TECHNICAL PROJECTS
In school, workplace, and personal arenas, I am heavily interested in engineering new technical solutions to engaging problems. While theoretical understanding is key in these, the process of prototyping and revision in response to practical issues encountered during implementation is key.
Selected Projects
Interactive Web
In support of our school's drama club performance of Charlotte's Web, I created an interactive digital web for Charlotte to interact with. Using an Xbox Kinect sensor, the code (created in Processing) senses Charlotte's location and the web deforms according to her position. Additionally, she was able to write her famous words on the web by moving her finger through the air.
Self-Balancing Robot
The third in a series of autonomous control projects, this two-wheeled robot maintains an upright posture when disturbed. The wheels are controlled via an Arduino with a custom-coded proportional-integral-derivative (PID) algorithm. Tilt is sensed via accelerometer and gyroscope, with the data smoothed by a custom-written Kalman filter.
High-Altitude Balloon
This project involved the design, 3D printing, assembly, and coding of a high-altitude balloon payload. The system was controlled by a Raspberry Pi and two Arduinos. One Arduino controlled the two temperature sensors, pressure sensor (from which altitude can be calculated), and three-axis accelerometer, and the other controlled the GPS receiver and APRS uplink radio, which transmitted the position via amateur radio to a network of repeaters and to 2m receivers, allowing for real-time tracking of position and altitude, as well as a third temperature sensor. The Raspberry Pi controlled a camera, which took periodic still images and videos. At the peak altitude of 105,820 ft, the balloon burst and a parachute carried the payload to the ground. A second payload included a Geiger-Muller tube to measure radiation as a function of altitude to support a student project investigating special relativity.
Magnetic Door Access System
As part of the creation of our school's Innovation and Design Lab, I designed an access system that controls a magnetic lock on the top of a glass door. The system uses a Raspberry Pi to control a relay to trigger the door; the Pi is connected via SSH to a second Pi, equipped with a touchscreen and input devices and attached to an RFID scanner. When a user holds an RFID card up to the glass, the door is opened and a welcome screen is displayed on a monitor facing outward. An Arduino uses a passive IR sensor to open the door when somebody exits, as well as having a physical defeat switch to unlock it for long periods.