Upload
others
View
3
Download
0
Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
1
Electrical&ComputerEngineeringECE492SeniorProjectProposal
By
StephenBeggs
AprojectproposalsubmittedtothefacultyoftheElectrical/ComputerEngineeringDepartmentat
LafayetteCollegeInpartialfulfillmentoftherequirementsforECE492
Courseof2017
DepartmentofElectrical&ComputerEngineering
LafayetteCollege
May2017
2
Electrical&ComputerEngineeringDesignProjectProposal
Forthepastfiveyears,theelectricalandcomputerengineeringdepartmentat
LafayetteCollegetakenonthetaskofbuildingafullyfunctional,competition-
standardelectricvehicle.Asthecarnearscompletion,thereisneedforanew
project;somethingthatshouldretainthepositiveaspectsofthepreviousproject,
andinnovatewherenecessary.ThispastsemesterIhaveresearchedthevarious
avenuesinwhichthedepartmentcouldgoforitsnextbigproject.BeforeIpresent
myconclusion,however,itisfirstnecessarytounderstandtheconditionsunder
whichImademydecisions.Mycriteriawerethefollowing.Oneaspectoftheelectric
carprojectthatIaimedtokeepwastheneedfordigitalandanalogsolutions.
Becausethisuniquemajorprovidesproficienttraininginbothanaloganddigital
systems,itonlymakessensetochooseaprojectthatwouldallowstudentsto
exercisebothanaloganddigitaldesignskills.Furthermore,inanefforttomore
greatlybenefitthestudents,thefaculty,andthecollegeasawholeIaimedfora
uniqueprojectthatLafayetteCollegewouldbeproudtoadvertise,andwhichwould
serveasachallenging,industry-realisticexperienceforcollegeseniorspreparingto
entertherealworld.WiththatinmindIdesignedmydecisionaroundprojectsthatI
feltreflectedtheCollege’svaluesinsomecapacity.AdditionallyItriedtoretainthe
relevanceoftheprojectimpactthattheelectriccarhad.Electricvehiclesaredirectly
relevanttocurrentindustrytrends,andtheimpactofresearchonthemhasthe
potentialtocauseseriouspositiveimpactintheworld,whichmadetheprojectan
assettoboththestudentsandthecollege.Asasmallliberalartscollege,Lafayette
3
standsaloneasoneoftheonlyinthatcategorytoboastsuchaprestigious
engineeringprogram.Impactfulseniorprojectsliketheonethatweareontheverge
ofcompletingputLafayetteonthemapnotjustamongliberalartscolleges,but
amongleadingtechnicalinstitutionsaswell.Forexample,MIThasattemptedto
submitanall-electricvehicletothesamecompetitionwehaveand,likeus,haveyet
tosucceed.Thattypeofmarketingissuretohelpthecollegeattractthebestofthe
bestastheylooktoexpandstudentpopulationinthenearfuture.Insummary,my
initialcriteriaIusedwhilenarrowingdownmyoptionsweretochooseaproject
that…
1. Requiredbothdigitalandanalogsolutions.2. Wouldserveasagatewayexperienceandpreparetheseniorsfor
graduationbyimmersingtheminanindustry-realisticenvironment3. ReflectedthevaluesofLafayetteCollege4. Heldrelevancetocurrentevents,andhadgreatpotentialimpactinthe
realworldWithallofthisinmind,Ibeganlimitingoptionsbasedonthefourthpieceofcriteria,
whetherornottheprojectwasrelevanttocurrentevents,andcouldpotentially
bearimpactfulresults.
Ourworldiscurrentlyfacinganearuncountablenumberofproblems,onlysomeof
whichhavethepotentialtobesolvedbytechnologicinnovation.OftheseissuesI
triedtonarrowdownthefewthatheldthemostimmediaterelevance.Inaninitial
listIdeterminedthatgeneralsafetyissues,environmentalissuesandsecurityissues
werethethreecategoriesunderwhichthemostrelevantopportunitiesfell.For
example,theprojectwearecurrentlyworkingonhasstrongtiestoenvironmental
4
issues.Ashumanscontinuetowarmtheiratmosphere,gasoline-poweredvehicles
arealwaysnearthetopofthelistofcontributors.Researchintobuildingourown
electricvehiclehadthepotentialtobreakgroundinsuchresearch,andhelppush
theworldweliveintowardfullyswitchingoverfromgasoline-poweredvehiclesto
fullyelectricvehicles.Thefinallistofprojectscontainedopportunitiesthatallheld
similarrelevancetoissuesofsafety,security,andourenvironment.Themagnitude
ofthisrelevance,inadditiontoanalysisofmyothercriteria,iswhathelpedleadme
tomyfinaldecision.
Oncemydecisionhadbeenmade,assessingthefeasibilityofthewinningoptionwas
doneutilizingGeorgeHeilmeier’snineCriticalQuestionsforResearchProposals.
Referredtoasthe“HelmeierCatechism”,Helmeierdevelopedthissetofquestionsin
the1970’swhilehewasthedirectoroftheAdvancedResearchProjectsAgency
(ARPA)inanefforttohelpguidethoseseekingtoproperlycommunicatewhatthey
plantoaccomplishwithanygivenresearchproposal.Thequestionsareasfollows.
1. Whatareyoutryingtodo?Articulateyourobjectivesusingabsolutelyno
jargon.Whatistheproblem?Whyisithard?2. Howisitdonetoday,andwhatarethelimitsofthecurrentpractice?3. What’snewinyourapproachandwhydoyouthinkitwillbesuccessful?4. Whocares?5. Ifyou’resuccessful,whatdifferencewillitmake?Whatimpactwill
successeshave?Howwillitbemeasured?6. Whataretherisksandpayoffs?7. Howmuchwillitcost?8. Howlongwillittake?9. Whatarethemidtermandfinal“exams”tocheckforsuccess?Howwill
progressbemeasured?
5
Evenifaparticularprojectfulfilledthecriteriamentionedabove,itwascriticalto
evaluatetheproject’sfeasibility.Themeaningoftheresearch,andhowLafayette’s
studentscouldpotentiallycontributearetakenintoconsiderationbythese
questions.Ifweweretoreturntoaprojectthatmerelyassessedthestudents’
abilitiestospitbackoutwhattheylearnedwithouta“why?”component,thenthere
wouldbenoneedforthesequestions.Byturningthisprojectintoaresearch
opportunity,thedepartmentwouldbeenablingthestudentsasengineersand
professionalthinkers,ratherthanjustgraduatingstudentsqualifyingforadegree.
ThusHeilmeier’sninequestionsarenecessarytoproperlyevaluatethemeritofthe
chosenproject.
Afterafullsemesterofresearch,thefinallistofprojectsIchosetoexamineclosely
wasasfollows.Innoparticularorder,facialrecognitiontechnology,further
investigationintoelectricvehicles,andthefacetsofimplementingelectricvehicles
thatcurrentlystandasroadblocksfordesigners,windturbinetechnology,
autonomous/self-drivingvehicles,andGPStechnologyresearch.Therewereseveral
ofthesedesignswhichwereeasilyeliminatedsimplyduetolackofcertainqualities
thatIrequired.Forconveniencesake,Iwillexplainmyevaluationofthoseoptions
first,beforeaddressingthemoreworthyopportunities.
GPSTechnologyResearch
6
GPSresearchhasalotofinterestingapplications,andthedesignofafullsystem
requiresacomprehensiveunderstandingofanalogsystems,digitalsystems,and
signalsystems.Additionally,similartotheelectriccarproject,implementingaGPS
systemcanbebrokendownintosubsystems,whichcouldtheoreticallybehandled
bysub-teamsdesignedwithmemberswhowouldproducethebestresultsforthat
particularsubsystem.Unfortunately,alotoftheworkissimplytoolargescalefora
seniorclasstohandle.ThethreesubsystemsofafunctioningGPSsystemarethe
spacesegment,thecontrolsegment,andtheusersegment.Thespacesegmentisthe
organizationandoperationofmanysatellitescirclingtheearth,andoptimizingtheir
positioninrelationtoeachtoeachother,aswellastheirangleinrelationtothe
earth’ssurface.Thecontrolsegmentisthemonitoringofthesesatellitesonearth.It
goeswithoutsayingthatourdepartmentdoesnothavetheresourcestoengagein
thatkindofresearch.SoalthoughengineeringafullGPSsystemfillsmanyofthe
criteriasetearlier,itsimplyisnotfeasible.Additionally,theonlyportionthatcould
realisticallybeworkedonbyourstudentswouldbetheusersegment,thereceiver,
whichwouldnotamounttoenoughworktooccupyanentireseniorclassfora
semester.
FacialRecognitionTechnologyResearch
Ichosetolookintothepossibilityofproposingaprojectbasedarounddesigninga
facialrecognitionsystemformultiplereasons.Asaworldissue,facialrecognition
technologyhasveryserioussecurity-basedapplications,andcompanieslikeApple
7
areevenonthevergeofusingthistypeoftechnologytoreplacefingerprint
identificationtechnologyintheirproducts.Famously,facialrecognitiontechnology
waspivotalinthelocationandcaptureoftheBostonMarathonbomber,butthisis
justoneexampleofthemanywaysinwhichfacialrecognitiontechnologycouldbe
usefulinthecomingyears.Inadditiontotheindustryrelevanceoftheresearch,a
largepartoftheprojectrequiresateamtofigureouthowbesttogeneralizea
humanface,i.e.whatpointsofthefacedowesampletoidentifyeyelocationand
shape,mouthlocationandshape,noselocationandshape,andsoon.Thisfacetof
theprojectoffersanopportunityforcollaborationwithartmajorsonthiscampus.
WorkingwithateamofECE’sIbelieveagroupofartand/orphotographymajors
wouldbeessential.Togethertheteamasawholewouldworkcollaborativelyto
solvewhattolookforwhenidentifyingahumanface,andthenhowbesttoengineer
thatrecognitiontechnique.Thiscollaborativeopportunitycombinesengineerswith
artists,andprovidesauniqueprojectsettinginwhichthestudentswillbeforcedto
exhibitgoodcommunicationandteambuildingskillsinordertosucceed.
Althoughfacialrecognitionresearchisrelevantandposesanopportunityto
produceimpact,thereareseveralreasonswhyIdidnotdecidetogoforwardwith
proposingthisproject.Forone,therearenorealanalogcomponentstoit.Thevast
majorityoftheworkisbasedondigitalsystemsanddigitalimageprocessing.In
ordertoreallybeathoroughassessmentforanentireclassofECEseniors,the
projectIwanttoproposehastoallowstudentstheopportunitytodemonstrate
theirproficiencyinbothdigitalandanalogproblemsolving.Furthermore,there
8
simplyisnotenoughworktobedonetosupplyanentireclassofgraduatingECE’s
withasemester’s-worthofwork.Whatmadethecarprojectsuchaneffectiveand
long-lastingprojectwasthepresenceofsubsystems,andtheabilitytobreak
studentsupintosub-teamsbasedontheirrespectivestrengths.Engineeringfacial
recognitiontechnologydoesnothaveenoughseparatecomponentstobreakupinto
teamslikethat,andisprobablyaprojectbestsuitedforasmallerteam.Engagingin
aprojectlikethiswouldbeareallygreatopportunityforaCapstoneProjectwitha
smallerteam,ormaybeevenforthesiswork,butthesystemdoesnotprovide
enoughmaterialformetofeelcomfortableproposingitasthenextbigsenior
projectfortheECEdepartment.
WindTurbineTechnologyResearch
Inthespiritofsearchingforprojectsthatposedanopportunityforstudentsto
accomplishimpactfulresearch,itonlymadesensetolookintowindturbine
technology.Asarenewableenergysource,windpowerisbecomingincreasingly
desired,anditwouldbeaninterestingprojectforagroupofECE’stodelveinto
detailedresearchonhowwindenergyistransformedintoelectricalenergy.
Unfortunately,withoutsugarcoatinganything,thesolutiontowindpowersimplyis
notanelectricalengineeringproblem.Forceofwindspinsseveralpropeller-shaped
blades,whichareconnectedtoarotor.Therotorspinsanelectricalgenerator,
whichproduceselectricalenergythatcanthenbesentstraighttotheelectricalgrid
tohelppowerhomesandbuildings.Atthemost,thisprojectcouldbeacollaborative
9
projectwiththeMech-E’s,wheretheECEteamwouldfocusontheoptimaldesignof
theelectricalgenerator.Evenwiththatoption,thereisnodigitalaspecttothis
project,andtheassignmentwouldalienatethosestudentswhosestrengthsliewith
digitalproblemsolving.Additionallythereisnorealsub-teamstructuretothe
project,andtheamountofworkrequiredcouldeasilybecompletedbyasmallteam
ofECE’s,asopposedtoanentireclass.Excludingthoseissues,however,buildingan
electricalgeneratorturnsouttobemoreofaphysicsproblemanyway.In
conclusion,thereisnorealopportunityhereforECE’stoproperlydemonstratethe
designskillsacquiredoverthecourseoftheircurriculum.Ithinkitgoeswithout
beingsaidthatforthesereasons,thiswouldnotqualifyasaproperseniorproject
fortheECEdepartment.
FurtherElectricCarResearch
Asidefrombeingamassiveachievementforboththeengineeringprogram,aswell
astheschool,theimpactofsimplybuildinganelectriccardesignedtocompetition
standardsisquitelow.Ifwewanttotalkrelevancetotheworldwecurrentlylivein,
aseriouslyimpactfulprojectwouldneedtobebasedaroundthespecificroadblocks
thatengineersintherealworldarefacingtodayastheyattempttohelpmoveour
worldintoanerawherewecanhopefullyeliminatetheharmfuleffectsofgasoline
poweredcarsonourplanet.Backin2012,BarackObama,incooperationwiththe
EnvironmentalProtectionAgency(EPA),introducedtheEVEverywhereGrand
Challenge(ElectricVehicleEverywhereGrandChallenge).Thisinitiativewas
10
designedaspartofthecountry’s“all-of-the-above”energystrategy,andaimsto
designelectricplug-invehiclesthatareasaffordableandconvenientforthe
Americanfamilyasgasoline-poweredvehiclesaretodaybytheyear2022.The
blueprintassociatedwiththischallengeoutlinesthetechnicalrequirementsthat
needtobemetinorderforsuchagoaltobeachieved.Inthisblueprint,the
DepartmentofEnergy(DOE)outlinesseveraldifferentsubsystemsthatneedtobe
presentinabasicelectricvehicle,andthespecsthatneedtobemetforeach
respectivesubsystem.Thesesubsystemsincludethebattery,electricmotor,power
electronics,andon-boardchargers.Ibrokedownandanalyzedeachofthese
subsystemsusingthecriteriaabove.
Tobeginmyanalysis,itisimportanttorecognizethatfurtherresearchingthe
specificissueswithelectriccarsthatpuzzletoday’sengineersfulfillsthefourth
pieceofcriteriabydefault,regardlessofwhichsubsystemischosen,whichisnotto
saythatmultiplecannotbechosen.FurtheringtheEVEverywhereGrandChallenge
goalisapotentialdirectoutcomeofengaginginresearchonanyofthepreviously
mentionedsubsystems.Asmentionedearlier,gasoline-poweredvehiclesareabane
toourworld’satmosphere,andtoaidinthepushtoswitchovertopredominantly
electricvehicleswouldserveasimpactfulresearchthatstudentscouldbeproudto
puttheirnameson.Furthermore,successinanycapacityofanyoftheseprojects
wouldbeatestamenttotheprestigeoftheECEdepartment,theschool’s
engineeringprogram,andLafayetteCollegeasawhole.Thesubsystemsinneedof
11
improvementasdetailedbytheEVEverywhereblueprintarethebattery,the
electricmotor,powerelectronics,andon-boardchargers.
BatteryResearch
Themainissuewitheachofthesesubsystemsisnottoachievefunctionality,butto
achievefunctionalityinacostefficientmanner.Electricvehiclescanbemade,but
untiltheyarecostefficientenoughtobesoldattheaffordablepricesthatgasoline-
poweredcarsaretoday,employingthemonamassscaleisalostcause.Forthe
battery,TheEVEGCblueprintspecifiesthatcostsmustbereducedto$125/kWh.In
ordertoachievethisgoal,thereisnecessaryresearchintoexploratorybattery
materialsresearch.Suchworkaddressesthefundamentalissuesassociatedwith
lithiumbatteriesandthematerialsoutofwhichtheyaremade.Researchisalso
neededtolookintooptimizingnewhigh-energylithiumionelectrochemistriesthat
incorporatenewbatterymaterials,andsystematicwaystoeffectivelytestthese
electrochemistries.Lastly,researchisrequiredtohelpassessthecostefficiencyof
newbatterydesigns.Currentlythereisapushtodevelopmodelsthathelp
researcherscalculatepotentialcostsofbatteriesinparallelwiththeriseofnew
batterytechnologies.AlloftheseresearchopportunitiesarewhattheDOE
determineswillhelpthemachievetheirgoalofreducingbatterycoststo$125/kWh.
Formyfirstpieceofcriteria,thesolutionfortheissueswithbatterieswouldbe
exclusivelyanalog.However,alargeportionofwhatisholdingbacktheinnovation
ofbatterieshastodowithelectrochimcalprocesses,andthematerialsusedin
12
makingthebattery.Thisservesasanopportunitytocollaboratewiththechemical
engineeringdepartment.Additionally,helpcouldbeneededfrommathand
economicsmajorsinreferencetothemodelingcomponentoftheproject.Creating
statistical/mathematicalmodelstorepresentcostefficiencyandtotalcostfor
developingbatterytechnologiesisataskbestsuitedforthosewithadvancedmath
training.Bothmathandeconomicsmajorsatthisschoolaretrainedproficientlyin
datamodeling,andcollaborationwithsuchstudentscouldprovetobehelpful.Such
collaborationwouldprovidestudentswiththeopportunitytoworkinateam
environmentinwhichsuccesswouldbedependentonstrongteambuildingand
communicationskills.Thistypeofsettingistheindustry-realisticenvironmentIam
lookingtoimmerseourstudentsin.AsIseeitthemosteffectivewaytoprepareour
seniorsforpost-graduatelifeistosimulateitasbestwecan.Collaborative
opportunitiesachievethatgoalseamlessly.However,thedownsideIseetothis
projectisthelackofneedforECE’s.Thelargemajorityofthedesignworkneeded
wouldfallintotheChem-Erealm,andnomorethan2-4ECE’swouldbeneededto
workonthissubsystem.Ifthedepartmentdecidestopursueresearchonbatteries,
itwouldneedtobesupplementedbyworkonanothersubsystemofthecar.
ElectricMotorResearch
CurrentlytheVehicleTechnologiesOffice(VTO)isfundingandsupportingresearch
intoelectricmotortechnologies,asapartoftheelectricmotorcontributiontothe
EVEGC’sgoal.Inshort,anelectricmotortakestheelectricenergystoredinthe
13
batteries,andconvertsthattomechanicalenergy,whichcanbeusedtomovethe
car.Anybasicelectricmotorconsistsofarotorandastator(themovingand
stationarypartsofthemotor,respectively).Theissuewithcurrentmotor
technologiesisonceagaincostefficiency,andaspertheEVEverywhereblueprint,
costsmustbereducedby50%come2022.Thereareseveralmajorareasof
researchbeingdoneonelectricmotorsinpursuitofthisgoalthatcouldpotentially
betakenonbystudentsatLafayette.Currentlyresearcheffortsarebeinglentto
discoveringlow-costpermanentmagnetsandmagneticmaterials,andimproving
electricmotorthermalmanagement,performance,andreliability.Thepositivesof
pursuingsuchresearchasapartofacollaborativeECE492projectaresimilaras
thoseforthebatterysystem.Sucheffortswouldrequirecollaboration,namelywith
geologymajors,mechanicalengineers,andpotentiallyphysicsmajors.Alarge
portionoftheproblemsfacingelectricmotorengineerstodayconcernthemagnetic
materialsusedintheconstructionofthemotors.Ateamofgeologyandphysics
majorswouldbecrucialindeterminingoptimizeddesigninthisrespect.
Furthermore,itwouldbewisetoemploythehelpofmechanicalengineers,who
wouldaidintheconstructionofthemotor.However,onceagain,theECE
contributiontothisparticularsubsystemofthecarwouldbesmall,andlimitedto
thethermalmanagementsystem.Althoughthissubsystemprovidesagood
opportunitytocollaborateinateamsetting,R&Dinthisareawouldonceagainneed
tobesupplementedbyresearchonanotheroneofthesubsystems.Icannotseea
situationinwhichmore2-3ECE’swouldbeneededtoworkontheelectricmotor’s
thermalmanagementsystem.
14
PowerElectronicsResearch
InordertoreachthegoalssetintheEVEverywhereblueprint,aconsiderable
amountoffundingandsupportisbeinglenttoloweringthecost,andimprovingthe
performanceofpowerelectronicsinelectricvehicles.Asoutlinedbytheblueprint,
inanyelectriccartherearepowerelectronicstechnologiesthatfunctioninmany
differentways;fromprocessingandcontrollingtheflowofelectricalenergyto
controllingthespeedofthemotor,todistributingelectricalpowertoothervehicle
systemssuchasheating,ventilation,lighting,etc.Amongsttheseelectronicsisan
inverter,whichconvertsDCenergyfromthebatterytoACenergyusedinthedrive
motor.Aninverteralsoactsasbothamotorcontrollerandafilterinthevehicle.As
afilter,theinverterhelpsprotectthebatteryfromstraycurrent.Notonlyare
researcherstodayfocusingonreducinginvertervolumeandpartcount,buttheyare
alsolookingintotheimprovementofthespecificcomponentsthatmakeupeach
inverter,namelythesemiconductors.Researchersareworkingoninverter
topologiesthatshiftawayfromusingsilicon-basedsemiconductors,andinstead
implementwidebandgapsemiconductors(WBGsemiconductors).WBG
semiconductorsaremuchmoreresilientthantheirsilicon-basedcounterparts,and
canwithstandmuchhighertemperatures.Inthisway,inverterarchitecturesthat
implementWBGsemiconductorseffectivelyreducecostbyreducingtheneedfora
thermalmanagementsystem.Workingonproducinginverterswithsuchtechnology
15
inthemcouldprovetobeagoodcollaborationprojectbetweenchemicaland
electricalengineers.
Inadditiontoinverters,improvementstoDC/DCconvertersarealsoindemand.In
thecar,theseconvertersareusedtoalterbatteryvoltagetoaccommodatethe
voltagerangesofthemotorandothersystemsinsidethevehicle.Currenteffortsto
innovateinthisareaaimtodevelopnextgenerationtopologiesthataremore
efficientandreducepartcount.Thisinparticularwouldbeagreatendeavorfora
teamofECE’s.Theneedtonotonlycreateanefficientdesignbutalsoeffectivelytest
thatdesignwouldbeanexcellentopportunityforseniorECE’stodemonstratethe
designandanalysisskillstheyaccruedoverthecourseoftheircurriculum.The
researchofpowerelectronics,unliketheprevioustwosubsystems,reliesheavilyon
contributionfromtheECEdepartment.Itisarelevantandimpactfulproject,which
thedepartmentcanassigntothestudentsknowingfullwellthatsuccessisdirectly
proportionaltothequalityoftheeducationreceivedbythestudentsinprevious
years.Furthermore,itisanexcellentopportunitytocollaboratewithchemical
engineers,asnotedearlier.Thedownsidetothisisthatthereisstillnorealwayin
whichthisprojectreflectstheidealsofthecollege.Althoughthisisnotthemost
importantpieceofcriteriaoutofthefour,Iwouldliketoreiteratethatitwas
importanttomethatitbeincluded.Asamajorpieceofcriteriainmydecision-
makingprocess,Iwashopingtohelpmaximizetheimpactandthemeaningofthe
project.AsHeilmeierwouldputit,themissionstatementofthecollegeisLafayette’s
answertohisquestionfour,“sowhat?”Iftheprojectcansomehowreflectthe
16
college’smissionstatement,thentheprojecthasa“sowhat”forthedepartment,the
students,andforLafayetteasaninstitution.
On-BoardChargersResearch
Aspertheblueprint,on-boardchargingtechnologiesconvertACenergyfromthe
electricalgridintotheDCenergyneededtochargethebatteries.Currently,these
chargersarebasedontraditional,high-frequencychargercircuits.Inaneffortto
maximizecostefficiency,researchtooptimizecircuitarchitecturesisrequired.
Additionally,researchersarelookingintotheintegrationofchargingwithexisting
powerelectronicsonthecar.Allowingalreadypresentelectronicsinthecartoaid
inchargingwillinturnreducepartcountandweight,thusimprovingcostefficiency.
Althoughnotquiteitsownseparateproject,theconsiderationoftheintegrationof
on-boardchargingcouldprovetobeasupplementarytaskforanyteamsworking
onthepowerelectronicsortheelectricmotor.Thusthepositivesandnegativesfor
eachofthosesubsystemsringtrueforthisprojectaswell.
CarResearchSummary
Insummary,furtheringresearchonelectriccarshasthepotentialtotestsenior
studentsasengineers,aswellasexposethemtoacollaborativeteamenvironment
inwhichtheyareforcedtoexercisegoodteambuildingandcommunicationskills.
Inadditiontofulfillingthecriteriaofprovidinganindustry-realisticexperience,the
17
workbeingdonewouldberelevant,impactful,andwouldproperlyassessthe
students’proficiencyinelectricalengineering.Insteadofsimplydesigningacar
basedonasetofcompetitionrequirements,studentswouldbestrivingtohelpthe
world’sengineersreachagoalthatstandstobenefitusall,basedonthesamedesign
specificationsbeingusedbytoday’stopengineers.Unfortunately,thereislittle
roominthisprojecttoincorporatedigitalsystemssolutions,andalthoughthe
projectpresentstheopportunityforpositiveimpactfromanenvironmental
solutionsstandpoint,thereseemstobenotrulypowerfulwaytoconnecttheproject
backtothecorevaluesandidealsofthecollege.Intheend,thisprojectrepresentsa
feasibleopportunityforanimpactfulproject,andonethatprovidesstudentsasetof
optionsforresearchdependingoneachstudent’sparticularstrength.Havingmade
thispoint,Iamconfidentthatthiswouldmakeforagreatprojecttofollowthe
currentelectriccarassignment.Thatbeingsaid,thelargestconcernisthatthese
optionsarelimitedtoanalogdesign,andtheprojectdoesnotnecessarilycaterto
studentswhoexcelindigitaldesign.Additionally,manyofthesolutionstothe
projectrequirementsaskarguablymoreofstudentsfromotherdisciplinesthanit
doesofECEstudents.Whatwasintendedtobeaninterdisciplinaryexperienceis
liabletoturnintoaprojectfortheengineeringdepartmentasawholeasopposedto
justfortheECE492course.Ifthisisadesiredavenue,thismustbetakeninto
account.
Self-Driving/AutonomousVehicleResearch
18
MyfinaltopicforconsiderationinmyproposalfortheECEdepartment’sproject
followingthecompletionoftheelectriccarisresearchintoself-drivingvehicles.Not
onlyareautonomousvehiclesystemsayoungtechnologywithserioustechnologic
andethicalimplications,butalsothesystemitselfisintricateenoughtoprovidean
entireclassofECEseniorstudentssufficientworkformanyyearsinthesameway
theelectriccardid.Inreferencetomyinitialcriteria,thisprojecthitsallfourmajor
points.Aswillbeexplained,designingaself-drivingsystemforacarrequiresthe
implementationofbothanaloganddigitalsolutions.Additionally,thesheeramount
ofwork,supplementedbytheinterdisciplinarycollaborationopportunitiesthatthis
projectwouldprovideoffersanindustry-realisticsetting,whichwouldmorethan
preparethegraduatingstudentsinvolvedfortheirprofessionalendeavorsinthe
realworld.AsIwillexplaininmysummaryoftheprojectopportunity,thisproject
reflectsdirectlythevaluesoftheschool,andthusinherentlyanswersHeilmeier’s
“whocares?”question.Finally,self-drivingcarresearchisnotonlyincredibly
relevantintheworldweliveintoday,butalsoitholdsaparticularrelevancetothis
school.Withtechnologylikethisonthevergeofcommercialization,manyare
curiousastothesubsequentimpactonvehicleaccidentsandassociateddeaths.In
referencetotheLafayetteCommunityasawhole,embarkingonanin-depth
researchprojectofself-drivingvehicleswouldbeanobleandproactivegesturein
responsetothetwovehicle-relatedstudentdeathsthatLafayettehasseeninthe
pasttwoyearsalone.
19
Self-drivingvehiclesneedtobeabletosense,evaluate,andrespondtothe
surroundingenvironmentthewayahumandriverwould.Toaccomplishthis,any
self-drivingcarshouldbeequippedwithaGPSsystem,aninertialnavigation
system,andaseriesofsensorsthathelpthecarperceiveitssurroundings.These
sensorsrangefromlaserrangefinderstoradarsystemstovideocameras.Allof
thesesystemscooperatingwitheachotherallowthecartoperceiveitslocation,and
refineitspositioninrelationtoitssurroundings.Datafromthecarsabilityto
perceiveitspositionisfilteredthroughtoacontrolsystem,whichmakes
navigationalandreactivedecisionsbasedontheincomingdata.Therearealotof
movingpartstothissystem,andtheaboveexplanationwassimplyawatereddown
versionofwhatitwouldtaketoimplementasystemlikethis.Togetabettersense
ofhowfeasiblesuchaprojectwouldbe,weneedtotakeacloserlookatspecific
components,andhowtheytranslateintoaseniorprojectsetting.
MappingandLocalizationFunctionality
Inordertomakeanavigationdecision,thecarmustknowwhereitisandwhatits
surroundingslooklike.Todothislaserrangefindersandcamerasarevital.Laser
rangefindersscanthesurroundingareausingswathsoflaserbeamstocalculatethe
distanceatwhichthecarisfromnearbyobjects.Someformsofradarsystems
performsimilarlyandcanbeusedforthispurposeaswell.Engineeringsuchradars
couldprovetobeanexcellentprojectforagroupofECEseniors.Tosupplement
theseradars,videocamerasareidealforextractingcolorandimagefromthe
20
surroundingarea.Aggregatingthedatafromthesetwomethodsofperceptionallow
thecartocreateathreedimensionalmapofitssurroundings.Creatingasensor
drivenmappingsystemwouldonitsownbeahefty,yetfeasibletaskforthis
school’sECEseniors.Mappingsystemslikethisareusedtohelplocalizethevehicle
withtheaidoftheGPSunit.GPSreadingscanbeoffbymanymetersduetosignal
delay,andmappingsystemsliketheonedescribedabovearevitaltotheproper
functionalityofthewholesystem.Ofcourse,asthecarmoves,itmustreacttonew
incomingdata.Designingasystemthatseamlesslyandreliablyupdatesthecontrol
systemwithnewinformationisarealproblemplaguingself-drivingvehicle
researcherstoday.WhosetosaytheECE’satLafayetteCollegearenotequipped
withtherighttoolstotacklesuchaproblem?Havingreceivedacomprehensive
educationinsignals,signalsystems,andcommunicationssystems,Iseenoreason
whysuchataskwouldbetoodifficultforourdepartment’sseniors.
ObstacleAvoidance
Althoughthecarcanperceiveitssurroundings,itstillneedstobeabletoreactas
quicklyaspossibletokeepitspassengerssafe.Unfortunatelysimplyreactingtonew
andincomingdataisnotsufficienttoguaranteesafedriving.Inordertotrulyreact
toitsmovingsurroundingsthevehiclemustbeabletopredict,similarlytothewaya
humandriverwould.Thevehiclemustimplementaninternalmapsystemthat
containsboththecurrentandpredictedlocationsofallidentifiedobjectsinits
immediatesurroundings.Theseobjectsarecategorizedbasedonhowwellthey
21
matchupwithadatabaseofpre-determinedshapedescriptors.Aprobabilistic
modelwouldthenneedtobedesignedtotrackthepredictedfuturepathofeach
object.Thismodelwouldmakeitspredictionbasedonthepriorposition,and
trajectoryoftheobject.Thisisthepartoftheprojectwheredigitalsolutionsbecome
necessary.Theneedforaprogramimplementingaprobabilisticmodelwouldcall
fortheexpertiseofbothdigitallyinclinedECE’sandpotentiallymathmajors.Using
aprobabilisticmodellikethishasstrongtiestoAIandmachinelearning,andwould
beanincrediblyrelevantandhelpfulendeavorforanygraduatingseniorwishingto
takeonsimilarproblemsintherealworld.Usingthisinformation,thevehicle’s
controlsystemcanreactmuchquickertoitsmovingsurroundings,maximizing
safety.Thispredictivedecision-makingprocessallowsthevehicletoreactjustas
quickly,andinmostcasesmorequicklythantheaveragehumandriver.Thisis
wherethetechnologybeginstohaverealimpact.Assoonasthecarbeginsdriving
moresafelythantheaveragehuman,thentheresearchhasmerit;ithasa“sowhat?”
PathPlanning
Nowthatthevehiclecanperceiveitssurroundingsandavoidobstacleswhile
moving,itistimetoengineerawayforthevehicletotellitselfwheretogo.No
matterhowourengineerschoosetodesignit,apath-findingalgorithmmustbe
developedtohelpthevehicleplanitstripsfrompointAtopointB.Thistask,
however,ismoreintricatethanjustimplementingashortestpathalgorithm.The
algorithmmusttakeintoaccountallfeasibleshort-termpathsandmaneuverswhile
22
analyzingthefeasibilityofitslongtermplantomovefrompointAtopointB.Sucha
problemwouldbeasufficientassessmentforasmallsub-teamofECE’s.Any
studentswhopassedCS150andCS205shouldmorethansufficientlytrainedto
tacklethisalgorithmicallybasedproblem.
Interconnect
Allofthesesubsystemsneedtobeabletocooperatewitheachother.Similartothe
interconnectteamcurrentlyworkingontheelectriccar,thisprojectcallsforatam
ofECE’stofigureouthoweachsystemisgoingtophysicallyworkwithoneanother.
Inmanycasesthisisgoingtorequirenotjustthebuildingofwires,butalsothe
designofcablesmadespecificallytosendcertainsignalstocertainpartsofthe
system.CurrentlyProfessorWallaceteachesanentirecoursededicatedtothe
designofthesetypesofcables,andthiswouldbeawonderfulopportunityforthe
department’sstudentstoexercisetheskillslearnedinthatcourse.
CollaborativeOpportunity
Oneveryexcitingcharacteristicofthisprojectinparticularisthecollaborative
opportunityitprovides.Themassproductionofaffordableself-drivingvehicleshas
aconsiderableamountofbaggageassociatedwithit.Thereareseriouspolicy-based
implicationsassociatedwithcarcompaniesofferingcarswhichoperatewithouta
driver.Shouldtherebedifferentrulesoftheroadnowthatwerelyonelectrical
23
systemstomakedecisionsontheroadforus?Whattypeofregulationsshouldbe
imposedonthedesignspecificationsofthesevehicles?Forexample,shouldtheynot
beallowedtotravelovercertainspeeds?Furthermore,themostcommonwaythat
carsarehackedisviasatelliteconnectiontothevehicle.Withvehiclesthatrelyon
GPSunitsandconnectedelectricalsystemstooperate,whatkindsofpoliciesshould
beimplementedtokeepthesevehiclessafefromhackers?Thedeploymentofthese
vehiclespresentsawholenewrealmofproblemsforpolicymakers,andthiswould
beafantasticopportunityforthecollegetoencourageseniornon-engineering
studentstoworkwiththeECEteamandresearchtheindustryandpolicy
implicationsofsuchtechnologies.Additionally,withcompaniesandfederal
institutionscreatinghighdemandforresearchrelevanttoself-drivingcars
currently,itwouldbeadvantageousforLafayettetoproactivelyrecognizethis
economicandsocialtrendandbeginaddressingpotentialsolutionstothese
industrytrends.Mostimportantly,thesesolutionscouldfeasiblybeseenasboth
opportunitiesforstudentsandassetstoouracademicinstitution.Thecollaboration
ofanengineeringdisciplinewithaliberalartsdisciplinetransformsthewhole
endeavorintoanincrediblyuniqueresearchopportunityunlikethevastmajorityof
undergraduateexperiencesofferedinthiscountry.Currently,Lafayette’sIDEAL
Centerisfocusedaroundcreatinguniqueresearchopportunitiesverysimilartothe
oneIamproposing.TheIDEALCenterboaststhebenefitsofitsprogramswhich
allowengineeringandnon-engineeringstudentstocombinetheirskillstosolvereal
worldproblems.Unfortunately,theseprogramsalltakeplaceoutsideofthe
classroom.Thisresearchpresentstheschoolwiththeopportunitytointernalizethis
24
kindofexperiencebyembeddingitinthecurriculumoftheElectrical/Computer
EngineeringMajor.Thisprojectopportunitywouldserveasadirectrepresentation
ofeverythingtheIDEALCenterstandsfor,anditwouldnotbeoutofthequestionto
appealtothecenterforfundingonthisproject.
ThiscollaborationopportunityalsofulfillsarequirementthatnootherprojectI
haveresearchedhasmet,whichisthatitdirectlyreflectsthecollege’svalues.
LafayetteCollege’smissionstatementreadsasfollows.
“…TheCollegestrivestodevelopstudents’skillsofcriticalthinking,verbal communication,andquantitativereasoningandtheircapacityforcreative endeavor;itencouragesstudentstoexaminethetraditionsoftheirown cultureandthoseofothers;todevelopsystemsofvaluesthatincludean understandingofpersonal,social,andprofessionalresponsibility;andto regardeducationasanindispensable,lifelongprocess.”
Whatthisresearchopportunityprovidesisachanceforengineeringstudentsto
attackanengineeringproblemthathasseriousethicalimplications,thusaffording
themthechancetonotjustcompleteanassignmentthewaymoststudentsare
encouragedto,butratherthinkabouttheimpactandimplicationsofsuchdesign
work.Thistypeofworkwouldtestnotonlyourstudents’quantitativereasoning
anddesignskills,butalsoassesstheirabilitytoanalyzetherealworldresultsof
theirwork.Paraphrased,themissionstatementessentiallystatesthecollege’s
desiretoproduceprofessionaladultswhotakeprideintheirwork,andutilizethe
quantitativeskillsthey’vegainedtoattackproblemsthattheydeemworthybased
ontheirownsetofvalues.Theintegrationofthepolicypieceofthepuzzleachieves
25
thatgoalseamlessly.ThisallowsLafayettetomoreproudlyadvertisethestrengthof
theirengineeringprogram,aprogramwhichisalreadyabnormallyprestigiousfora
liberalartsinstitution.Lastly,allofthisworkisbeingdoneinacollaborativeteam
environment,whichwouldbedesignedtoexerciseourstudents’teambuildingand
communicationskills.Thisisauniqueundergraduateproject,whichbreaksground
inmultipleareas,andprovidesanexperiencethatthedepartment,theengineering
program,andtheinstitutionasawholecanproudlyadvertise.
Self-Driving/AutonomousVehicleResearchSummary
Along-termresearchprojectonthedevelopmentofself-drivingtechnologyfor
vehicleswouldofferanintricate,impactful,anduniqueopportunityfortheECE
department,andLafayetteCollegeasawhole.Notonlywouldthisprojectoffer
studentsthechancetoexhibittheirproficiencyinbothanaloganddigitalproblem
solving,butitdoessoonatopicthatisincrediblyrelevanttocurrentsocialand
technologictrends.Itsrelevancedoesnotendthere,however.Lafayettehasseen
twovehicle-relatedstudentdeathsinjustthepasttwoyears,anditwouldbea
positivegestureinresponsetothosedeathsforthecollegetoengageinresearch
likethis.Thecollaborativeopportunitythatthisprojectofferswouldallowour
engineeringandnon-engineeringstudentstoworktogetherinanindustry-realistic
setting.Thismeetingofthemindswouldcreateaprojectsettingthatencouragesthe
developmentofcommunicationskills,aswellasanunderstandingofsocialand
professionalresponsibility.Studentswouldperformreal,impactfulresearch,allthe
26
whiledevelopinganunderstandingoftheconsequencesofthatworkasitpertains
totherestoftheworld.Thiswillpreparestudentsforthechallengesofthereal
world,andallowthemtotakeawaylessonsthattheycancarrywiththemforthe
restoftheirprofessionallives.Thesebenefitsallaccompanythisprojectevenifthe
researchfailstobearfruits.However,ifLafayettestudentscouldachieve
improvementsofcurrentself-drivingtechnologyorevenjustimprovethecost
efficiencyofsystemsalreadyinuse,Lafayettewouldstandamongaselectfewof
academicinstitutionscontributingtothisparticulartypeoftechnology,whichhas
thepotentialsaveanimmensenumberoflives.Inanefforttostrayawayfroma
staticandunoriginalseniorproject,thisresearchopportunitywouldstronglyreflect
thevaluesofthecollege,andhighlightthevalueofaliberalartseducation.Asforthe
issueofprojectfunding,thedepartment’smonetarycontributiontotheproject
couldpotentiallybesupplementedbyfundsfromLafayette’sownIDEALCenter,
whichencouragestheschool’sstudentstoengageinexperiencesexactlylikethis
one.
InsummaryIproposethattheElectrical&ComputerEngineeringdepartmentbegin
puttingfortheffortstorealizetheactivestudentresearchofself-drivingvehicle
technology.NoneoftheotherprojectsthatIhavepreviouslyresearchedhave
fulfilledasmanyofthecriteriaasthisopportunity.Inaddition,thisprojectisoneof
theonlyprojectsIresearchedthatprovidesenoughworktooccupyanentireECE
classformultipleyearssimilartothewaytheelectriccarprojectdid.Whatreally
separatesthisprojectfromtherest,however,isitsrelevancetotheLafayette
27
Community.Oneofthecentralmotivationsfordecidingtodepartfromtheelectric
carprojectwastoengageinmoremeaningfulwork.Thecarprojectculminatedin
simplyracingacaragainstothercars,whichinpracticeallowedthestudentstotake
ownershipofadesignandcompareitagainstotherdesigns.Beyondthat,however,
theprojectreallydidnotpresentanyadditionalsignificance.WiththatinmindI
wantedtodesignaprojectthathada“sowhat?”forthestudents,thefaculty,andthe
schoolasawhole.Consideringthisproject’ssignificancetoboththevaluesofthe
schoolanditsstudentbody,whichhasfacedtwovehicle-relateddeathsinasmany
years,theresearchanddevelopmentofthistechnologyservesasthesinglemost
relevantprojectidea.
Heilmeier’sNineCriticalQuestionsforResearchProposals
Indefenseofmychoiceofproject,IwillnowanswertheHeilmeierCatechismin
referencetotheproject.Answeringthesequestionsshouldhelpmakeclearthe
feasibilityofactuallyimplementingtheproject.
1. Whatareyoutryingtodo?Articulateyourobjectivesusing
absolutelynojargon.Whatistheproblem?Whyisithard?Whatwe
aretryingtodoisbuildasystemforautonomousvehiclesthatallowsthe
cartodriveitself.Inadditiontosimplydesigningthetechnology,the
focusistoworkwithnon-engineeringstudentstodesignbothasystem
andasetofpoliciesthatwouldmaximizefunctionalityandsafety.
Secondarily,theaimoftheengineeringsideisresearch.Thistechnology
28
isveryyoung,andhasyettobereleasedtocommercialmarketsfor
consumerstouse.Withthisinmind,Ihopethatourstudentswouldbe
abletocontributeinsomecapacitytothefurtheringofR&Donsuch
technology.Theissuesthatplaguetoday’sautonomousvehicleengineers
willdothesameforourstudents.
2. Howisitdonetoday,andwhatarethelimitsofthecurrentpractice?
Thenumberoneissueassociatedwiththistypeoftechnologyis
reliability.Itonlytakesasplitsecondoferrorforsomeonetodieina
vehicle,andthusboththehardwareandsoftwareinsidethevehicleneed
tooperateatascloseto100%ofthetimeaspossible.Currently,
engineersarehavingtroublewithsoftwareglitchesandcircuitryissues,
bothofwhicharepreventingcompaniesfromplacingdriversinsidethese
vehicleswithfullconfidenceintheirsafetyandwellbeing.Currenttesting
hasyieldedresultsthatshowautonomousvehiclestravelingover
630,000mileswithonly124disengagements(momentsinwhichthere
wasanerrororthedriverneededtomanuallytakeoverthesystem).
Whilethisonlyyieldsa0.2disengagementrateperthousandmiles,there
isnotellinghowmanymoreerrorswillariseoncethesecarsbegin
travellingroadspopulatedbypredominantlyotherselfdrivingvehicles.
Furthermore,thereissimplynotenoughautonomousvehicletesting
currentlytakingplacetoproperlyassessthatsituation.Inshort,while
thistechnologyisimprovingdaybyday,therestillremainsalongwayto
gobeforeengineerscansignoffonaproducttheyfeeliscompletelysafe
29
fortheaverageconsumer.Myhopeisthatastudentperspectiveonsuch
problemsmayproduceabreakthroughinthisarea.
3. What’snewinyourapproachandwhydoyouthinkitwillbe
successful?Theapproachissimple.Theleadinginstitutionscurrently
researchingthistechnologyaremadeupofworkingengineers,mostof
whomhavelongsinceendedtheiracademiccareers.Ifanything,a
studentperspectiveontheproblemshouldprovideafreshviewpoint
fromthemindsofthosewhohaveveryrecentlybeentrainedinboththe
fundamentalsanddetailedaspectsofelectricalandcomputer
engineering.Sometimesthemosteffectivesolutionsarethesimplest,and
tendtostemfromarelapsetothefundamentalcomponentsofthe
solution.Ibelieveallowingastudentbodytoattacktheproblemfrom
scratchcouldprovideaninterestingangleontheresearchand
developmentofautonomousvehicletechnology,andpossiblyeven
producemeaningfulandinnovativeresults.
4. Whocares?Asoneofthequestionsthatguidedmeinmydecision,itwas
imperativethatmyanswertothisquestionbethorough.Technically
anybodywhodrivesacarshouldcareaboutthisresearch,considering
vehiclerelateddeathsroseby10.5%lastyear.However,asstated
previously,thisresearchhassignificancenotjusttothestudents,faculty,
andadministrationfromanacademicperspective,butalsotothe
LafayetteCommunityasawhole.Fromanacademicstandpoint,the
studentsandfacultygettheopportunitytoworkinanimmersiveand
30
collaborativesettingonmeaningfulresearch,whichwillhelpserveasa
majorstepping-stoneinthetransitionfromstudenttograduate.Froman
administrativeperspective,thisprojectreinforcestheschool’svaluesas
describedbythecollege’smissionstatement,producingstudentswho
excelbothintheirquantitativereasoningabilitiesandtheirabilityto
assumemoralandsocialresponsibility.Finally,fromtheviewpointofthe
LafayetteCommunity,agroupwhichhaslosttwoofitsmembersto
vehiclerelatedaccidentsinthepasttwoyearsalone,thisresearchwould
serveasbotharelevantandmeaningfulexperience.
5. Ifyou’resuccessful,whatdifferencewillitmake?Whatimpactwill
successeshave?Howwillitbemeasured?Themeasureofsuccessful
researchwillcomedowntotesting.Putsimply,ifthesystemsdesignedby
theLafayettestudentssurpasscurrentleadingsystemsinthisfield,then
theresearchhasbeensuccessful,whetheritisthefunctionalityofthe
systemasawhole,orjusttheindividualcomponentsofthesystem.Of
courseextensivetestingwillbeneededforallsubsystemstodrawany
sortofconclusiveargument.Ifresearchissuccessfultheimpactisthe
contributiontotheresearchanddevelopmentoftechnologythatIam
confidentwillsavehundredsofthousandsoflivesinthefuture.
6. Whataretherisksandpayoffs?Oneparticularlyattractiveaspectof
thisprojectisthelackofrisk.Letusassumetheworstcasescenario,in
whichthedepartmentundertakesalargescaleprojecttoresearch
autonomousvehicletechnology,whichculminatesinfailedresearch.
31
Eveninthisscenario,thestudentshavestillgainedauniqueand
memorableexperiencefromwhichtheycantakemanylessonsasthey
transitionintopost-gradlife.Evenfurther,failedresearchcaninsome
casesbealmostasimpactfulassuccessfulresearch.Particularlywhen
workingwithnew,incompletetechnology,knowingwhatdoesnotwork
canbejustasvaluabletoengineersasknowingwhatdoes.Thisisnotto
saythatIcanguaranteeapositiveresultfromtheresearchand
developmentofthistechnologyatLafayette,becauseIcannot.Evenifthe
researchdoneattheschoolcontributesnothingtotheR&Dofthis
technologyaroundtheworld,whatreallymattersisthatwehave
providedanamazingopportunityforourstudentstoengageinaproject
thatforcesthemtoexercisetheirdesign,teambuilding,communication,
andcreativethinkingskillsinanindustry-realisticenvironment.
7. Howmuchwillitcost?Unfortunately,therereallyisnotellinghow
muchthisprojectwouldcost.Untilateamofengineerssitsdownand
worksoutthedesignthattheywishtopursue,thereisnorealwayof
gaugingwhatkindoffundswillbeneeded.Whatisknowniswhatgoesin
anybasicself-drivingsystem,andfromthatwecanmakerough
estimates.
8. Howlongwillittake?Asstatedpreviously,withoutadesign,thereisno
waytotellhowlongitwilltaketoengineer.Especiallybecauseour
studentswouldessentiallybestartingfromscratch,toevenestimatea
timelinefortheprojectwouldbefoolish.WhatIcanprovideislikely
32
boundsbutnothingmore.Afterseeingwhatkindofworkcangetdonein
asemesterof492,Icannotseethedepartmentproducingafully
functionalsysteminlessthan5years.However,thatdoesnotmeanthat
impactfulresearchcannotbeachievedonthesystemssubsystemsinthat
timeframe.Oncethestudentssitdownandhashouttheirdesignsforthe
system,amoreaccuratetimelinewillbegintotakeshape.
9. Whatarethemidtermandfinal“exams”tocheckforsuccess?How
willprogressbemeasured?Assumingthisprojectworksthesameway
theelectriccarprojectdid,themidtermandfinal“exams”forthisproject
willbedifferentforeachteam.However,eachsemesteranATP-style
assessment,demonstrations,posterpresentations,PowerPoint
presentations,andweeklymeetingswillbeusedintheevaluationofthe
progressoftheproject.
Conclusion
Therearemanyavenueswhichthedepartmentcouldtaketorealizeaperfectly
suitableseniorprojectforECE492.Itwouldbesufficientfromanacademic
standpointtosimplychooseaprojectwhichproperlyevaluatesthestudents’
engineeringanddesignabilities,qualifyingthemfortheirdegree.Ithinkitisclear
thatbyLafayette’sstandardsasanacademicinstitution,however,thatthiswould
notbeenough.Boththeschoolandthedepartmentwanttoproducewellrounded
studentswhocanthinkquantitatively,andinteractwiththeworldtheyliveinonan
33
intellectuallyandsociallymaturelevel.Inlightofthatgoal,whynotimplementa
projectthathighlightsthosequalitiesinourstudents?Whynotchallengeour
studentstoaccomplishrealresearchinacollaborativegroupenvironment?Why
notprovideourstudentswithuniqueandhelpfulexperiences,fromwhichtheycan
growasindividualsandasprofessionals?Intherealworld,professionalwork
alwayshasa“sowhat”,soitonlymakessensethatweshouldbetrainingour
studentstoattacktheirworksimilarly.Ifwearetoproperlyprepareourstudents
forpost-graduatelifeweneedtobeprovidingmoreforthemthanjustthe
opportunitytoraceacar;Ifeelthatthereneedstobemoretoitthanthat.
Iwouldliketotakethistimetothankthefacultyfortheirtimeaswellasfortheir
considerationofmyproposal.Myworkthissemesterwassupplementedbyaidand
supportfromProfessorChrisNadovich.
34
WorksCited
“AutonomousVehicles|Self-DrivingVehiclesEnactedLegislation”www.ncsl.org
UpdatedApril17,2017.
http://www.ncsl.org/research/transportation/autonomous-vehicles-self-
driving-vehicles-enacted-legislation.aspx
“EVEverywhereGrandChallenge:RoadtoSuccess”energy.gov.January2014.
https://energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2014/02/f8/eveverywhere_road_to_succ
ess.pdf
“EVEverywhereGrandChallengeBlueprint”energy.gov.January2013.
https://energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2014/02/f8/eveverywhere_blueprint.pdf
“GeneralStatistics”www.iihs.orgUpdatedNovember,2016.
http://www.iihs.org/iihs/topics/t/general-statistics/fatalityfacts/overview-
of-fatality-facts
“HowDoSelf-DrivingCarsWork?”robohub.orgUpdatedJune3,2014.
http://robohub.org/how-do-self-driving-cars-work/
Meenakshi,M.,“Real-TimeFacialRecognitionSystem—Design,Implementationand
Validation”JournalofSignalProcessingTheoryandApplicationsPublished
November10,2012.www.uscip.org
http://www.uscip.org/paper/jspta/JSPTA%20-%20Real-
Time%20Facial%20Recognition%20System-
Design%20Implementation%20and%20Validation.pdf
Orts,Jason.“FaceRecognitionTechniques”homepages.cae.wisc.eduPublishedN/A.
https://homepages.cae.wisc.edu/~ece533/project/f06/orts_rpt.pdf
35
“TheSelf-DrivingCar”spectrum.ieee.org2016.http://spectrum.ieee.org/static/the-
self-driving-car
“The2,578ProblemsWithSelf-DrivingCars”spectrum.ieee.orgPublishedFebruary
2,2017.http://spectrum.ieee.org/cars-that-think/transportation/self-
driving/the-2578-problems-with-self-driving-cars
“Technology”waymo.comUpdated2017.https://waymo.com/tech/
“WindResearchandDevelopment”energy.gov.2015.
https://energy.gov/eere/wind/wind-research-and-development