Project

# Title Team Members TA Documents Sponsor
20 Safe And Sound: A Precision First Base Umpire (updated)
Quentin Klingler
Ryan Plyman
Timothy Press
Thomas Furlong design_document2.pdf
final_paper1.pdf
presentation1.pdf
proposal1.pdf
(updated to include use of both RFID and pressure sensors)

Anyone familiar with baseball is aware that all umpires -- regardless of experience -- are prone to human error. There is a lot of precision required to make a correct safe or out call, and an incorrect call can jeopardize the entire game. Our group will solve this issue by designing a base that “knows” with perfect precision whether a runner is safe or out.

Safe And Sound will utilize a smart base, shoe and glove system to correctly call a runner as safe or out based on feedback from RFID and pressure sensors. Two RFID scanners and two pressure sensors will be located in the base (one for the runner and one for the baseman). RFID cards/chips will be placed in the shoes of both the runner and baseman, and pressure sensors will be placed in the baseman's glove. Either player's foot will be detected on the base when both their corresponding RFID reader and base pressure sensor are triggered from contact made with the base. When the runner’s foot is detected on the base, Safe and Sound will utilize a two factor verification process to make the correct call. The baseman’s foot must already be touching the base, and a “catch” event must have been detected from the pressure sensors in the baseman’s glove. If both events have happened, a red LED will turn on indicating the runner is out. Otherwise, a green LED will indicate the runner is safe.

All pressure and RFID sensors in the glove and base will communicate with a microcontroller (ie Raspberry Pi, Arduino, etc) to indicate that an event has occurred at that base. It will compare the timestamps of each event, and make a correct judgement based on the information it receives; sending the call decision back to the base. Upon receiving the decision, the base will light up the proper LED to call the runner as either safe or out.

The base will be able to distinguish between the runner and baseman's feet by utilizing it's built in RFID readers. One reader will only accept a signal from the runner, and the other will only accept a signal from the baseman.

So far, we think this has been our strongest idea because it would be relatively easy to test and cheap to develop. We'll be happy to address any feedback that hasn't already been brought to our attention.

Wireless IntraNetwork

Daniel Gardner, Jeeth Suresh

Wireless IntraNetwork

Featured Project

There is a drastic lack of networking infrastructure in unstable or remote areas, where businesses don’t think they can reliably recoup the large initial cost of construction. Our goal is to bring the internet to these areas. We will use a network of extremely affordable (<$20, made possible by IoT technology) solar-powered nodes that communicate via Wi-Fi with one another and personal devices, donated through organizations such as OLPC, creating an intranet. Each node covers an area approximately 600-800ft in every direction with 4MB/s access and 16GB of cached data, saving valuable bandwidth. Internal communication applications will be provided, minimizing expensive and slow global internet connections. Several solutions exist, but all have failed due to costs of over $200/node or the lack of networking capability.

To connect to the internet at large, a more powerful “server” may be added. This server hooks into the network like other nodes, but contains a cellular connection to connect to the global internet. Any device on the network will be able to access the web via the server’s connection, effectively spreading the cost of a single cellular data plan (which is too expensive for individuals in rural areas). The server also contains a continually-updated several-terabyte cache of educational data and programs, such as Wikipedia and Project Gutenberg. This data gives students and educators high-speed access to resources. Working in harmony, these two components foster economic growth and education, while significantly reducing the costs of adding future infrastructure.