Academic

This course-related project had students construct and physically test an ECG-capturing circuit using an instrumentation amplifier and op-amp circuits to filter and convert the collected signal to the digital domain. 

To filter the correct heartbeat signals I was looking for, I had to make several design choices that ultimately impacted our final signal. We chose the range of 1 Hz to 150 Hz for this signal to detect any potential human heartbeat. This was done with a high-pass filter with cutoff frequency of 1 Hz and a low-pass filter of about 150 Hz. Instead of using two LM741 op-amps to create the two filters, I chose to use an LT1490 which could create both with one chip. I also decided to add bypass capacitors in order to maintain stability within the circuit’s power to ensure a clean reading. Ultimately, we created a functioning circuit able to pick up, amplify, and record and filter a person’s ECG. Then, in order to be able to further analyze ECG signals in the digital domain, I connected a NI DAQ to our circuit’s output. This allowed me to record the signals on MATLAB using daq commands. I ultimately captured four separate signals: resting heartbeat for 10s, slow-moving heartbeat for 10s, resting heartbeat for 60s, and a faster heartbeat for 60 seconds to be further filtered digitally. 

Getting to measure my own heartbeat was super cool!

The goal of this project was to use a robotic arm with five servos to repeatedly move a bottle from one position to another, simulating what a similar arm could do in a factory environment. This was done by creating programmable logic schematics with Quartus Prime and uploading them to DE1-SoC FPGA to control the arm. Each of the arm's five joints can be user-controlled through the pushbuttons and switches on the board, allowing for a primary and secondary position to be set. Once the two positions are set, another switch can be toggled to get the arm to move automatically between them.

The IEEE paper linked below goes more in-depth about some of the design choices, and the presentation shows a summarized version of my work along with a video of the robotic arm in action. 

Instead of pursuing the more standard project choice of creating a sudoku generator or an Othello gameboard, a partner and I chose to explore the realm of image RGB manipulation and developed a desktop Python Image Editor (GitHub) with GUI. I developed the application's interactive GUI using the imported library Tkinter. The deadline to complete the project was only a week after it was assigned, so, if we had more time, the GUI would be made more aesthetically pleasing and more original would be created and added. I actually use this software regularly to create cool, vibrant edits of images I take (see dog example above).

My final project from my introductory engineering class required my group and I to create a videogame-themed game to be played by children at the Boston Children's Museum for an afternoon. We created a physical Angry Bird launcher which utilized a stomp-based air propulsion system to launch projectiles at laser cut targets about 10-15 feet away. By integrating an Arduino and several photoresistors, the game could sense when each pig target was hit, playing a sound effect and flashing an LED strip. Additionally, when every pig was knocked down, all the lights flash, the music changes, and a servo motor would reset the pig targets to their upright position, allowing for the game to be played autonomously with no need for monitoring it. Mini laser cut pig tokens were also created to give out to the children who played the game.

This project also stems from my Freshman introductory engineering class. We were given the task of creating a multiplayer, competitive, fast-paced, and reactionary for a specific client, incorporating Arduino. My group and I coded a fun, fast-paced, and reactionary game, and built a retro arcade style console with colored acrylic to house the components. The game quickly flashes different random numbers at the players, and they have to sum them in their heads. When they believe their calculated sums are close to the target sum of 21, they hit their buttons and whoever was closest wins.

This project was created the first semester of my freshman year for an introductory engineering class. The goal of the project was to modify or create a game that some people with disabilities could not enjoy, such that they could now independently play the game. This game is an spin on the classic game of UNO for those who are blind or visually impaired. Using AutoCAD, Illustrator, 1/8" plywood, and a laser cutter, this idea was brought to life.