Team members:Christopher A. UrquhartOluwaseyitan Joshua DurodolaNathaniel Sims

BackgroundProblem DefinitionCurrent State of ArtDesign RequirementsSolution GenerationTop Design SelectionSolution ImplementationProject EvaluationProject management & BudgetSuggestions for Future WorkAcknowledgment

Cornell Cupo Based upon very successful Intel Cup China (attracts 26,000

students)o College-level embedded design competitiono Teams of 3-5 Studentso Atom board and $2500 provided to teams with successful

applications

Tasko Design, build prototype and present any innovative

application of embedded technology

284M people visually impaired, 39M blind (World Health Organization, 2011)

Limitations and challenges of blind individualso Lack of surrounding awareness (safety concerns) o Lack access to information

Primary focuso Navigation assistanceo Obstacle avoidance

HOW DO THE VISUALLY IMPAIRED GET AROUND?

WHAT ARE THE POSSIBILITIES?MORE INDEPENDENCE, BETTER LIVING!

Visually impaired individuals lack the ability to completely perceive their immediate surroundings which has potential safety concerns and lowers quality of life when they try to get around.

An appropriate solution will be:o A portable device that assists blind individuals with

navigation to new locations and helps avoid obstacles in their path

Device should be able to:o Provide turn by turn directions to locationso Alert user of obstacles in their path and increase alert as

user gets closer to obstacle

The device is not designed to:o To be used indoorso Replace a guide dog or walking cane

Trekker – Talking GPS ($929)

Kapten Plus GPS $299 (talking GPS) MP3, voice recorder

Draw back with devices above o None of the devices performs both navigation and obstacle alert

Wufu – sensors on glasses

HandGuide $79o Talking Compasso Obstacle detection

Function RequirementsIdentification of drop zones/topography

• Alert when change in height is 5 inches or moreStandard staircase: 7.5 – 8.7inches, Curb: 5‐7inches 

Upcoming hazard/obstacle alert

• Alert user once upcoming object is 3ft away

Direction to location • Device should provide directions to the location and user within 40ft of the location

(GPS accurate to 10meters (33ft) 95% of the time)Power • Battery should last at least 5 hours on

continuous use• Standby power should be 2 days

Portability • Main device should weigh less than 5lbs• Main device must be less than 12 x 8 x 4

inches

Bluetooth transceiver

Wrist vibratorsDevice and battery in backpack

Distance calculation sensor

Voice 

Requ

est 

Processin

g

Info to

 Voice  

Processin

g

FUNCTIONS AND ALTERNATIVE COMPONENTS

OBSTACLE ALERTVibration Modules

o Availability of already designed moduleso Ease of connection?o Wireless communication with module?

Audible toneso Sounds are easy to makeo Might be confusing while providing direction to locations

(horrible user experienceo Difficult to integrate with voice provided directions

Measure(Weight)

User Experience

Ease of Implementation

Total

Vibration Modules

9 6 15

Headset tones

5 8 13

DISTANCE CALCULATION SENSORUltrasonic Sensor

o Good widespread connectiono Little interference based of weather (reliable)

Infra red sensoro Easily affected by sunlight o More accurate but slim spectrum

Measure(Weight)

User Experience (0.7)

Ease of Implementation(0.9)

Accuracy (0.9)

Reliability (0.9)

Total

Ultrasonic Sensor

8 7 7 9 26.3

Infra red 6 8 9 6 24.9

INPUTTING DESIRED ADDRESSESBraille Keyboard

o Time to input address (poor user experience)o Easy to integrate with systemo Allows for more accuracy

Voice (voice synthesis)o Possible great user experienceo Implementation requirements (we have time constraints)o Low accuracy

Measure(Weight)

User Experience (0.9)

Ease of Implementation(0.8)

Reliability (0.8)

Total

Voice Operation

9 4 6 16.1

Braille Keyboard

4 8 8 16.4

Functional Blocks

Obstacle Alert

Directions to locations

Assembling Blocks

Component test

System Integration

Test and Modify

Test prototype against design requirements

Modify as necessary

Explore and learn about ATOM processor

Obstacle Alert• Ultrasonic Sensor, Arduino Microcontroller• Wireless microprocessors with vibrators attached• Java program with two modules

Directions to location• USB GPS receiver, Keyboard with Braille stickers• Text to Speech Library• Google APIs: Geocoding, Places, Directions

System Integration• Bluetooth headset, Keypad for function selection• Military Vest for mounting device• “BOSS” Function and system control

-Hardware -Software

Video of GPS Directions working

Obstacle Alert will be demoed later

Function RequirementsIdentification of drop zones/topography

• Alert when change in height is 5 inches or moreStandard staircase: 7.5 – 8.7inches, Curb: 5‐7inches 

Upcoming hazard/obstacle alert

• Alert user once upcoming object is 3ft away

Direction to location • Device should provide directions to the location and user within 40ft of the location

(GPS accurate to 10meters (33ft) 95% of the time)Power • Battery should last at least 5 hours on

continuous use• Standby power should be 2 days

Portability • Main device should weigh less than 5lbs• Main device must be less than 12 x 8 x 4

inches

-Not tested/system modified -Not achieved - Achieved

Time Period Milestones

November 2011 Learn atom processor

December 2011 and January 2012

Commence in formulation of functional blocks (Obstacle Alert and Directions to location)

February 2012 System Integration

March 2012 Test prototype

April 2012 Modify device

April to Mid May 2012 Develop final report and presentation for Intel Cup

Project ManagerO. Joshua Durodola

Technical LeadChris Urquhart

Integration & Technical

DocumentationNathaniel Sims

PartsIntel Atom Board - $200 (supplied)High Quality Sonar Ranger - $73Bluetooth Headset - $80 (sourced)Vibration Modules - $30 (2 units)GPS Receiver - $40Assembly components - $200 (Pending final value)

Total Required - $350

Resources

Voice synthesis software

Programming language

(C/C++/Java)

Open GPS Software – Google

APIs

Improve on accuracy of GPSPossibly use digital compass for better directionsAlternatives to Google API

Cornell Cup CompetitionDr. Charles KimGerard Spivey, Antonio McMichael, Keir Morris and Senior Design Class

This was an excellent Design ExperienceWe learned a lot individually and as a teamProject could be implemented for commercial use

Intel Atom is brand for ultra low voltage microprocessorsFabricated in 45 nm CMOSUsed in embedded applications; IP techsI/O port with HT technology enablingTunnel Creek of 2nd generation Intel microprocessor95x95 mm

A Sonar sensor emits a sonic pulse and then waits for the returned echo reflecting off an object. The pulse is emitted by a transducer which converts between electrical, mechanical, and sonic energy. The time between the sent pulse and the returned echo is used to calculate distance.

Distance = Elapsed-Time x Speed-Of-Sound /2

Ultrasonic range measurements suffer from some fundamental drawbacks which limit its usefulness and accuracy. These disadvantages are not related to a specific model or manufacture but limited by the nature of their wavelengths and materials interactions. From figure 6, the reflections of the sound waves on a smooth surface perpendicular to the wave’s direction results in full reflection of the sound waves back to the unit. [7]

Script that started our program automatically eventually caused us to compromise our hard driveDifficulty in setting up Sun SPOT microprocessors and feeding ultrasonic sensor output through itBOSS, multithreading in C++ on ATOM board and stability of staying in polling mode for the keypad while running another thread or program