Project

# Title Team Members TA Documents Sponsor
44 4D MEDIA/Video Game JACKET
Anushi Aggarwal
Hritik Raj
Saksham Gupta
Haoqing Zhu design_document1.pdf
design_document2.pdf
design_document3.pdf
final_paper1.pdf
final_paper2.pdf
4D MEDIA/Video Game JACKET

**TEAM MEMBERS**
Anushi Aggarwal (anushia2), Hritik Raj (hraj2), Saksham Gupta (saksham3)

**PROBLEM**

Amidst the pandemic we rely more than ever on media forms to keep us entertained. Movies, music, and video game technology sales are at a peak now and new innovations are needed to keep up with the amount that we have come to rely on these media forms. The status quo of these media forms rely on a very 2D experience which after about a year of quarantining has become boring, as well as the fact that this 2D experience is not indicative of the technological innovations of our time today.

**SOLUTION OVERVIEW**

We want to create a jacket that provides a 4D experience for various media forms. Specifically, we will be focusing on movies, music, and video games. Instead of just being able to hear sound and see visuals, we want to create a more engaging media experience by enabling users to actually feel these media forms through vibrations and shocks from our jacket. For example, in movies users can feel the vibrations of sitcom audience laughter or explosions, in music users can feel the vibrations of the beats, and in video games users can feel the shock of a gunshot and hits.

**SOLUTION COMPONENTS
SENSOR SUBSYSTEM**

The jacket will be composed of an array of different sensors to allow the user to feel the corresponding media that they want. We are currently thinking of using different types of sensors to provide the 4D feeling to the user. We will provide 3 specific applications: movies, music and video games. For the music aspect we will use vibrational motor and haptic feedback and pinpointed locations around the upper body that will provide the most pleasure biologically. It will be similar for movies. For the video game aspect, there are a few different things that we will use. We will use the same haptic feedback motor at a much higher rate, an electric shock motor, and possibly an airbag that could inflate and deflate on its own to mimic a gunshot. All of these would be controlled by a Raspberry Pi/ Arduino and hooked up to a portable power source. Additionally, we would incorporate a bluetooth module that would connect to the interfacing application on a mobile device.

**INTERACTIVE APP SUBSYSTEM**

We will design an interactive app that lets users interact with the jacket for demo purposes. This software will let users experience what the different types of haptic feedback feel like. It will also allow users to connect with song streaming services. Once users start listening to music on their headphones, they will be able to feel the jacket responding to the bass, rhythm and beat of the song. This will be achieved by converting sound signals into haptic feedback.

**CRITERION FOR SUCCESS**

The most important goal for us to reach in this project is to have a functioning jacket that can create physical vibrations based on different media - movies, music, and video games. We want to successfully create a more engaging media experience through this jacket by upgrading from a 2D experience to a 4D experience. One criterion is that in movies, the jacket is able to simulate certain actions from the movie onto the jacket. Another criterion is that when music is played, the jacket vibrates and the appropriate rate providing the user a 4D music experience. In video games, when the user specifies where to be shot, the user will feel a shock in that location. Currently, very few video games provide the data needed to connect to the jacket wirelessly, so we will provide the data for the jacket as a prototype.


Active Cell Balancing for Solar Vehicle Battery Pack

Tara D'Souza, John Han, Rohan Kamatar

Featured Project

# Problem

Illini Solar Car (ISC) utilizes lithium ion battery packs with 28 series modules of 15 parallel cells each. In order to ensure safe operation, each battery cell must remain in its safe voltage operating range (2.5 - 4.2 V). Currently, all modules charge and discharge simultaneously. If any single module reaches 4.2V while charging, or 2.5V while discharging, the car must stop charging or discharging, respectively. During normal use, it is natural for the modules to become unbalanced. As the pack grows more unbalanced, the capacity of the entire battery pack decreases as it can only charge and discharge to the range of the lowest capacity module. An actively balanced battery box would ensure that we utilize all possible charge during the race, up to 5% more charge based on previous calculations.

# Solution Overview

We will implement active balancing which will redistribute charge in order to fully utilize the capacity of every module. This system will be verified within a test battery box so that it can be incorporated into future solar vehicles.

Solution Components:

- Test Battery Box (Hardware): The test battery box provides an interface to test new battery management circuitry and active balancing.

- Battery Sensors (Hardware): The current battery sensors for ISC do not include hardware necessary for active balancing. The revised PCB will include the active balancing components proposed below while also including voltage and temperature sensing for each cell.

- Active Balancing Circuit (Hardware): The active balancing circuit includes a switching regulator IC, transformers, and the cell voltage monitors.

- BMS Test firmware (Software): The Battery Management System requires new firmware to control and test active balancing.

# Criterion for Success

- Charge can be redistributed from one module to another during discharge and charge, to be demonstrated by collected data of cell voltages over time.

- BMS can control balancing.

- The battery pack should always be kept within safe operating conditions.

- Test battery box provides a safe and usable platform for future tests.