Project

# Title Team Members TA Documents Sponsor
47 CONNECTED PIEZO ELECTRIC PRESSURE SENSING SHOE
 Alan Lee
Gerald Kozel
 Kyle Michal design_document1.pdf
final_paper1.pdf
presentation1.pdf
proposal1.pdf
Team members: Alan Lee (alanlee2), Gerald Kozel (gjkozel2)

General Description: we want to make a piezo electric pressure sensing shoe. this has applications in athletic training as well as patient monitoring for specific orthopedic conditions.We’re planning on making it an insert that visualizes a user’s distribution of pressure across the foot. We will know if it’s successful if a person can view a pressure map of their foot over a specific period of time and perhaps have the app give some feedback (Unequal distribution of pressure indicating poor posture or possible risk of diabetes or other conditions). Additionally, the piezoelectric would also have a back up power source since our research indicates that it would take a lot of walking for enough power for the entire insert. The piezoelectric power could be stored and used in addition with our secondary power source. We hope this can reduce the bulkiness of our insole.

Solution: the shoes will be powered by piezo electric generators. It will include pressure and flex sensors to track how the user walks and what pressure the user is putting on what parts of the foot. our solution will also include a mobile app interface for the user to track their walking or running techniques and analyze what needs to be changed. As for comfort we would use very thin/flexible pressure sensors such as the one you can find here: https://www.adafruit.com/product/1075?gclid=EAIaIQobChMItpe4uv-O4AIVDdbACh17Ggm2EAQYASABEgI6jPD_BwE
These would be embedded within a soft insole along with the piezo as to minimize the effect on our users’ walking habits. We’d also use the smallest batteries possible to keep it lightweight.

The Complexities of the project:
Sensors in the shoe - flex, pressure
Power in the shoe - piezo electric crystals
Communications - bluetooth/wifi in the shoes to connect to the phone
Mobile app - app on a phone to monitor the walkers technique.

Design Considerations: Powering the shoe's communication and sensors will need sufficient power from either the piezo or additional electrical components. In addition, we must make it comfortable and light enough so that the user experience does not diminish. We also must take into account the mobile app and its communication features along with its UI. We hope to have communication up real time for when users are walking in the shoes and tracking their dynamic foot pressure while walking. Such a feature will be impacted by how much power the piezo will be able to supply and what other designs we will implement so that all subsystems are powered correctly.

Subsystems:
Foot pressure sensing
Foot flex sensing
Piezo power system
Battery power system
Shoe communication system
Mobile app
Data mapping

Electronic Replacement for COVID-19 Building Monitors @ UIUC

Patrick McBrayer, Zewen Rao, Yijie Zhang

Featured Project

Team Members: Patrick McBrayer, Yijie Zhang, Zewen Rao

Problem Statement:

Students who volunteer to monitor buildings at UIUC are at increased risk of contracting COVID-19 itself, and passing it on to others before they are aware of the infection. Due to this, I propose a project that would create a technological solution to this issue using physical 2-factor authentication through the “airlock” style doorways we have at ECEB and across campus.

Solution Overview:

As we do not have access to the backend of the Safer Illinois application, or the ability to use campus buildings as a workspace for our project, we will be designing a proof of concept 2FA system for UIUC building access. Our solution would be composed of two main subsystems, one that allows initial entry into the “airlock” portion of the building using a scannable QR code, and the other that detects the number of people that entered the space, to determine whether or not the user will be granted access to the interior of the building.

Solution Components:

Subsystem #1: Initial Detection of Building Access

- QR/barcode scanner capable of reading the code presented by the user, that tells the system whether that person has been granted or denied building access. (An example of this type of sensor: (https://www.amazon.com/Barcode-Reading-Scanner-Electronic-Connector/dp/B082B8SVB2/ref=sr_1_11?dchild=1&keywords=gm65+scanner&qid=1595651995&sr=8-11)

- QR code generator using C++/Python to support the QR code scanner.

- Microcontroller to receive the information from the QR code reader and decode the information, then decide whether to unlock the door, or keep it shut. (The microcontroller would also need an internal timer, as we plan on encoding a lifespan into the QR code, therefore making them unusable after 4 days).

- LED Light to indicate to the user whether or not access was granted.

- Electronic locking mechanism to open both sets of doors.

Subsystem #2: Airlock Authentication of a Single User

- 2 aligned sensors ( one tx and other is rx) on the bottom of the door that counts the number of people crossing a certain line. (possibly considering two sets of these, so the person could not jump over, or move under the sensors. Most likely having the second set around the middle of the door frame.

- Microcontroller to decode the information provided by the door sensors, and then determine the number of people who have entered the space. Based on this information we can either grant or deny access to the interior building.

- LED Light to indicate to the user if they have been granted access.

- Possibly a speaker at this stage as well, to tell the user the reason they have not been granted access, and letting them know the

incident has been reported if they attempted to let someone into the building.

Criterion of Success:

- Our system generates valid QR codes that can be read by our scanner, and the data encoded such as lifespan of the code and building access is transmitted to the microcontroller.

- Our 2FA detection of multiple entries into the space works across a wide range of users. This includes users bound to wheelchairs, and a wide range of heights and body sizes.