Project

# Title Team Members TA Documents Sponsor
23 Automatic Volume Control
 Chris Goulet
Eric Davila
Roland Le Grand
 Igor Fedorov design_document0.pdf
final_paper0.pdf
presentation0.presentation
proposal0.pdf
A common problem that anyone who loves music runs into is when they are listening to a song on their stereo in one room, but they need to walk to another room for a moment. What do you do to avoid this problem? Some turn up their stereo really loud so that they can hear it from further away, and some grimace and hurry so that they only miss 20 seconds of their favorite song. But what if there was a way to adjust the volume of the stereo based on the distance that the listener is from it? That is exactly what our senior project addresses. With our Automatic Volume Control system, the volume of any sound system can be adjusted simply by the distance that the listener is from it so that no matter what distance they are from it, it sounds about the same volume. This system will also be able to function with different speakers in different rooms, so that the closer speakers play the music as you move from one room to the other. By carrying an active device like a smart phone, the listenerâ??s position will always be known relative to the speakers in order for this system to function.

Low Cost Myoelectric Prosthetic Hand

Michael Fatina, Jonathan Pan-Doh, Edward Wu

Low Cost Myoelectric Prosthetic Hand

Featured Project

According to the WHO, 80% of amputees are in developing nations, and less than 3% of that 80% have access to rehabilitative care. In a study by Heidi Witteveen, “the lack of sensory feedback was indicated as one of the major factors of prosthesis abandonment.” A low cost myoelectric prosthetic hand interfaced with a sensory substitution system returns functionality, increases the availability to amputees, and provides users with sensory feedback.

We will work with Aadeel Akhtar to develop a new iteration of his open source, low cost, myoelectric prosthetic hand. The current revision uses eight EMG channels, with sensors placed on the residual limb. A microcontroller communicates with an ADC, runs a classifier to determine the user’s type of grip, and controls motors in the hand achieving desired grips at predetermined velocities.

As requested by Aadeel, the socket and hand will operate independently using separate microcontrollers and interface with each other, providing modularity and customizability. The microcontroller in the socket will interface with the ADC and run the grip classifier, which will be expanded so finger velocities correspond to the amplitude of the user’s muscle activity. The hand microcontroller controls the motors and receives grip and velocity commands. Contact reflexes will be added via pressure sensors in fingertips, adjusting grip strength and velocity. The hand microcontroller will interface with existing sensory substitution systems using the pressure sensors. A PCB with a custom motor controller will fit inside the palm of the hand, and interface with the hand microcontroller.

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