Long Time no See…
So, it’s been awhile since I’ve actively updated my blog or my youtube videos. Even my presence on UltimateComputers.net has gone down as of late. As many of you probably know, I’m currently in my sophomore year at Cornell, studying electrical and computer engineering. This semester has been a tremendous amount of work, certainly more than I’ve ever had to handle before. As a result, I’ve had to prioritize my time, and I had to make sure I didn’t start failing my classes just because I was behind on videos and blog updates.
But, there is a light at the end of the tunnel! I’m in the middle of finals week now, with three done so far (differential equations, electricity and magnetism, and computer instrumentation design), and two more to go (digital logic design and microeconomics). I plan to do some work on the ultimatecomputers.net site over winter break, including a needed upgrade to the forum software, some new features, etc. I also plan to start catching up on video’s and bringing TechBits back to life.
The Solar House Control System…
What have I been so busy with!? Well, in addition to classes, I took on a leadership position in Cornell’s Solar Decathlon Team. The solar decathlon competition took place during the first two weeks of October, so from the very first weekend that school started (in August) up through October, I basically did nothing but focus on getting our Solar House ready to display to the world. Before taking the home down to the international Solar Decathlon competition in DC, we first displayed it to the public at the Great NY State Fair. During the first 8 weeks of classes, I spent every weekend, and some weekdays in either Syracuse, or DC – hence why I had no time to make TechBits episodes… In addition to working on the home’s automation, electrical, and entertainment systems (see the picture above), I also gave tours, talked to the media, and developed the team website, along with Dan Strongwater (a Junior at Cornell who was on the team as well).
Upon the completion of the competition (see the results here), myself and a few others decided we wanted to continue the momentum from the team, without the restrictions of the competition (ie. only using solar power when geothermal, wind, etc are also clean and renewable). So, we formed the Cornell University Sustainable Design Team, and we are currently gathering support from all the colleges within Cornell. We hope to start designing a new structure next summer.
Machine Metabolism…
As if that all wasn’t enough to keep me busy, I also started research at the Cornell Computational Synthesis Lab after the Decathlon ended. I’m developing a sensor interface for a robot that scales and dismantles structures (see the picture above). The whole deal is called a “machine metabolism” – the robot is like an enzyme crawling around on a protein and reshaping it.
So that’s what I’ve been up to! I think next semester is going to be pretty hectic too, but I think I should have a bit more time than I did this semester… I look forward to getting back into some youtube videos, and UC.net soon!
No commentsForce Sensor-Controlled Prosthetics Research – FINAL RESULTS AND DOCUMENTS
It’s been quite a while since I finished up with my Prosthetics Research and the Intel Science Talent Search, so I decided it was time for me to get all of my final materials online. Below I’ve included my final research paper, two posters, a powerpoint, and a short slideshow of the prototype progression that I played at my booth at Intel STS. Just for fun, I’ve put up some select pictures from Intel as well. Please feel free to comment and ask any questions you like.
I am issuing my work under a cc license which allows you to view and share it freely under the conditions outlined by Creative Commons:
Using Force Sensors to Effectively Control a Below-Elbow Intelligent Prosthetic Device by Jeremy E. Blum is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
Download the 20 page Final Research Paper (PDF)
Download the 20×30 Summary Poster (PDF)
Download the 48×48 Presentation Poster (PDF)
Download the 30 slide PowerPoint (PDF)
Watch the “Prototype Progression” video that played at my Intel Booth:
View some of the pictures from Intel STS:
Research Poster
2008 Intel Science Talent Search Poster
Click the thumbnail to view a full-size PDF
Research Abstract
There are multiple problems associated with myoelectric control, currently the most popular form of prosthetic control. Myoelectrodes are expensive, require extensive processing to remove noise, must sometimes be implanted to receive the best signal, and often receive a noisy signal when used externally. One out of every twenty times, myoelectrodes inaccurately predict muscle bulge. Force sensors, a new control method being tested in this project, measure muscle bulge directly, rather than the electricity produced by the muscle. Force sensors are inexpensive, require little or no signal processing, and are used externally. To test this control method, an operational prosthetic hand prototype was built. MATLAB programming language was employed to write a program that could take readings through the computer, from both myoelectrodes and force sensors, and compare their accuracy. The program used Linear Discriminant Analysis to analyze the input voltages and convert them into a signal that would be capable of commanding movement for a given degree of freedom in a prosthetic device. Results show that force sensors can accurately differentiate between different forearm muscles with little training, indicating that in the future they could provide a low-cost, low-maintenance control method for amputees. Research was supported by Mu Alpha Theta.
Comments are off for this postMu Alpha Theta Honorary Student Speech
The speech I gave at this years induction ceremony for Mu Alpha Theta Members:
Prosthetic Prototype #7
Complete Force Activation, LED Readout, Slip Detection/Slip Arrest, and Amplification for Cast Control
Prosthetic Prototype #6
Complete Force Activation, LED Readout, and Slip Detection/Slip Arrest