More details about the project deliverables.

Deliverables

  1. Proposal (1%)

    The first step in most Engineering projects is to propose (and gain approval for) what you actually want to do.

    Your proposal should be 1 - 2 pages and include three sections:

    • Section 1 - Summary of Proposed Project: Describe the project you intend to design and implement. To do this, you can answer the following questions:

      1. What will this software do?

      2. What problem will it address and/or what innovation will it have?

      3. What are the “base” features and functionalities that you will implement?

      4. What features and functionalities could you add given time and extra equipment?

    • Section 2 - Hardware Components: inputs and outputs:

      1. What are the inputs and outputs of your system?

      2. How will they be used?

    • Section 3 - Linking to Key Concepts in Project: Explain how each key concept in the course may be used in the project, and why they are chosen for this purpose. This requires some thought about the design. The concepts include:

      1. Expressions and operators

      2. Variables

      3. Flow control

      4. Iterations

      5. Strings

      6. Lists

      7. Function Definitions

      8. Modules

  2. Project Report (2%)

    • Section 1 - Final Design: This will include design descriptions of algorithms needed in the project in pseudocode/flowchart format, as well as description of the algorithm.

    • Section 2 - Implementation: This will include:

      1. Detailed implementation steps of the project (organized into sub-sections).

      2. Summary of syntax errors encountered

      3. Summary of what was learned during implementation

    • Section 3 - Testing: This will include:

      1. Test results and analysis, covering all the key aspects of individual algorithms as well as the system as a whole in details.

      2. Summary of logical problems encountered

      3. Summary of what was learned during testing

    • Section 4 - Reflection and Conclusion: This will include:

      1. Description of how the course concepts were used in the project.

  3. Demonstration (3%) -

    • To instructors and TAs

    • The demo schedule is available here.

    • The demo should be planned for about five minutes long and include:

      1. An introduction to the project goals and purpose

      2. A demonstration of the key features of the project

      3. Time to answers questions from the markers (instructors and/or TAs)

Sample Work

  • A sample project proposal is available here.

  • Samples of previous projects are available here.

  • A sample project report is available here.

Available Components

The Arduino beginner kit has many sensors which we used in our labs for different purposes. These and more are available for use in your project. Please note that certain items have limited availability so in the event that a specific component is not available, feel free to ask about alternative options!

Here is the list of components available in our lab to borrow:

  • Servo motors: rotate between 0 and 180 degrees (like a windshield wiper).

  • RGB LCD: can be used to print information, and display different colors.

  • Touch sensor: works like a button but with a capacitive surface.

  • Distance sensors: can be used to detect objects up to 3m away (works more reliably in closer range).

  • Joysticks: can provide direction of motion.

  • Relay switches: with the appropriate supprting circuitry, can control powered devices (like a lightbulb).

  • Slide potentiometer: a user-friendly input device similar to the dial. You can move the slider from side to side to control your signal.

  • Dual button: includes 2 buttons, enables you control two signal channel with one grove module.

  • PIR motion sensor: a digital sensor that allows you to sense motion, usually human movement in its range.

  • Touch keypad: a user-friendly input device equipped with 12 touch-sensitive keys, designed for intuitive and responsive user interaction in a variety of applications.

  • Moisture sensor: can be used for detecting the moisture of soil or judge if there is water around the sensor.

Tentative Timeline

Task Due Date

Identify partner & submit proposal

March 1

Project demonstration

Week of April 1

Submit final report & supporting documents

April 7