Project

# Title Team Members TA Documents Sponsor
41 BetaSpray - Bouldering Route Assistance
 Ingi Helgason
Maxwell Beach
Prakhar Gupta
 Gayatri Chandran design_document1.pdf
proposal1.pdf
# Beta Spray

[Link to Discussion](https://courses.grainger.illinois.edu/ece445/pace/view-topic.asp?id=78759)

**Team Members:**
- Maxwell Beach (mlbeach2)
- Ingi Helgason (ingih2)
- Prakhar Gupta (prakhar7)

# Problem

Spray walls in climbing gyms allow users to create endless custom routes, but preserving or sharing those climbs is difficult. Currently, climbers must memorize or manually mark which holds belong to a route. This limitation makes training inconsistent and reduces the collaborative potential of spray wall setups, particularly in community and training gym environments.

# Solution

Beta Spray introduces a combined scanning and projection system that records and visually reproduces climbing routes. The system maps the spray wall, categorizes each hold, and projects or highlights route-specific holds to guide climbers in real time. Routes can be stored locally or shared across devices over a network. The design includes three primary subsystems: vision mapping, projection control, and user interface.

# Solution Components

## Vision Mapping Subsystem

This subsystem performs wall scanning and hold detection. A **camera module** (Raspberry Pi Camera Module 3 or Arducam OV5647) will capture high-resolution images under ambient lighting conditions. The **ESP32** will handle image capture and preprocessing using C++ OpenCV bindings. The image recognition algorithm will identify hold contours and assign coordinates relative to wall geometry.

If on-device processing proves too compute-intensive, the camera data can be sent via HTTP requests to a remote machine running an OpenCV or TensorFlow Lite inference service for offloaded recognition. To improve reliability in low-light setups, IR LEDs or reflective markers may be added for hold localization. If latency proves too high, a physical layer solution could connect directly to a nearby laptop to speed up computer vision processing.

## Projection Subsystem

The projection subsystem highlights route holds using **servo-actuated laser pointers**. Each laser module will be mounted to a **2-axis servo gimbal** arrangement controlled by a microcontroller PWM interface. The system will direct up to four laser beams to indicate sequential handholds as users progress. A benefit of using servos over motors is avoiding PID tuning for motor control loops.

If laser precision or safety reliability becomes an issue, an alternative approach will use a **compact DLP or LED projector**, calibrated through the same coordinate mapping. Mechanical design will ensure adjustable pitch angles to accommodate wall inclines up to 45 degrees.

## User Interface Subsystem

Users configure and control Beta Spray through a web or mobile interface. The **ESP32** module provides Wi‑Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, and the **ESP‑IDF SDK** enables local route storage through SPI flash or SD card, along with a lightweight HTTP server for remote control. The interface will include climb management (create, save, replay) and calibration controls.

If latency or bandwidth limits affect responsiveness, a fallback option is to implement a wired serial or USB configuration interface using a host computer to manage routes and command sequences. A basic mobile or web frontend will be developed using **Flutter** or **Flask**.

# Physical Constraints

- The system will draw power from a standard outlet (no battery operation needed).
- The device will be secured to the floor using a stable stand or rubber bumpers to prevent slipping.
- The total footprint will be **less than 25 cm * 25 cm**, with a maximum height of **40 cm**, including the laser pointer gimbals.

# Criterion for Success

Beta Spray will be successful if it can:
- Achieve reasonable accuracy in laser pointer targeting to mark holds.
- Track a climber’s movement in real time with less than **200 ms** latency.
- Interface with a mobile device to change route planning and trajectory.
- Operate consistently across varied placement distances and wall angles.

Meeting these criteria will validate the feasibility of Beta Spray as a modular and expandable climbing wall visualization platform.

Interactive Proximity Donor Wall Illumination

Sungmin Jang, Anita Jung, Zheng Liu

Interactive Proximity Donor Wall Illumination

Featured Project

Team Members:

Anita Jung (anitaj2)

Sungmin Jang (sjang27)

Zheng Liu (zliu93)

Link to the idea: https://courses.engr.illinois.edu/ece445/pace/view-topic.asp?id=27710

Problem:

The Donor Wall on the southwest side of first floor in ECEB is to celebrate and appreciate everyone who helped and donated for ECEB.

However, because of poor lighting and color contrast between the copper and the wall behind, donor names are not noticed as much as they should, especially after sunset.

Solution Overview:

Here is the image of the Donor Wall:

http://buildingcampaign.ece.illinois.edu/files/2014/10/touched-up-Donor-wall-by-kurt-bielema.jpg

We are going to design and implement a dynamic and interactive illuminating system for the Donor Wall by installing LEDs on the background. LEDs can be placed behind the names to softly illuminate each name. LEDs can also fill in the transparent gaps in the “circuit board” to allow for interaction and dynamic animation.

And our project’s system would contain 2 basic modes:

Default mode: When there is nobody near the Donor Wall, the names are softly illuminated from the back of each name block.

Moving mode: When sensors detect any stimulation such as a person walking nearby, the LEDs are controlled to animate “current” or “pulses” flowing through the “circuit board” into name boards.

Depending on the progress of our project, we have some additional modes:

Pressing mode: When someone is physically pressing on a name block, detected by pressure sensors, the LEDs are controlled to

animate scattering of outgoing light, just as if a wave or light is emitted from that name block.

Solution Components:

Sensor Subsystem:

IR sensors (PIR modules or IR LEDs with phototransistor) or ultrasonic sensors to detect presence and proximity of people in front of the Donor Wall.

Pressure sensors to detect if someone is pressing on a block.

Lighting Subsystem:

A lot of LEDs is needed to be installed on the PCBs to be our lighting subsystem. These are hidden as much as possible so that people focus on the names instead of the LEDs.

Controlling Subsystem:

The main part of the system is the controlling unit. We plan to use a microprocessor to process the signal from those sensors and send signal to LEDs. And because the system has different modes, switching between them correctly is also important for the project.

Power Subsystem:

AC (Wall outlet; 120V, 60Hz) to DC (acceptable DC voltage and current applicable for our circuit design) power adapter or possible AC-DC converter circuit

Criterion for success:

Whole system should work correctly in each mode and switch between different modes correctly. The names should be highlighted in a comfortable and aesthetically pleasing way. Our project is acceptable for senior design because it contains both hardware and software parts dealing with signal processing, power, control, and circuit design with sensors.

Project Videos