Proposal Ideas
Proprosal Idea #1
At-Home Sleep Study
Sleep apnea is one of the most prevalent medical issues in today’s world. Worldwide, about 100 million people suffer from sleep apnea though many go undiagnosed. Many people do not have the time or money for a medical sleep study and the only symptoms are sleepiness throughout the day. The ‘At Home Sleep Study’ is a solution for an indication that this is the problem one has. The ‘At Home Sleep Study’ sits on a nightstand or bedside table and records movement and noise throughout the night using motion sensors, microphones, and a night vision camera. These recordings are then saved to the device so the user can observe them upon waking via a graphical user interface. The user can then observe their sleep patterns and asses for themselves, or consult a physician, if they think they suffer from sleep apnea. Though this device does not replace a full, medical sleep study, it can give an indication to the user or their physician if there is a problem to be dealt with.
Hardware Block Diagram
Software Block Diagram
The closest existing item to this idea is a wearable monitor that measures heart rate and blood oxygen levels. Being a wearable sleep test, this could prove uncomfortable and sleep obstructing for some.
Proprosal Idea #2
Automated Home Hydroponics System
During the pandemic many households were encouraged to stay at home and with shortages at the grocery stores, many decided to grow their own vegetables. According to a study done by the University of Illinois, gardeners spent 42 percent more time gardening in 2020 with more than half of respondents claiming they started growing vegetables. This new interest in gardening has been a part of a greater trend of people growing their own food and houseplants. Now that the population is moving back into normal daily routines, less time is dedicated to this new hobby. A perfect solution to being able to grow vegetables but with less time dedicated is the use of an automated Hydroponics system. The goal of this system would be to create a small footprint in the household but without being so compact that it is only capable of small yields. Also, to create a system that is easy to maintain and grows vegetables for the consumer.
Hardware Block Diagram
Software Block Diagram
This would be an all-in-one automated system consisting of a growing container, LEDs that are timed for vegetative and flowering cycles, and a nutrient injection system. This system would employ the use of several sensors such as a pH sensor, water level sensor and an electrical conductivity sensor. The pH sensor will detect the pH level which will trigger the addition of pH adjusting solutions controlled by pumps. The water level sensor will detect when the water is too low and add water to the container. The electrical conductivity sensor will detect the conductivity of the water and determine if it is a proper solution of nutrients. If the sensor detects that the nutrient level is too low, pumps will add the correct solution of nutrients that will be determined if the plant is in its vegetative or flowering cycle.
Proprosal Idea #3
Automated Seed Germination System
When growing plants, many gardeners or houseplant hobbyists eventually try to grow some plants from seed. However, the germination process can prove to be difficult given the circumstances of the environments they are grown in. Some seeds require a particular humidity, temperature, light level, and heat. A solution to this would be to construct an automated seed germination chamber that would be able to be programmed to maintain these parameters. Sensors that detect humidity, heat and light levels will trigger a response from a mister, heating element and LEDs to maintain the parameters set by the user.
Hardware Block Diagram
Software Block Diagram
The construction of the automated germination system would be an enclosure able to hold in humidity but have vents triggered by the humidity sensor to allow air flow into the system to drop the humidity if needed. LEDs will be built into the enclosure with a brightness control. Also, a system of fans will allow air circulation and a heating element can be triggered if user sets a certain temperature.
Proprosal Idea #4
Remote Controlled Mic Stand
​The Controllable Mic Stand is a product for recording engineers and live sound engineers to get better control over where their microphones are placed on instruments or speaker cabinets. The traditional way that a recording engineer would place a microphone is to have a second person positioning the microphone as they listen in the studio, or from the sound booth at a live show, and instruct the second person where to move the microphone for their sound preference. With the Controllable Mic Stand the second person is eliminated and the sound engineer can control the microphone position remotely from the studio or sound booth via touchscreen controller. The base of the stand would be operated by DC motor driven Mecanum wheels and be able to move in any direction desired. The microphone holder would resemble an arm robot with three joints. The first joint would be close to the base, the second joint would be in the middle, and the third joint would control the microphone itself at the top of the arm. Each joint would be controlled by a separate motor and the entire arm would be able to rotate 360 degrees by a motor attached to the base. With this configuration, the user would be able to move the microphone up and down to any height, left and right to any position, and angle the microphone to any angle with reference to the instrument or sound creating object in question.
Hardware Block Diagram
The controller would consist of a touchscreen GUI with controls for each of the motors of the arm as well as for the base movement. The instructions would be processed by a raspberry pi and transmitted to the receiver by a Bluetooth module. A second Bluetooth module would receive the signal for the microphone stand and an Arduino Uno would interpret a send the signals to the motors controlling the stand. Each module would have a separate power supply as shown in the block diagrams.
Software Block Diagram
Proprosal Idea #5
MIDI Programmable Harp
Since the invention of MIDI in 1983, midi has come a long way from its primary use in synchronizing synthesizers and drum machines. Now it can be used in many different facets of music especially with the prevalent use of computers with midi compositions. For some music artists, the need for new and interesting sounds is a constant pursuit. Our project would be the answer to many artists’ search for an acoustic instrument that can have the precision of a machine. This project will be a Midi programmable harp that can connect with a computer or any sequencer using USB or standard MIDI 5-pin DIN cable.
Hardware Block Diagram
This project is very similar to the idea of a player piano, which was a piano that could be “programmed” using a piano roll paper. The only difference is that it will be plucked like a guitar. First the user will program via MIDI in their Digital Audio Workstation (DAW), then the signal will be sent to a microcontroller which will trigger motors to pluck the string. There will also be a dampener to dampen the string so the string’s sustain can be controlled. Guitar pickups will allow the instrument to be directly connected to an amplifier or into a recording interface. For the prototype the instrument will have 24 strings which will be two octaves and be tunable using tuning pegs much like a guitar.
Software Block Diagram
