Suggestions for third year project.

Tar.Aldarion

Hey, I'm in third year Electronic and Computer engineering and so this year we have to do a project. Our supervisor emailed me saying that we can pitch our own idea and as long as it contains software and hardware we can do it.

I am looking for some suggestions, I would like to do something easy.
Any suggestions would be appreciated, thanks.

themole

What college? NUIG?

Who is your supervisor?

You are much better off choosing a project that your supervisor would be able to give you input on.

Robotics is always a good project. Lots of scope to build stuff and program different elements of it.

Tar.Aldarion

Yip, I'm in NUIG.
My supervisor is Dr. Hugh Melvin.
He said that if we don't come up with a project he would spec one for us.

Robotics is actually what I am thinking about.
Something like letting a robot free in a room, it mapping the room and sending back a map of what it thinks the layout of the room is to a cmputer. Also we would be able to control teh robot through wifi.
Although, I have no idea if that is suitable for a project or how difficult it would be?

themole

Interesting.
I worked on a similar project before.
It would be pretty tough. The first thing to decide is whether or not to build the robot, this would be the most challenging part.

The department was trying to do some work on robotics when i was there.

I suggest you talk to Martin Glavin, or Fearghal morgan. They may be still involved in robotics. Ask them to point you in the direction of any postgrads.

I know Brian McGinley is somewhat involved in robotics. He might be worth talking to.

Tar.Aldarion

themole wrote:

Interesting.
I worked on a similar project before.
It would be pretty tough. The first thing to decide is whether or not to build the robot, this would be the most challenging part.

Yeh, I was wondering about that. Some other groups were given robots and told what to do with them. Make them move, control them with wifi, make them clear pingpong balls from an area autonomously.
I was wondering if their ones would be suitable for our project aswel, or would we have to buy something else and what would we be given in general.
Our supervisor is in the IT department where theirs would be Martin Glavin and Fearghal morgan.

The department was trying to do some work on robotics when i was there.

I suggest you talk to Martin Glavin, or Fearghal morgan. They may be still involved in robotics. Ask them to point you in the direction of any postgrads.

I know Brian McGinley is somewhat involved in robotics. He might be worth talking to.

Ah yes, he was a lab instructor for me last year and I see him at juggling soc. Thanks for the help.

How did your project go?

toiletduck

Tar.Aldarion wrote:

Yip, I'm in NUIG.
My supervisor is Dr. Hugh Melvin.
He said that if we don't come up with a project he would spec one for us.

a new guy? he wasn't there last year

Robotics is actually what I am thinking about.
Something like letting a robot free in a room, it mapping the room and sending back a map of what it thinks the layout of the room is to a cmputer. Also we would be able to control teh robot through wifi.
Although, I have no idea if that is suitable for a project or how difficult it would be?

thats the project i did for third year! except we used bluetooth. twas very easy. if you want more info just pm me

Tar.Aldarion

toiletduck wrote:

a new guy? he wasn't there last year

He seems to have been around.
http://ww2.it.nuigalway.ie/staff/h_melvin/hm_main.html
In nuig since 97.

thats the project i did for third year! except we used bluetooth. twas very easy. if you want more info just pm me

I would like a lot of information.
I'll send you off one now, thanks.

themole

I was involved in two projects.

The first project i was involved in was a replacement for not getting a work placement in thrid year, when it was really hard. Half way through i did get a placement so i wasn't really interested in finishing it. We tried to do too much. Three of us were expected to build a robot which could avoid walls in 6 weeks, not being willing to do all the work myself, it kinda fell apart.

The second project i was involved in was during the summer after i finished my degree, 2003. I was employed by the ee dept to work as part of a team to build a robot which would be used for research. I myself was involved in ultrasonic mapping and collision avoidance. What they learned from that project is that unless you are working on the systems of the robot it is better off to buy one, which i beleive they did after that. There were problems with what we were trying yo do. Mainly the robot was too big. Which meant it was hard to control the motors and it required hefty batteries.

Tar.Aldarion

themole wrote:

I was involved in two projects.

The first project i was involved in was a replacement for not getting a work placement in thrid year, when it was really hard. Half way through i did get a placement so i wasn't really interested in finishing it. We tried to do too much. Three of us were expected to build a robot which could avoid walls in 6 weeks, not being willing to do all the work myself, it kinds fell apart.

I remember building the robot 'cybot' in a magazine a few years back. It avoided walls, followed a path, avoided light, was attracted to light etc on different settings. Wish I had paid more attention now!

The second project i was involved in was during the summer after i finished my degree, 2003. I was employed by the ee dept to work as part of a team to build a robot which would be used for research. I myself was involved in ultrasonic mapping and collision avoidance. What they learned from that project is that unless you are working on the systems or the robot it is better off to buy one, which i beleive they did after that. There were problems with what we were trying yo do. Mainly the robot was too big. Which meant it was hard to control the motors and it required hefty batteries.

I guess we should buy one as well, I doubt we could build one and then do the rest of the stuff? Not enough time, even though there are three in my group compared to two in every other group.

themole

Tar.Aldarion wrote:

I guess we should buy one as well, I doubt we could build one and then do the rest of the stuff?

See what the dept has. I think you would have to spend a good couple 100 to get a good one capable of all that, if not more.

Tar.Aldarion

themole wrote:

See what the dept has. I think you would have to spend a good couple 100 to get a good one capable of all that, if not more.

I'll ask, other teams got their bots for them already. Probably due to who their supervisors are.
I would rather not spend a few hundred euro I don't have.
I'll see what toilet duck replies wiuth about what he got for his.

BossArky

You could do a mechanised arm to move pieces one army on a chess board, plus the associated software to control the brain of this arm. The arm would be alright, the brain pretty difficult. i.e. building all the inference engine rules / AI to play chess intelligently. This was an idea of mine for my final year Computer Systems project in UL a few years back but the lecturer said it would take way too long.

In the end I put together some software which would act as a musician and jam with you (when you were playing guitar or piano). Maybe you could do something like that and have a robotic figure shake a leg or the likes?

Tar.Aldarion

I'll make a thread about it at some point asking for help.Thanks for teh duggestion, it sounds really cool, but our project has been chosen.

I have to control a robot with my voice and stuff.



I still can't believe I haven't replied to youor PM Toiletduck, I keep forgetting, but thanks a lot for your help!

Hail 2 Da Chimp

Hows the Avril bot coming along Tar?

Tar.Aldarion

I think they are starting to question why I need all these materials. I'll have to stall them whilst she comes...to fruition.

I have enough of Avrils real haid for the project, thank god.

Hail 2 Da Chimp

"2litres of silicone and a human heart" Tar, how exactly is this robot going to work?

Tar.Aldarion

I don't know yet, but it has big boobies.

Doomspell

But thats nothing like avril:p

Tar.Aldarion

I'm only a third year student yet. I have big dreams. :P

Red Alert

I did my project in UCD on robotics last year. PM me if you want any help!