SUGGESTED AREAS OF RESEARCH

· OPEN HOUSE PROJECTS

· ROBOT PROJECTS: Ultrasonic sensors, Robot movement, Robot network, etc.

· MUSIC PROJECTS: Keyboard interface, synthesizer, control software, etc.

· VEHICLE SIMULATION: Movement through all mediums.

· IMAGE AND SPEECH PROCESSING: Recognition, synthesis, translation, etc.

· HANDICAPPED TECNOLOGY: Devices to help those with hearing, seeing, or movement disabilities.

· Development Systems for Different Microprocessors (68HC11, 8086, 80286, 80386, TMS320 etc)

· COMPUTER GRAPHICS: Hardware and software development using graphics processors.

· MICROCOMPUTER NETWORKS: New architectures for concurrent processing, control and communication.

· SOFTWARE Projects using C, Pascal, BASIC, Assembler, etc.
(All projects must include some hardware design component.)

· SPECIAL PERIPHERALS: bar code reader, joystick, X-Y plotter, terminal, etc.

· VIRTUAL REALITY

· PROJECTS IN SUPPORT of ECE 412, 385, 110 and other courses.

Be sure to brainstorm with your friends when you try to define a project. Also, please see reports from previous ADSL projects on this web site; you might choose one of them and make further innovation and improvements. Please contact Prof Haken (L-Haken@uiuc.edu) if you would like a tour of the lab before classes begin, to look at existing projects.

Examples of possible projects:

Electromagnetic Damping for Rough Roads: Ambulance rides can be very uncomfortable in countries where the roads are bad. The project is to use electromagnets to dampen the vibrations of a bed in a camper van. Proposed applications are in luxury vehicles and ambulances. This is project is of special interest to Prof. Rao and his contacts in India.

Capacitive MIDI Keyboard: Professional pianists often practice for 8 or more hours each day. As a result, some of them develop repetitive strain problems. Several musicians have expressed interest in a pressure-free MIDI keyboard for practicing. Unlike a piano or a standard MIDI keyboard, it would take no pressure at all to play on this keyboard. This keyboard would not feel like a “real” keyboard, but it would be useful for much of a pianist’s practicing needs. A pianist could perfect fingering and other technique on this “gentle” keyboard, and use a “real” keyboard for the expressive and dynamic practice. This project is exciting because it will make a big difference to pianists struggling with repetitive strain problems.

Inexpensive electronics to support eye surgery: Most third-world countries cannot afford the equipment we use in eye surgery in our hospitals. A local eye doctor wants to work with students to develop inexpensive hardware/software to assist in eye surgery. The resulting equipment will not be of the same quality as the high-end hospital equipment, but it will greatly improve the success rate of eye surgeries in places that cannot afford the high-end equipment. If you are interested in this, please contact Prof. Haken immediately, so you can meet with the eye doctor as soon as possible.

Inexpensive Braille display: Current Braille display technology is extremely expensive. A Braille display contains solenoids that push up individual dots. A 100 by 12 Braille display sells for over $5000. An inexpensive Braille display technology would be a fantastic improvement for unsighted computer users; currently they are limited to using only screen readers (audio technology) due to the cost of Braille displays. This project may require some experimental research in a variety of technologies; please contact Prof. Haken if you are interested.

ECE110 Lecture Demonstration Equipment: ECE110 is the largest course offered by the ECE department. The ECE lab offers students excellent hands-on experience, but the lecture includes several topics not covered in the lab. It would be nice to have specialized hardware/firmware to demonstrate a variety of topics in class. Prof. Haken is instructor for both ECE110 and ADSL; if your proposal for such demonstration equipment is approved, you can be sure it will actually get used in ECE110 lecture.