We will demonstrate that the detections made by our camera subsystem are accurately logged (demonstrate that if a target appears in front of a node that the sighting is logged at the correct location).

Battery life - We will determine a realistic and practical minimum battery life based on the hardware components we end up using.

UV Sensor and Alert System - Skin Protection

Liz Boehning, Gavin Chan, Jimmy Huh

UV Sensor and Alert System - Skin Protection

Featured Project

Team Members:

- Elizabeth Boehning (elb5)

- Gavin Chan (gavintc2)

- Jimmy Huh (yeaho2)

# Problem

Too much sun exposure can lead to sunburn and an increased risk of skin cancer. Without active and mindful monitoring, it can be difficult to tell how much sun exposure one is getting and when one needs to seek protection from the sun, such as applying sunscreen or getting into shady areas. This is even more of an issue for those with fair skin, but also can be applicable to prevent skin damage for everyone, specifically for those who spend a lot of time outside for work (construction) or leisure activities (runners, outdoor athletes).

# Solution

Our solution is to create a wristband that tracks UV exposure and alerts the user to reapply sunscreen or seek shade to prevent skin damage. By creating a device that tracks intensity and exposure to harmful UV light from the sun, the user can limit their time in the sun (especially during periods of increased UV exposure) and apply sunscreen or seek shade when necessary, without the need of manually tracking how long the user is exposed to sunlight. By doing so, the short-term risk of sunburn and long-term risk of skin cancer is decreased.

The sensors/wristbands that we have seen only provide feedback in the sense of color changing once a certain exposure limit has been reached. For our device, we would like to also input user feedback to actively alert the user repeatedly to ensure safe extended sun exposure.

# Solution Components

## Subsystem 1 - Sensor Interface

This subsystem contains the UV sensors. There are two types of UV wavelengths that are damaging to human skin and reach the surface of Earth: UV-A and UV-B. Therefore, this subsystem will contain two sensors to measure each of those wavelengths and output a voltage for the MCU subsystem to interpret as energy intensity. The following sensors will be used:

- GUVA-T21GH - https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/genicom-co-ltd/GUVA-T21GH/10474931

- GUVB-T21GH - https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/genicom-co-ltd/GUVB-T21GH/10474933

## Subsystem 2 - MCU

This subsystem will include a microcontroller for controlling the device. It will take input from the sensor interface, interpret the input as energy intensity, and track how long the sensor is exposed to UV. When applicable, the MCU will output signals to the User Interface subsystem to notify the user to take action for sun exposure and will input signals from the User Interface subsystem if the user has put on sunscreen.

## Subsystem 3 - Power

This subsystem will provide power to the system through a rechargeable, lithium-ion battery, and a switching boost converter for the rest of the system. This section will require some consultation to ensure the best choice is made for our device.

## Subsystem 4 - User Interface

This subsystem will provide feedback to the user and accept feedback from the user. Once the user has been exposed to significant UV light, this subsystem will use a vibration motor to vibrate and notify the user to put on more sunscreen or get into the shade. Once they have done so, they can press a button to notify the system that they have put on more sunscreen, which will be sent as an output to the MCU subsystem.

We are looking into using one of the following vibration motors:

- TEK002 - https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/sparkfun-electronics/DEV-11008/5768371

- DEV-11008 - https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/pimoroni-ltd/TEK002/7933302

# Criterion For Success

- Last at least 16 hours on battery power

- Accurately measures amount of time and intensity of harmful UV light

- Notifies user of sustained UV exposure (vibration motor) and resets exposure timer if more sunscreen is applied (button is pressed)