Project

# Title Team Members TA Documents Sponsor
80 MazEscape
 Jatin Tahiliani
Jayanto Mukherjee
Will Knox
 Aishee Mondal design_document2.pdf
final_paper1.pdf
grading_sheet1.pdf
other2.pdf
other3.jpeg
other1.pdf
presentation1.pdf
proposal1.pdf
video
Maze Quiz
Jayanto Mukherjee(jayanto2) Jatin Tahiliani(jatint2) Will Knox (wk9)

Problem

Modern-day theme park immersive games have become stale and predictable, so we wanted to make them more entertaining by seeing if it is possible to mix some of them. So, we devised a fun idea for a mix between a maze and an escape room where the participants will enter a labyrinth and answer questions to move onto the next level or to the next room and complete the game.

Solution

To tackle this challenge, we have decided that there will be a set of four smart lock systems, two of which will have an LCD screen along with a keypad with which the user will be able to interact with the whole system, and the other two will be the emergency escape lock system. Each set of smart lock systems will be attached to a door that will open up to the next part of the maze or the next level or to a door that will take them out of the maze and back to the starting point. The questions that will be asked on each of the smart locks will be related to small puzzles or general knowledge questions that they will get one chance to answer, as all the questions displayed will be multiple-choice. The players will answer the questions using the keypad by selecting one of four choices: A, B, C, or D.

There will be a total of two levels: an entry-level or the first level, which will be the first instance where the player will be asked to answer a question, and upon successfully answering the question, the system will unlock the gate and the player will be able to move onto the next level and which will be the second or the final level. The player will then again be asked to answer a question, and if they get the correct answer, they exit the maze and claim their prize. If, however, in any of the two levels, the player selects the wrong answer, then the smart lock will send a signal automatically to the escape smart lock system, which will be put on an escape gate, to unlock the gate so that the player can leave the game and go back to the starting point. Each of the two smart locks which will have an LCD screen, will also have a motion sensor so that the smart lock is automatically able to detect if a player has approached it, and then it can display its question.

The smart lock systems which will ask the questions will also be able to communicate with each other so that the user is not introduced to the same question.

The player will also have an additional option to leave the game by pressing a leave button on the keypad, upon which the smart lock system will send the escape lock system a signal to unlock the gate.

Solution Components

Subsystem Mechanical subsystem:

We will use a 1602 LCD Display Module to display the problems the user will solve and a Numeric Keypad to input their answers. The LCD module will be very important for the user interface as all the information the user will need to use the device properly will be available on the LCD display. The user will be able to navigate the different functionalities using the keypad. The LCD module and the keypad will communicate via the SPI protocol with the microcontroller.

Subsystem Microcontroller:

The ESP32 microcontroller will have different types of questions organized into various kinds of questions (MC questions about trivia and general knowledge questions answered with pressing buttons).

Subsystem Wifi/Bluetooth:

We will use the ESP32 Microcontroller as a Wifi/Bluetooth module that will connect all the LCD screens together. The Bluetooth module will also allow the smart lock system to send the escape lock system a signal in case the player gets the question wrong or if they want to leave the game.

Subsystem Motion sensor:

To have a unique and interactive experience, we will implement an HC-SR501 Infrared PIR Motion Sensor Module that will interact with the user by detecting them, and then once the user is detected, it will prompt them with a question to unlock the system

Subsystem Mechanical Lock: We will use a sliding lock when the questions are answered. It will unlock the door, and it will lock after the user closes the door. When the questions are fully answered, the sliding lock will be in the form of a rod and operated by a motor on command.

Criterion For Success

High-level goals our project needs to accomplish to be effective Successfully update and randomize problem sets so that solutions aren’t memorized Ensure the door is unlocked when problems have been solved and locked when the closet is closed Make sure that the different lock systems receive data regarding questions and locking and unlocking via Bluetooth. Minimize power consumption of the system Adjust the difficulty of problems based on user feedback and experience

Bracelet Aid for deaf people/hard of hearing

Aarushi Biswas, Yash Gupta, Anit Kapoor

Bracelet Aid for deaf people/hard of hearing

Featured Project

# PROJECT TITLE: Bracelet Aid for deaf people/hard of hearing

# TEAM MEMBERS:

- Aarushi Biswas (abiswas7)

- Anit Kapoor (anityak3)

- Yash Gupta (yashg3)

# PROBLEM

We are constantly hearing sounds around us that notify us of events occurring, such as doorbells, fire alarms, phone calls, alarms, or vehicle horns. These sounds are not enough to catch the attention of a d/Deaf person and sometimes can be serious (emergency/fire alarms) and would require the instant attention of the person. In addition, there are several other small sounds produced by devices in our everyday lives such as washing machines, stoves, microwaves, ovens, etc. that cannot be identified by d/Deaf people unless they are observing these machines constantly.

Many people in the d/Deaf community combat some of these problems such as the doorbell by installing devices that will cause the light in a room to flicker. However, these devices are generally not installed in all rooms and will also obviously not be able to notify people if they are asleep. Another common solution is purchasing devices like smartwatches that can interact with their mobile phones to notify them of their surroundings, however, these smartwatches are usually expensive, do not fulfill all their needs, and require nightly charging cycles that diminish their usefulness in the face of the aforementioned issues.

# SOLUTION

A low-cost bracelet aid with the ability to convert sounds into haptic feedback in the form of vibrations will be able to give d/Deaf people the independence of recognizing notification sounds around them. The bracelet will recognize some of these sounds and create different vibration patterns to catch the attention of the wearer as well as inform them of the cause of the notification. Additionally, there will be a visual component to the bracelet in the form of an OLED display which will provide visual cues in the form of emojis. The bracelet will also have buttons for the purpose of stopping the vibration and showing the battery on the OLED.

For instance, when the doorbell rings, the bracelet will pick up the doorbell sound after filtering out any other unnecessary background noise. On recognizing the doorbell sound, the bracelet will vibrate with the pattern associated with the sound in question which might be something like alternating between strong vibrations and pauses. The OLED display will also additionally show a house emoji to denote that the house doorbell is ringing.

# SOLUTION COMPONENTS

Based on this solution we have identified that we need the following components:

- INMP441 (Microphone Component)

- Brushed ERM (Vibration Motor)

- Powerboost 1000 (Power subsystem)

- 1000 mAh LiPo battery x 2 (hot swappable)

- SSD1306 (OLED display)

## SUBSYSTEM 1 → SOUND DETECTION SUBSYSTEM

This subsystem will consist of a microphone and will be responsible for picking up sounds from the environment and conducting a real-time FFT on them. After this, we will filter out lower frequencies and use a frequency-matching algorithm to infer if a pre-programmed sound was picked up by the microphone. This inference will be outputted to the main control unit in real-time.

## SUBSYSTEM 2 → VIBRATION SUBSYSTEM

This subsystem will be responsible for vibrating the bracelet on the wearer’s wrist. Using the vibration motor mentioned above, we should have a frequency range of 30Hz~500Hz, which should allow for the generation of a variety of distinguishable patterns. This subsystem will be responsible for the generation of the patterns and control of the motor, as well as prompting the Display subsystem to visualize the type of notification detected.

## SUBSYSTEM 3 → DISPLAY SUBSYSTEM

The Display subsystem will act as a set of visual cues in addition to the vibrations, as well as a visual feedback system for user interactions. This system should not draw a lot of power as it will be active only when prompted by user interaction or by a recognized sound. Both of these scenarios are relatively uncommon over the course of a day, which means that the average power draw for our device should still remain low.

## SUBSYSTEM 4 → USER INTERACTION SUBSYSTEM

This subsystem is responsible for the interaction of the user with the bracelet. This subsystem will include a set of buttons for tasks such as checking the charge left on the battery or turning off a notification. Checking the charge will also display the charge on the OLED display thus interacting and controlling the display subsystem as well.

## SUBSYSTEM 5 → POWER SUBSYSTEM

This subsystem is responsible for powering the device. One of our success criteria is that we want long battery life and low downtime. In order to achieve this we will be using a power boost circuit in conjunction with two rechargeable 1000 mAh batteries. While one is charging the other can be used so the user doesn’t have to go without the device for more than a few seconds at a time. We are expecting our device to use anywhere from 20-50mA which would mean we get an effective use time of more than a day. The power boost circuit and LiPo battery’s JST connector allow the user to secure and quick battery swaps as well.

# CRITERION FOR SUCCESS

- The bracelet should accurately identify only the crucial sounds in the wearer’s environment with each type of sound having a fixed unique vibration + LED pattern associated with it

- The vibration patterns should be distinctly recognizable by the wearer

- Should be relatively low cost

- Should have prolonged battery life (so the power should focus on only the use case of converting sound to vibration)

- Should have a small profile and a sleek form factor

Project Videos