CS 3651 – Prototyping Intelligent Appliances

Project Brainstorm Ideas

Georgia Institute of Technology

Aug 29 2007 2

Door Knock Lock - Jay

Problem: As you add keys to a keyring, they weigh down your pants and jingle annoyingly. However, without a key to my office, it is difficult to keep others out who may want to steal my candy bar stash.

Solution: Door combination lock (Convert “something you have” to “something you know”).

More Fun Solution: Knocks (in the correct secret sequence) on the window of my office door will trigger the door to unlock.

Also has advantage that I don't need facilities permission to install.

And it would be cool.

January 19, 2009

Peter Dohogne

Homing Candy LauncherUses a trio of microphones and a computer to calculate

the position of loud noises within the room from the difference in times when the microphones hear it, then launches a small object (candy, ping pong ball, etc.) towards the noise.

Requires three microphones, a rotating/aimable platform, a launching mechanism, and software fast enough to pick out the differences in delays on the microphones.

Jessica’s Idea: Sheet Music for musicians that won’t fall apart around them while they play

Basically musical performers have a hard time turning pages and keeping their music in order while they playSo… make it ELECTRONICProvide a thin screen in which you can control to download sheet music and control in performances with minimal effort- these already do existAlso, make it so it can recognize specific tones and patterns so the device will “hear” where the musician is in the piece and change pages

This would probably require three peopledue to all the functions demanded

I only know basics in programming,circuitry, practically everything so I will

need those people

Aug 29 2007 4

Aug 29 2007 5

Hugbot

A simple concept: A robot that gives people hugs. Everyone needs a hug sometimes.Would incorporate motors, manufacturing, circuits, programming, and sensor input: In short, everything this class is based on.Humorous and fun.Helpful to small children, especially those who have trouble getting affection in the normal way (autistic, developmentally disabled)

Another student's Project Idea: Hugbot

He is cute, fuzzy, and hugs with affection strong enough to incapacitate a full grown grizzly bearBasically take an adorable animal and give it the ability to show affection with a friendly hugMust have: ability to insert bendable wire and appropriate electronics into plushy, vulnerable bodyPeople: one in theory (must be talented)

Aug 29 2007 6

Aug 29 2007 7

Final Project Idea – Dog recognition doggy door

Problem: With larger dogs, doggy doors become dangerous because thieves can break into your house more easily

Solution: Build a doggy door that recognizes your dog by its bark, and unlocks the door to let your dog in.

Skills: Voice recognition

Kabir Barday

Final Project idea – Heated & Cooled Koozie

A koozie that has a 3 way switch – off/heat/or coolCan be used to keep a hot drink hot, cold drink cold, or to maintain temperature.Skills: Sewing or plastic, insulation knowledge.

Kabir Barday

Aug 29 2007 9

Robo-crab by Jon Perez

Robo-crab consists of two forms.Sphere form will be a simple sphere that will move around in a way similar to these:

Once someone snaps the sphere will unfold into a crab. The crab will have various actions that simulate a real crab and some that don’t. When left idle it will skitter back and forth at random. It will have sensors so it will not run into things or fall off of tables. It will scuttle backwards from loud noises. It can even dance to music.This project would only take about one person. I would need to learn about how sensors work and how to program them in a basic manner.

CS 3651 – Prototyping Intelligent Appliances

THE BEARSITTERby Chase Bradley

Georgia Institute of Technology

Aug 29 2007 11

NGGYU – The Rick Roll Robot James Cline

Features:Speakers LCD panel (touchscreen?) for video and controlMotion detection or heat sensor to find peopleOnboard small form factor computerBattery powered

Sturdy Construction for taking abuseUses:

Show weather, browse web, etcAnnoy peopleStream news or tv shows wirelessly

Aug 29 2007 12

Automatic Guitar Tuner - Jake Ritter

Problem: Tuning a guitar takes too long, especially given performance settings. Also, even with electric tuners people can be off in their tuning simply because dialling in is rather difficult.

Solution: Attach a tuner with motors to spin the pegs by small degrees until the strings are tuned correctly.

Possible variations: Create a whole device (one motor for each peg) which can have specific tunings EADGBE, DADGAB and so on. Create a device for individual pegs to tune to a single note.

Need knowledge of motors and fine control devices.

13

CS 3651 – Prototyping Intelligent Appliances

Enrique Santos - “Virtual Rave”

• Creates visualizations based on input of instruments and performer.Examples

• “Shaking” of screen to the beat of an attached drum sensor.

• Visualization of wide body movements attached to performer’s clothing.

Potential Tools• Microcontroller (of course)• Processing Programming Language

Graphical Feedback• Piezo Elements

• Sound DetectionMotion Sensors

• Tilt SensorsAccelerometers

Aug 29 2007 14

Limited edition Fallout 3 Pip Boy “I Feel Your Pain” eMutt

Rhys SaraceniCS 3651

Problem: Who has time for the teacher or nurse to track down a child’s parent’s phone number when the child is injured? The parents need to be notified immediately.Solution: “I Feel Your Pain” eMutt! Just squeeze the ailing body part with varying intensity, and the parent will receive an email notification of the injury and its severity. Pros: Awesome, rapid emergency alert/toy fusion.Cons: Child could forget to turn off the message feature,thus sending a false alarm to the parent.

Aug 29 2007 15

Chris Sladky – Internet Connected LED Sign

It’s already been done, sadlyHowever, not by usWhy? It’s cool, and the skills

and technologies could be extendedto other ideas

For example, the MIT Disco Floor isn’t really any technically different; it just requires different physical construction

What’s needed?Ability to connect LEDs to PC for control

Or, do we use a separate controller that interfaces? Not sure.Ability to construct a reasonably sturdy/nice enclosureSome Internet interface

I know C#, but it might be preferable to use PHPI don’t have any of the skills listed above, but hopefully will gain many of them this semester

Aug 29 2007 16

Chris Sladky – MultiTouch LED array

Why? It’s cool. Multitouch is a hot topic right now. Non-conventional use of LEDs.Downside: A bit complicated.http://www.cs.nyu.edu/~jhan/ledtouch/ledtouch.mpgWhat’s needed?

Ability to connect LEDs to PC for output *and* inputOr, do we use a separate controller that interfaces? Not sure.

Ability to construct a reasonably sturdy/nice enclosureSomeone that understands electronics well

Maybe that’s all of us in a few weeksCool UI to display the inputMaybe a demo app? Pong?

At the moment, I’m sort of able to help with the last two bullets. That being said, hopefully we’ll all be better able to handle all of the above soon.

1.21.2009 17

Volume Off When Someone Knocks Stephen Smith

Problem: People like to listen to music while doing things at their computer. If someone were to knock on the door, they might not always notice.

Solution: Place a censor on the door that detects knocks. When a knock is detected, turn off the speakers with a motor. When person leaves the room, hit a button to return the speakers to their previous volume.

Useful. There are many times where people enter room to talk and music should go off. Great for offices, a dorm student who’s studying.

Modern Manners!

Jan 21 2009 18

KMP Walking with Humanoid Robot

Based on Humanoid Robot HGR-2.

It has low memory microcontroller that can only perform a limited repeated action.It does not have any connectors to connect to any other devices.

KMP Walking with Humanoid Robot

SolutionUsing the Gumstix and the Robostix to control 24 servos

It has 400Mhz CPUWifi, Bluetooth, Ethernet

, USB and serial portHave 2GB external memory.It is based on Linux. Robostix has 30 pins that

can be used as input andoutput

IssuesNo communication tool that control 24 servos. Robostix has only 6 PWM pins for servos. It needs 24 PWM pins.Robostix does not have enough power for 24 servos.And many more!!

Planning to work by myself.

Trevor Register 23 January 2009 1

Light-Sound Effects Processor

Photo-resistive plate receives input from a light sourceIdeally, two readings: zero voltage, and some range (probably up to 5V)Eventually factor in color of light as well, so two outputs: intensity (brightness) and wavelength/frequency (color)

Signal sent to an Analog Digital Converter (ADC) to convert the signal to digital formatProcess the input from the ADC using Python using arrays and a sound manipulation libraryIntensity of light corresponds to the volume, while color corresponds to a specific pitch.

What to work on:Find a sound manipulation module for Python (tkSnack?) or use a different languageFigure out how to parse the data from the ADC to something useable by Python.

Convert the grid-like structure of the plate to a matrix (2D array)