Project

# Title Team Members TA Documents Sponsor
11 Power Tool Safety Zone Enforcer
 Channing Philbrick
Kristina Chu
Nicholas Ratajczyk
 Eric Clark design_document0.pdf
final_paper0.pdf
presentation0.pptx
proposal0.docx
Group Members:
Kristina Chu - ktchu2
Channing Philbrick - phlbrck2
Nick Ratajczyk - ratajcz2

Problem: Many power tools require a "zone of safety" that should not have anyone but the operator in it while the tool is in use. Currently, this system relies on human diligence in order to mitigate a major safety risk.
We believe that automating the monitoring of the zone of safety would help consistently enforce these safety rules, resulting in a safer workspace/machine shop.

Solution:
We will determine the number of people in a zone using a sensor array. If it is determined that there are too many people in this zone, the system will not supply power to the power tool, disabling otherwise improper operation.

Our system will consist of three main parts:
1. Detection System - For this system, we will use an array of PIR sensors modified to a narrow beam for increased spatial resolution and an ultrasonic range sensor. The PIR sensors will be used to detect if more than one person is in the zone and the range sensor will determine the person's distance away from the machine. The sensors will feed their outputs into the data processing unit.
2. Data Processing Unit - This unit will take in the data from all the sensors and keep track of how many people are in the zone. If it determines that there are too many people in the zone it will assert an output signal that indicates the tool is not to receive power. If it determines that there is only one person then it will indicate that the tool is okay to operate and receive power.
3. Power Control System - Our device would plug into the wall along with the tool. Then, based on the number of people that our sensor array determines are in a zone that is indicated by the signal from the data processing unit we can signal a 110V AC relay that lies between the power tool and the actual outlet to make the connection to the wall power or not.

Cloud-controlled quadcopter

Anuraag Vankayala, Amrutha Vasili

Cloud-controlled quadcopter

Featured Project

Idea:

To build a GPS-assisted, cloud-controlled quadcopter, for consumer-friendly aerial photography.

Design/Build:

We will be building a quad from the frame up. The four motors will each have electronic speed controllers,to balance and handle control inputs received from an 8-bit microcontroller(AP),required for its flight. The firmware will be tweaked slightly to allow flight modes that our project specifically requires. A companion computer such as the Erle Brain will be connected to the AP and to the cloud(EC2). We will build a codebase for the flight controller to navigate the quad. This would involve sending messages as per the MAVLink spec for sUAS between the companion computer and the AP to poll sensor data , voltage information , etc. The companion computer will also talk to the cloud via a UDP port to receive requests and process them via our code. Users make requests for media capture via a phone app that talks to the cloud via an internet connection.

Why is it worth doing:

There is currently no consumer-friendly solution that provides or lets anyone capture aerial photographs of them/their family/a nearby event via a simple tap on a phone. In fact, present day off-the-shelf alternatives offer relatively expensive solutions that require owning and carrying bulky equipment such as the quads/remotes. Our idea allows for safe and responsible use of drones as our proposed solution is autonomous, has several safety features, is context aware(terrain information , no fly zones , NOTAMs , etc.) and integrates with the federal airspace seamlessly.

End Product:

Quads that are ready for the connected world and are capable to fly autonomously, from the user standpoint, and can perform maneuvers safely with a very simplistic UI for the common user. Specifically, quads which are deployed on user's demand, without the hassle of ownership.

Similar products and comparison:

Current solutions include RTF (ready to fly) quads such as the DJI Phantom and the Kickstarter project, Lily,that are heavily user-dependent or user-centric.The Phantom requires you to carry a bulky remote with multiple antennas. Moreover,the flight radius could be reduced by interference from nearby conditions.Lily requires the user to carry a tracking device on them. You can not have Lily shoot a subject that is not you. Lily can have a maximum altitude of 15 m above you and that is below the tree line,prone to crashes.

Our solution differs in several ways.Our solution intends to be location and/or event-centric. We propose that the users need not own quads and user can capture a moment with a phone.As long as any of the users are in the service area and the weather conditions are permissible, safety and knowledge of controlling the quad are all abstracted. The only question left to the user is what should be in the picture at a given time.

Project Videos