Device prototype

Project title: RFID Based Smart Attendance System

Project creator: @team_chkr

Short description: A system that takes attendance using RFID sensors. A student checks in by holding their own RFID card as an ID, and the system takes note through the RFID reader.

Response: I think this project is particularly interesting, as it involves a variety of components to create a pretty simple user interaction. I didn’t think that an attendance system would require incorporating assets that normally stay invisible, such as the RTC module for a real-time clock and the SD card module to hold all the data.

I don’t know that much about arduino’s capabilities yet to suggest further improvements for this project, but it would be nice if the system could be programmed so that it sends alerts to students that are absent if they haven’t been registered into the system at the right time.

Project link

Project Title:- Control of Garment Color Through Brain Signal
Project Creator:- Kitty Y. M. Yeung
Short Description:- The project is a painted flowery fabric to monitor heart rate using the LED blinking on the dress, an Arduino Nano as the microcontroller and pulse sensor to take the readings of the heart rate.

Heart-rate monitor schematics

The image above shows the placement and readings taken by the pulse sensors for heart rate measurement. The first part of the diagram shows the placement of the sensors, on the upper left, upper right and lower left of the chest. The second part of the diagram shows the analog ECG heart rate monitor readings. The sensor was placed closer to the heart to have a more accurate readings than the earlobes (where the project creator placed it initially).

Response:- What I love about the project is that it shows the kind of projects that I would really like to work on, which are beautiful functional garments or wearable that also provides health services. I like the compactness property of the project. The creator achieved that by adding another layer in the cloth to put the boards in order to avoid direct contact with the skin, that is, to avoid short circuit.

An improvement I would like to add on, is that the compactness should also be extended to the sensors, if possible it can just be placed on one spot of the chest and not three, as identified in the diagram above (Although, this depends on the medical procedures of taking an heart rate measurement).

Furthermore, I would suggest an improvement on the LED, that it should not just light up only when the heart is being measured but a particular color can be programmed in case there is any irregular flow of the heartbeat. This can send real time communication to the wearer of the garment. Overall, it is an awesome project!

Project Creator: diy_yoda

Short Description: When racing, you may have to make certain adjustments to the car on the fly (i.e., change brake bias, increase/decrease traction control, etc.). Racing drivers typically have a panel of buttons, knobs, and switches to perform such tasks while racing (or controls on the steering wheel). This project allows sim racers (people playing racing simulators) to adjust certain things on their car in the same way.

A race between GT3 race cars at the Nürburgring. Game: Assetto Corsa

Response: Being a sim racer myself, something like this would be very handy. I don’t have enough buttons on my steering wheel to control all of the things I might need to during a race (especially in changeable conditions). Not only that, but this can give better, more tactile feedback than simply pressing some generic plastic button on the wheel.

If I had to build my own version, I’d probably follow a very similar concept, maybe with a few changes to the layout in order to suit the cars I drive the most in the racing sims I play (i.e., Le Mans prototypes).

Project Creator: Bipin Tiwari, Swati Sharma, satyamkr80

Short Description: The purpose of the project is to facilitate communication between people from the deaf community and other people. The glove translates ASL sign language to the letters in the alphabet and displays them on the phone. It uses accelerometer and bend sensors to distinguish hand movements and identify the letters represented.

Structure of the design

My response: I think this is a great project because it has a great purpose, and can be potentially very useful to help people communicate with each other. I also find it interesting how the sensor values can determine a specific hand movement and translate it into a letter.

Further improvement can be converting single letters into words, which would make communication easier because the reader wouldn’t have to process the letters and organize them into words. This can be done by detecting pauses where there is no hand movement. I would also integrate a hand gesture signaling the completion of a sentence, and add an audio (spoken) output of the sentence through the smartphone.

Project Creator: Ahmed Azouz

Description: The Arduino Marble Maze Labyrinth consists of a cardboard box with a maze with holes. The Labyrinth is controlled by a  joystick that determines the tilting of the box. People can also design and build their own mazes as well. The goal of the game is to tilt the maze to guide the marble to the end of the maze without the marble falling into the holes.

Cardboard Maze

Design of the Labyrinth

Response: I think this project is very interesting because it renovates the game of Labyrinth by introducing a controller. It makes the game more difficult and fun. When nowadays young kids are exposed to video games at an early age, it is important to show them that physical and interactive games can also be fun.

If I were designing the game, I would add more mechanisms to make it more fun.  For example, I would add sensors to the holes and the end of the maze so when the player wins or loses, some tones are played. I would also add a clock to indicate the time remaining before the box would randomly punch holes on the maze.

Project creator: Bartholomäus Traubeck

Description: Years is a record player that translates wood’s year rings into sound. Using a ps eye camera, the grain on the slices of wood is read and converted into music. Includes modified turntable, computer, camera, acrylic glass, veneer, approx. 90x50x50 cm.

Wood disk

I am very touched by this poetic project because it is a very smart way to make a commonly experienced story (tree age through tree trunk rings) more immersive by incorporating sound into it and make every tree trunk piece truly unique.

I would love to explore how exactly this is made and it would be fun to explore it in an opposite manner: play a song and create year ring on a clean plate!

Project Creator:  baritonomarchetto

This project creates a MIDI controller for sequencing drum samples and synthesizer samples. It allows the user to sequence up to 64 steps of the samples, each step being worth a 1/16th note, and relies on external hardware for providing the samples. The rhythm sequencer can be recorded by sequencing the samples live in “Live Mode,” or the sequence can record specified steps in edit mode.

I think this project is really intriguing because I am also interested in using Arduino to create electronic music devices. I think the flexibility of this device and the steps capacity of this device make it a great musical tool. However, I would change it so that this device could also produce its own sounds for people who don’t have access to expensive music software.

Project title: Cyborg Computer Mouse

Project creator: nico_rosell

Short description: This project aims to provide a more ergonomic computer mouse experience. It is known that poor posture at the computer is a major problem and that users spend more time using the mouse than the keyboard. Thus, it would be helpful if there was a better way to interact with the computer.

The glove and the Arduino unit

Response: I think this project is pretty neat because it tries to improve the way people interact with the computer. The mouse has been around for a long time and hasn’t really changed while everything else has changed drastically.

If I were to make my own version, I’d probably want to shorten the wires, so they wouldn’t be sticking out. I might also try to replace the joystick with a sensor that detects finger movement. It would allow the user would use the device by swiping on an imaginary screen.

Project creator: Jacquin B

Short description: Jacquin built a robot dinosaur that can walk around. It can move at varying speeds and in different directions. Arduino was used to control the motors of the robot in this project.

Some of the materials used in building the robot dinosaur

Response: The robot isn’t very useful, but I think it is an interesting and cute project. Watching it move around is fun. Plus, I think it is impressive that its sensor can detect whenever it is near the edge of a table or something similar.

In the video of the robot, it makes a very annoying noise whenever it is moving. If it could be fixed so that it was completely silent, I think it would be greatly improved. Additionally, while it is nice that it can change speeds and directions, I believe it would be a lot more interesting if it could do additionally actions rather than just walking around.

Project Creator:  User “nodcah” (instructables website)

Short Description: After forgetting his house keys several times, user “nodcah” developed a system that would allow him to open his garage door with the touch of a fingerprint. He used a fingerprint scanner that can store different fingerprint data under id numbers. When the right fingerprint is scanned, it prompts his garage door to open.

Final product of fingerprint scanning door opener

Response:

Although complicated, the project eliminate the need to buy expensive garage door systems and is a practical solution to his problem. The great thing about it is that it can be applied to many different scenarios since it can be integrated to control any motorized lock.

Instead of holding down the fingerprint scanner to store different finger prints under different id #, I suggest making the device more user friendly by putting in a number keypad to choose the id # for storage. It would be faster and more intuitive for the user, especially if it is used by several different people living in the same house.