Project

# Title Team Members TA Documents Sponsor
52 Heated Bridge System + Seeking one partner
Adriel Taparra
James Raue
Kahmil Hamzat
Jiankun Yang design_document1.pdf
final_paper1.pdf
other1.pdf
photo1.jpg
photo2.jpeg
presentation1.pdf
proposal1.pdf
# Heated Bridge Safety System

**Team Members:**
- Kahmil Hamzat (khamza2)
- Adriel Taparra (taparra2)
- James Raue (jdraue2)

## Problem

During winter, bridges freeze faster than regular roads due to their exposure to cold air from all sides, making them hazardous for drivers. Existing solutions rely on passive warnings such as "Bridge Ices Before Road" signs, which do not actively prevent ice formation. Our goal is to create an active heating system that prevents ice and snow buildup on bridges, improving safety and reducing accidents caused by icy road conditions.


## Solution

Our project will implement a heated bridge system using an array of nichrome heating wires embedded in a simulated bridge surface. The simulated bridge will be a plywood model, with a metal sheet simulating the road surface and nichrome wires beneath the sheet for heat generation. The system will be controlled by a microcontroller that monitors real-time weather conditions via **temperature, moisture, and precipitation sensors**. If freezing conditions and moisture are detected, the system will activate the heating elements to prevent ice formation. A MOSFET-based power switching circuit will be used to regulate power delivery to the heating wires efficiently. When the microcontroller outputs HIGH, the MOSFET allows current to flow, heating the wire.


## Solution Components

### **Heating Subsystem**
- Nichrome wire heating elements embedded in a plywood bridge surface to simulate real-world conditions.
- MOSFET switching circuit to control power delivery based on microcontroller input.
- 12V/24V DC power source, either from a wall adapter or a rechargeable battery with a DC-DC converter.

### **Sensing and Control Subsystem**
- **Temperature sensor** to monitor surface temperatures.
- **Moisture sensor** to detect the presence of water on the surface.
- **Precipitation sensor** to determine if snow or rain is present.
- **Microcontroller** to process sensor data and activate the heating system accordingly.

### **Power and PCB Subsystem**
- **Custom PCB** designed to integrate the microcontroller, MOSFET power control circuit, and sensor connections.


## Criteria for Success

1. **Accurate sensing** – The system must reliably detect temperature, moisture, and precipitation to determine when heating is necessary.
2. **Effective heating** – The nichrome wire should generate enough heat to prevent ice formation on the bridge surface.
3. **Power efficiency** – The heating system should activate only when necessary to conserve power.
4. **Demonstrable functionality** – The prototype should successfully operate in a simulated environment (e.g., an ice box) and respond appropriately to changing conditions.

Wireless IntraNetwork

Daniel Gardner, Jeeth Suresh

Wireless IntraNetwork

Featured Project

There is a drastic lack of networking infrastructure in unstable or remote areas, where businesses don’t think they can reliably recoup the large initial cost of construction. Our goal is to bring the internet to these areas. We will use a network of extremely affordable (<$20, made possible by IoT technology) solar-powered nodes that communicate via Wi-Fi with one another and personal devices, donated through organizations such as OLPC, creating an intranet. Each node covers an area approximately 600-800ft in every direction with 4MB/s access and 16GB of cached data, saving valuable bandwidth. Internal communication applications will be provided, minimizing expensive and slow global internet connections. Several solutions exist, but all have failed due to costs of over $200/node or the lack of networking capability.

To connect to the internet at large, a more powerful “server” may be added. This server hooks into the network like other nodes, but contains a cellular connection to connect to the global internet. Any device on the network will be able to access the web via the server’s connection, effectively spreading the cost of a single cellular data plan (which is too expensive for individuals in rural areas). The server also contains a continually-updated several-terabyte cache of educational data and programs, such as Wikipedia and Project Gutenberg. This data gives students and educators high-speed access to resources. Working in harmony, these two components foster economic growth and education, while significantly reducing the costs of adding future infrastructure.