Project

# Title Team Members TA Documents Sponsor
3 Follow-Me Cart: App controlled smart assistant
 Alex Huang
Jiaming Gu
Shi Qiao
Here's the following of the previous post due to word limitations:

## Subsystem 3: Mobile App
Purpose: Allow customers to control the cart via app.
Features: 1. BLE(bluetooth low energy) pairing with the Raspberry Pi for secure identification.
2. Enable/ disable follow-me mode.
3. adjust the following distance, receive notifications when the cart is too far from the user.
Components: 1. Customized Android app
2. BLE/Wi-Fi for control and ID verification.

## Subsystem 4: Drive Subsystem

Purpose: Drive the car
Components: 1. 12V DC gear motors.
2. Chassis: 2-wheel drive with caster support for balance.
3. Payload capacity: 5–10 kg (scaled for safety and feasibility).
4.Power system: 12V Li-ion battery pack with buck converters for 5V (Pi) and 3.3V (sensors/ESP32).
# Criterion For Success

1. The cart follows the user within 1–2 m, with >90% accuracy in aisle-like environments.
2. Our mobile app should connect to the cart within 5 seconds ,respond to any commands sent by users via app within 2 seconds, allow the user to start/stop at any time and adjust the parameters accordingly.
3. The cart follows only when both the paired phone and marker/ID are detected, preventing false tracking.
4. The cart stops for obstacles >10 cm wide within 1 m.
5. The cart might be able to speed up when it is far from the user and slow down when it gets near. In the whole process it should be able to avoid all possible obstacles smoothly.
6. The cart safely carries 5–10 kg without tipping.
7. Max speed capped at ~1.5 m/s (≈3.3 mph).
8. Operates for at least 1 hour per charge at walking speed (0.5 -- 1.5 m/s).

The Marching Band Assistant

Wynter Chen, Alyssa Louise Licudine, Prashant Shankar

The Marching Band Assistant

Featured Project

NetID/Names

wynterc2 (Wynter Chen), alyssal3 (Alyssa Licudine), shankar7 (Prashant Shankar)

Problem

Drum majors lead and conduct marching bands. One of their main jobs is to maintain tempo for the musicians by moving their hands in specific patterns. However, many drum majors, especially high school students, need to learn how to conduct specific tempos off the top of their head and maintain a consistent tempo without assistance for performances. Even those with musical experience have difficulty knowing for certain what tempo they're conducting without a metronome.

Solution Overview

Our project consists of an arm attachment that aids drum major conducting. The attachment contains an accelerometer that helps determine the tempo in beats per minute via hand movement. A display shows the beats per minute, which allows the drum major to adjust their speed as necessary in real time. The microcontroller data is wirelessly transmitted, and a program can be downloaded that not only visualizes the data in real-time, but provides an option to save recorded data for later. There is also a convenient charging port for the device.

This project is a unique invention that aims to help marching bands. There have been previous projects and inventions that have also digitized the conducting experience, such as the Digital Conducting Baton from Spring 2015. However, these have been in the form of a baton rather than a glove, and are used to alter music files as opposed to providing feedback. Additionally, orchestra conductors use very delicate motions with a baton, while drum majors create large, sharper motions with their arms; thus, we believed that an arm attachment was better suited for marching band usage. Unlike other applications that only integrate digital instruments, this project seeks to assist live performers.

Link to RFA: https://courses.grainger.illinois.edu/ece445/pace/view-topic.asp?id=37939

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