The work that students complete as part of their senior design project isn’t just a source of pride for them. It's a source of pride for everyone in the computer engineering program and the larger MSOE community.
Students benefit from MSOE’s strong relationships with a wide range of industry leaders. Some of these companies and organizations include Rockwell Automation, Plexus Technology Group, Hewlett-Packard, Direct Supply Inc. and Johnson Controls. They partner with our students and student teams to find innovative solutions to real problems.
Some recent projects completed by computer engineering students include …
The Nios Embedded Board (NEBoard)
Team Members: Theodor Bjorklund (CE), Anthony Hammond (CE), Ross Hanneman (CE), Jake Kremer (CE), Ronald Wright (CE)Faculty Advisor: Professor William Barnekow
The goal of this project was to create a single board computer, called the NEBoard (Nios Embedded Board), which can be utilized in a variety of situations. Currently, many industries are devoting expensive computing solutions to simple tasks that do not require extensive computing power. Our team created a single board computer based on the Altera Cyclone line of Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs). The computer is very low cost compared to current embedded solutions, and has the ability to be integrated into different systems. The flexibility is due to the nature of an FPGA. An FPGA has the ability to implement any type of hardware interface, including a NIOS II soft core processor.
Integrated Motion
Team Members: Curt Albrecht (CE/EE), Rick Allen (CE/SE), Tim Hansen (CE), Tim Schilling (CE)
Sponsor: Plexus
The Integrated Motion system is a portable glove that will allow users to control a computer’s cursor with his or her hand, giving the user a more natural experience interfacing with the computer. The Integrated Motion system will connect with a computer wirelessly and transmit data concerning all three axes of motion as well as rotational motion.
LightRunner
Team Members: Sean Bogie (CE), Megan Emmer (SE), Joe Joseph (CE), Anthony Pleshek (SE)Theaterical stage lighting fixtures are typically mounted on catwalks, ceilings or other hard-to-access locations. Technicians setting up a venue in a traditional manner typically encounter one of two problems: one-person jobs that entail frequent trips between the fixture location and the lighting-control board, or two-person jobs that can entail unreliable communication between the fixture operator and the lighting control board operator.
LightRunner is a hardware device meant to simplify the configuration of theatrical lighting. An Android application, named MobileRunner, can remotely communicate through Wi-Fi with a LightRunner device to get the status of any fixtures and change their values, removing the need for multiple trips and/or a separate person to adjust the lighting control board. The system is intended for use in small venues and will be low cost, require no configuration to get started, and be small in physical size.
MADCAP Robot
This embedded systems robot was designed to showcase potential course studies at MSOE. The design incorporates a microcontroller-based system as well as an x86 based computer. Peripheral devices include a camera mounted to servo motors, so it can be rotated in any direction. The robot has four geared motors to drive the wheels and is controlled wirelessly using Zigbee and 802.11 G. Video from the robot is also transmitted wirelessly to the PC that is controlling the robot. Bi-directional audio is sent between the PC and the robot in order to communicate with anyone around the robot from the control station. Lastly, the robot is able to track and follow specific colors of objects placed in front of it.
Abrasion Hologram Printer
A complete system for printing 3D objects that appear to rotate based on the viewing angle. The resultant holographic image is printed with a five-axis mechanical device that scratches extremely fine arcs on a plastic plane.
BlackBox Flight Data Acquisition Module (FDAM)
An embedded system designed to assist in the testing and development of small-scale aircraft.
GPS Car II
A small-scale unmanned vehicle that can one day be used to minimize human casualties in military reconnaissance missions.Line-Splosion
A non-violent, 3-D, space-style combat arcade game.Smart House Network
Allowing homeowners to remotely access a home network and change the state of attached lights, door locks and appliances.TeamJUMP
Developing a wireless, multi-platform gamepad that rests on the floor as users step on the buttons with their feet to play video games.Waste Automation Solution for Total Efficiency (WASTE)
An embedded hardware and software system developed to increase accuracy of industrial wastewater treatments and reduce downtime through process automation.