Project

# Title Team Members TA Documents Sponsor
28 JargonJolt
 Daniel Chamoun
Luke Hartmann
Nan Kang
 Angquan Yu design_document1.pdf
final_paper1.pdf
photo1.jfif
photo2.jpg
presentation1.pptx
proposal2.pdf
video
# JargonJolt

Team Members:
- Daniel Chamoun (chamoun2)
- Luke Hartmann (lukegh2)
- Nan Kang (nankang2)

# Problem

When learning a new language, amassing and retaining vocabulary is often one of the most challenging parts of the learning process and can be a choke point for advancing into conversational fluency. It is very easy for people to fall off track when learning a new language/new content, especially in the later stages which can prove detrimental to spaced repetition algorithms. According to an American 2021 study by preply.com, 71% of those surveyed who have given up on learning second languages regret letting their language skills slip. Furthermore, 43% of those people stopped studying due to either a lack of opportunity to practice, boredom, or a perceived high level of difficulty. Our project aims to assist those people to continue their endeavors to learn language.

Flashcard applications that already exist do so primarily as mobile or desktop applications. Desktop applications such as Anki have high functionality, but are not portable and could cause the user to miss days if they do not have access to their PC. Mobile applications require that the user has a smartphone, which is not ideal for certain audiences such as children or elderly. Battery life is also a concern for longer practice sessions.

# Solution

Our solution is the JargonJolt, a digital pet and portable flashcard device that makes consistently practicing your language skills convenient and fun! The JargonJolt will take advantage of the “tamagotchi effect”. Named after the popular toy by Bandai, the tamagotchi effect is the phenomenon of humans becoming emotionally attached to machines, robots, or otherwise inanimate entities. We plan to harness this aspect of human psychology to encourage people to keep up with their daily language review and practice. Nurturing/playing with a digital pet who gets happier as you do better in your flashcard reviews will keep flashcard users more engaged during their reviews as well as more consistent.

Users of the JargonJolt will be able to download Anki flashcard sets, where we will make use of spaced repetition algorithms to show users flashcards in optimal order for memory and knowledge retention. The JargonJolt will feature a low power digital ink screen for displaying both flashcards and the digital pet as well as several buttons for selecting options for responding to flashcards. Applications of similar functionality may exist as smartphone apps, but the JargonJolt has unique advantages that give it cause to exist as a product. The simplicity and toy-like nature of the JargonJolt makes it ideal for children who are not ready for a smartphone or tablet. A rechargeable battery will also allow users to take their JargonJolt on the go without worrying about the battery life of their mobile devices or the cell reception in any given area.

# Solution Components

## Subsystem 1: MCU/PCB Support/Internet Module

The ESP32 will run code to determine which flashcard to show the user, process the user’s button inputs, and change the digital ink display to show both flashcards and the status of the pet. The ESP32 will interface with the memory module to retrieve flashcard data. The MCU module will also contain serial programming pins for flashing the microcontroller. The internet module will be able to connect to the internet to download flashcard data, which will be stored in the memory module.

ESP32 (Mfr. Part #ESP32-S3-WROOM-1-N16)

## Subsystem 2: Power

The JargonJolt will feature a rechargeable battery and a Micro USB-B charging port. The battery supplies a 3v7 rail which will be regulated down to 3v3 by a linear voltage regulator. All electronics down the line (MCU, E-INK, etc.) will run on 3v3. The power module will also contain a barrel jack for tabletop testing before the battery is integrated.

3.7V 1000mAh Lithium Battery (Mfr. Part # ASR00012)

Battery Charger (Mfr. Part # ASL2112)

Linear Voltage Regulator (Mfr. Part # ADP160AUJZ-3.3-R7)

## Subsystem 3: Video

The video subsystem is used for flashcards and the digital pet display. It consists of two low power digital screens, 4.37inch, 512 × 368 resolution, communicating via SPI interface.

2 x 4.37inch E-Paper (G) raw display, 512 × 368, Red/Yellow/Black/White

## Subsystem 4: Memory

The memory module contains external SRAM which will be used to store the flashcard data, allowing the JargonJolt to operate entirely offline once flashcards are downloaded. The microcontroller will interface with the SRAM through an SPI interface.

32Mb, SerialRAM, 2.7V-3.6V (Mfr Part #: IS66WVS4M8BLL-104NLI)

## Subsystem 5: Audio

Having audio support from text on the cards also makes sense to implement. Using I2S protocols, upon showing the answer to a flashcard, audio will also play. The audio data will be stored on SDRAM.

I2S Amplifier (Mfr Part #: MAX98357 I2S)

Speaker (Mfr Part #: CMS-4017-34SP)

# Criterion For Success

Functionality:
- Syncing data between Anki for Desktop app with JargonJolt and vice versa
- Buttons for answering flashcards
- Algorithm for choosing currently displayed flashcard

Display Functionality:
- Upon receiving data from the MCU, successfully display flashcard information
- Display a digital pet based on performance metrics

USB charging capabilities:
- Reasonable battery life using low-power components

Musical Hand

Ramsey Foote, Thomas MacDonald, Michelle Zhang

Musical Hand

Featured Project

# Musical Hand

Team Members:

- Ramesey Foote (rgfoote2)

- Michelle Zhang (mz32)

- Thomas MacDonald (tcm5)

# Problem

Musical instruments come in all shapes and sizes; however, transporting instruments often involves bulky and heavy cases. Not only can transporting instruments be a hassle, but the initial purchase and maintenance of an instrument can be very expensive. We would like to solve this problem by creating an instrument that is lightweight, compact, and low maintenance.

# Solution

Our project involves a wearable system on the chest and both hands. The left hand will be used to dictate the pitches of three “strings” using relative angles between the palm and fingers. For example, from a flat horizontal hand a small dip in one finger is associated with a low frequency. A greater dip corresponds to a higher frequency pitch. The right hand will modulate the generated sound by adding effects such as vibrato through lateral motion. Finally, the brains of the project will be the central unit, a wearable, chest-mounted subsystem responsible for the audio synthesis and output.

Our solution would provide an instrument that is lightweight and easy to transport. We will be utilizing accelerometers instead of flex sensors to limit wear and tear, which would solve the issue of expensive maintenance typical of more physical synthesis methods.

# Solution Components

The overall solution has three subsystems; a right hand, left hand, and a central unit.

## Subsystem 1 - Left Hand

The left hand subsystem will use four digital accelerometers total: three on the fingers and one on the back of the hand. These sensors will be used to determine the angle between the back of the hand and each of the three fingers (ring, middle, and index) being used for synthesis. Each angle will correspond to an analog signal for pitch with a low frequency corresponding to a completely straight finger and a high frequency corresponding to a completely bent finger. To filter out AC noise, bypass capacitors and possibly resistors will be used when sending the accelerometer signals to the central unit.

## Subsystem 2 - Right Hand

The right subsystem will use one accelerometer to determine the broad movement of the hand. This information will be used to determine how much of a vibrato there is in the output sound. This system will need the accelerometer, bypass capacitors (.1uF), and possibly some resistors if they are needed for the communication scheme used (SPI or I2C).

## Subsystem 3 - Central Unit

The central subsystem utilizes data from the gloves to determine and generate the correct audio. To do this, two microcontrollers from the STM32F3 series will be used. The left and right hand subunits will be connected to the central unit through cabling. One of the microcontrollers will receive information from the sensors on both gloves and use it to calculate the correct frequencies. The other microcontroller uses these frequencies to generate the actual audio. The use of two separate microcontrollers allows for the logic to take longer, accounting for slower human response time, while meeting needs for quicker audio updates. At the output, there will be a second order multiple feedback filter. This will get rid of any switching noise while also allowing us to set a gain. This will be done using an LM358 Op amp along with the necessary resistors and capacitors to generate the filter and gain. This output will then go to an audio jack that will go to a speaker. In addition, bypass capacitors, pull up resistors, pull down resistors, and the necessary programming circuits will be implemented on this board.

# Criterion For Success

The minimum viable product will consist of two wearable gloves and a central unit that will be connected together via cords. The user will be able to adjust three separate notes that will be played simultaneously using the left hand, and will be able to apply a sound effect using the right hand. The output audio should be able to be heard audibly from a speaker.

Project Videos