Advisor: Santiago
Abstract
LTCC (Low-Temperature co-fired Ceramic) tape is becoming a promising
material for Meso (intermediate) and MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical System)
applications. Yet, there are still a lot of research and investigation
need to be done to grasp a better understanding about LTCC, also called
Ceramic Tape.
We have accomplished four different, yet closely related parts which
built up on each other. First part is the fabrication curve of the Ceramic
Tape. Two most useful and effective fabrication curves have been developed
and tested. Another major part is a portion on chemical machining,
also called etching. Etching has been tried using photolithography
technology, yet it has been proven that a conventional photo resist used
in the current silicon processing is not very effective. Etching also has
been tried with a simple masking material such as a scotch tape. This has
worked ok with some problems such as leaking underneath and limited resolution.
In order to successfully generate a pattern on the surface of a Ceramic
Tape, a better patterning technique is necessary. Nevertheless, etching
of some features has been well done on Ceramic Tape using HF(Hydrofluoric)
based etchants with a scotch tape. Third accomplishment is in the area
of Chemical exfoliation, also called layer splitting. It was found that
a single partially-sintered or sintered Ceramic Tape, which was etched
with HF based etchant for about 20 or so, split its layer into three distinct
sub layers. X ray diffraction analysis proved that there was a preferential
orientation or texture in the top and the bottom sub layers while the middle
sub layer was not. Last accomplishment of fabrication of a pressure sensor
was done using all these techniques we have developed. Fabrication curve
allowed us to produce a strong and a rigid Ceramic Tape layer which we
were able to use for the etching and the chemical exfoliation techniques
to produce a very thin membrane. Using this very thin membrane, we were
successfully able to fabricate a diaphragm for a Meso-EMS (Electro Mechanical
System) such as a pressure sensor. This sensor worked fine, and showed
a very promising result. In comparison with a commercial sensor, our sensor
definitely showed a cost advantage and operable temperature range. The
maximum pressure range has not been measured.
Advisor : Kumar
Abstract
An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is an aircraft capable of flying
itself. Autonomous flying vehicles are very useful for automated
surveillance, reconnaissance, aerial photography, traffic watch, etc.
This project focuses on designing and fabricating a completely autonomous
flight control system for a radio controlled blimp. In order
for the
blimp to fly autonomously, it must have a feedback control loop.
This
loop consists of integrated systems that constantly monitor the blimp's
position and update the flight plan to keep the blimp on its desired
course. In order to minimize on-board weight, an off-board computer
performs all computation. A digital video camera and an ultrasound
transducer are used as on-board sensors to determine position, altitude,
and pose. The camera views beacons fixed in the blimp's workspace
and
the off-board computer runs real-time vision processing software to
calculate the vehicle's position and pose via triangulation.
The
real-time control software then determines the necessary corrections
in
the flight path and updates the flight commands appropriately.
The radio
frequency communication system connects the blimp with the off-board
computer by continuously transmitting the video and flight command
data.
Overall, the project has proven the ability to create an unmanned aerial
vehicle with computer vision sensing and off-board computation.
Results
of the project show that the blimp is capable of autonomously flying
between fixed waypoints as well as following a moving target.
The
project has successfully transformed a manually operated RC blimp into
a
completely autonomous unmanned aerial vehicle.
Advisor: Zhu
Standard ultrasound imaging is excellent in distinguishing cysts
from solid lesions in breast examinations. However, ultrasound
sensitivity (the ability to measure small degrees of change) and
specificity (the ability to be precise and particular in measure) in
tumor detection are low. Even though tissues might be pathologically
different, their ultrasound properties might be quite similar.
Near-infrared (NIR) diffuse light generally has high sensitivity and
specificity because it provides several biochemistry parameters that
differentiate tumors compared to normal breast tissue. However,
NIR
diffused light imaging suffers poor spatial resolution because of the
diffuse nature of NIR light in human tissue. Ultrasound provides
more
accurate spatial resolution of tissue and NIR diffuse light provides
more
diagnostic information of tissue. Preliminary results indicate
that
combining the two imaging techniques can improve cancer detection and
diagnosis beyond that of either single technique.
The overall goal of this multi-year project is to develop a
combined ultrasound and optical imaging system. The first step to be
taken is designing a NIR diffuse light subsystem and an ultrasound
subsystem, separately. Finally, the two sub-systems are to be
integrated
together. The first-year objective was to develop the ultrasound
imaging
system. Using a novel, two-dimensional imaging array containing
multiple, small ultrasound PZT crystals, a data acquisition system,
and
image processing software, one is able to image the three-dimensional
tissue volume beneath the array.
Advisor : Ketterer
Despite technology's many recent advances, until now no product has
been created to perform the routine function of collecting tennis balls.
With the Golden Retriever, we have designed and built--essentially
from
scratch--a self-piloted robotic tennis ball collector. The project
encompassed three main goals: construction of a robot capable of
locomotion and ball pick-up, a vision system to locate tennis
balls on the court, and a control system to integrate and manage
the ball retrieval process. While a separate senior design group
focused
on the vision system, this project handled the remaining tasks.
The end
result was a fully autonomous robot capable of clearing a ball-littered
court in a matter of minutes.
Advisor: Ketterer
The Golden Retriever is a robot designed to pickup tennis balls off
of a
tennis
court for its master. The eyes are required to be a fully functional
subsystem of the Golden Retriever, with the ability to locate tennis
balls on a tennis
court at a distance of approximately 10 feet. Two methods were
tried, one
based on color, and one using ultrasound. Ultrasound proved to
be the better
choice from a design stand point. The final solution consists
of a scanning
ultrasound device, which is able to see tennis balls. The interface
returns
relative angle and distance information back to the robot's central
processor.
Advisors: Dr. Magda El Zarki, Dr. Yi Luo
Abstract:
A software scheme for data scrambling/unscrambling and data
encryption/decryption was developed and integrated onto TI TMSC40 DSP
chips. The goal of this project is to provide secure and reliable
data
transfer for an indoor low bit rate wireless transmission system by
implementing a cipher and a scrambler. To provide security, a
128-bit
block cipher is defined to be f(k XOR b), where f is a reversible mixing
function, k is a 128-bit symmetric key and b is a 128-bit block of
data.
Next, a Bipolar with Eight Zero Substitution (B8ZS) scrambling technique
is used to improve clock recovery in the receiving terminal and to
increase data detection accuracy and reliability.
Advisor:
Advisor:
Advisors: Dr. Richard Stone M.D., Phillip Franum
ABSTRACT:
Myopia, or near sightedness is an ailment of which the cause is unknown. The aim of this project is to create and implement a device that will measure, within a first approximation, the proportion of time that a subjectís eyes are exposed to a near object in the environment to learn objectively how visual exposure to near objects might correlate with myopia. Since, for humans, myopia develops predominantly between the ages of 5 to 9 years, the device will be designed for use in this age group.
The purpose of this project is to test the validity of the theory that myopia results from the excessive exposure to near work. This is a common hypothesis in the vision literature, but there is no instrument to measure the exposure of the eyes to near images over time and hence there has been no study that objectively tested this hypothesis.
The ëNear Vision Monitorí is implementing air ultrasonics
for distance ranging. The data housing will be done by the
means of the Motorola 68hc11. By using this microprocessor,
it was possible to log and store data, as well as develop a means to extract
the data in a usable form. By implementing the Near Vision
Monitor, researchers will able to correlate the phenomena of myopia with
certain trends in near work. Thus, enabling researchers to curtail
this ailment in the future.
Advisors:
Dr. Kwabena Boahen (advisor)
Abstract
An international initiative is underway to build brains in silicon.
It has been known for decades that neural (parallel) processing outperforms
serial processing in areas such as pattern recognition, image processing,
associative memory, and cognition. Current VLSI technology allows
us not only to model the brain mathematically, but to implement the functionality
and the superconnectivity that gives rise to intelligent systems.
For our project, we have fabricated a chip consisting of an array of 36 neurons with 72 synapses that can be dynamically wired to build networks of neural circuits. The chip has been designed and fabricated, and a test bench has been built to interface with other neural processing chips that use Address Event Representation (AER) communication protocol.
We foresee the creation of a family of such chips, acting as neural processors, which may be connected to reproduce, understand, and explore the mysterious inner-workings of the human mind.
Advisor: Jaggard
Earning an advanced degree while working is a difficult venture. For
many
professionals, the most severe limitation is lack of time. It is
necessary to have an understanding employer, an extremely flexible
schedule, and an understanding family. Professors at the University
of
Pennsylvania are helping spearhead the next major revolution in education
by offering courses taught entirely over the Internet via Real Audio.
The
program has just started and there is room for many improvements.
We have created an interactive course creation web site for professors
that will allow for the efficient creation of professional looking
class
web sites for distance learning. This web site incorporates online
syllabi, interactive calendars for scheduling, online quizzes, resource
pages, audio lectures, and finally video lectures. This is the
first
experiment with video lectures on demand here at Penn's campus.
This
project and the information obtained in its creation will be used by
those people working on the Sloane or Mellon grants to help improve
the
distance learning experience offered at Penn today and in the future.
Advisor: Lucas
Abstract: Automatic DRA Injection
Liquid flow in pipe may not be describable by linear equations and
therefore cannot be modeled as linear time-invariant systems.
PI
controllers can be used to improve the performance of these systems.
In
conjunction with the Sun Pipe Line Company, a PI controller is used
to
regulate the operation of a chemical injection system.
This project is divided into two parts:
* PI Controller-the open loop response of the system to a step input
is
charted. Ziegler and Nichols tuning techniques are used to develop
initial PI Parameters.
* PLC Programming-the injection system is located at a Sun Pipe Line
pumping station that is controlled by a Programmable Logic Controller.
The software is modified to include control of the injection system.
Advisor : Kassam
A Software Radio is designed using the Digital Signal Processor TMS320C44
to perform real-time detection and demodulation of radio signals with
minimal harware support. The Software Radio eliminates the need
for
dedicated hardware circuits for filtering and demodulating a specific
type
of waveform, which in the case of broadcast radios is an Amplitude
or
Frequency Modulated signal. The Software Radio can accomodate
several
receiver programs on a single platform combining flexibility and
concentration. The input to the radio is an RF-front end that processes
and amplifies the received signal ready for demodulation. The current
system is designed to support AM and FM demodulation.
Advisor : El Zarki
A new protocol, the bandwidth Reservation Protocol (RSVP) has been sucessfully
implemented to transmit real-time data. With current packet-switched
computer
networks based upon the Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol
(TCP/IP) protocol stack, there is no means of reserving and guaranteeing
the
bandwidth required for real-time applications such as the transmission
of audio
or video data. The insertion of RSVP into the stack allows client applications
to reserve bandwidth on a data path to their servers. This approach
thus places
the onus of the reservation on the client, thereby allowing new clients
to be
added in any fashion until the bandwidth is exhausted. RSVP facilitates
the
transmission of Real-Time data such as MPEG video streams, with no
appreciable
degredation due to bandwidth effects, as jitter in the reception of
the packets
is reduced to undetectable levels.
Advisor : Phil Farnum
The smart follow spot uses ultrasound and time difference of arrival
to locate an actor on a stage without the need of a person manually
moving the
lighting device. One ultrasound transducer acts as the pulsed
transmitter,
and one or more arrays of four transducers hang above the stage as
receivers.
A processor uses the different times the pulsed signal reaches each
of the
receivers to calculate the position of the actor on the stage and directs
the
lighting device where to move.
Advisor : Britton Chance
Final Abstract: "Design of a Blood Vessel Detector"
The goal of project was to develop a device that would be able to detect
small veins in the human body. By taking advantage of the optical
properties of blood, it was determined that a probe could be built
to
detect the presence of blood. Although oxygenated and deoxygenated
hemoglobin have slightly different optical properties, they both exhibit
a
strong response to light emitted at a wavelength 800 nm. The
probe uses
two phototransistors to measure this response at two different location.
Using amplitude cancellation, it can then be determined whether a blood
vessel is present between the two phototransistors.
Advisors:
Advisor: Richard van Berg, Dept. Of Physics
The ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN involves
the
construction and operation of a general-purpose proton-proton (pp)
detector.
This system is to be designed in such a way that the full discovery
potential
of the LHC may be reached through experiments conducted to provide
new insights
into one of the fundamental questions of physics: What is the origin
of the
different particle masses? The High Energy Physics group at the
University of
Pennsylvania has accepted the responsibility for development of some
of the
components of the Transition Radiation Tracker (TRT), which will be
used in
conjunction with semiconductor tracking detectors and micro-strip gas
counters
in the ATLAS inner detector.
The Amplifier Shaper Discriminator with Baseline Restoration (ASDBLR)
integrated circuit is a key component of the front-end electronics
of the TRT,
which will amplify signals from straw tube sensors, perform a number
of analog signal processing functions, and output a digital pulse to
the time
measurement circuitry that follows. This IC is to be fabricated in
DMILL, a
radiation hard biCMOS process offered by TEMIC (Nantes, France).
This project involved reoptimization of the amplifier and wave shaping
subcells
of the ASDBLR IC. Evaluation of an ASDBLR prototype submitted
for fabrication
in June 1997 revealed a number of issues that are dealt with in this
version.
Principal among these are feedback due to substrate coupling, preamp
input
impedance, process variation sensitivity and radiation hardness.
Advisors: Ahmed Abdelatty-Ali, Prof. Jan Van der Spiegel, Dr. Paul Mueller
Abstract:
A MATLAB program was created to analyze speech by breaking it
down into
the most fundamental units (phonemes) and categorizing these units.
The
program integrates feature-based algorithms by Ahmed Abdelatty-Ali
and
Carol Y. Epsy-Wilson into one system. The motivation for using
feature-based algorithms is that they are based on the human speech
recognition system, which is still much more accurate and
speaker-independent than the most successful statistically-based speech
recognition systems. The MATLAB program uses a graphical interface
to
show the basic steps of the speech analysis process. The program
was
tested on six sentences from the TIMIT database. The program
detected 63%
of the total fricatives (a type of consonant), and categorized 85%
of them
correctly. The program also detected 91% of the stops (another
type of
consonant), and categorized 55% of them correctly.
Abstract:
The extended functionality remote control (EFRC) presents a
hardware/software implementation of an integrated interface for infrared
remote control emulation. The 3Com PalmPilot series of "palm-top"
computers is used as a platform for the EFRC application software and
peripheral hardware device. The EFRC addresses two limitations
of
traditional hardware-based universal remote controls: (1) inflexibility
in the implementation of new remote control codes, and (2) the limited
set of predetermined "core functions" resulting from the static nature
of
a hardware device. By implementing functionality in software,
the EFRC
provides nearly limitless flexibility in overcoming these constraints.
The EFRC also merges information services into remote controls -- the
impetus for such a feature being the belief that information is most
valuable at its point of consumption. Initial implementation
of these
information services takes the form of electronic program guides (EPGs)
merged with the functioning of remote controls.
The hardware portion of the EFRC consists of keypad and infrared
transmitter subsystems which are managed by a 68HC11 microcontroller.
The microcontroller also exchanges data with PalmPilot application
software via a serial communications link. Remote control emulation
and
the electronic program guide are implemented in PalmOS application
software.
Advisor : Lohse
Abstract
--------
Never before has the corporate world had the opportunity to reach out
to
such a wide audience as the Internet provides. The task of assigning
a
value to electronic advertisements is very difficult since they use
technologies, such as audio and video, which have no equivalent in
paper
media. However, since the business model for both paper and electronic
Yellow Pages depends on how well advertising features influence choice,
it is important to determine which factors have the greatest influence.
Ultimately, these features determine pricing decisions about
advertisements, the marketing of directory advertisements, and the
interface design of Internet Yellow Pages. The problem with testing
these features is that numerous World Wide Web sites, each consisting
of
hundreds of files, have to be developed to test the effect of each
feature. This is a tedious, time-consuming, and expensive task.
At first, a systematic reiterative design approach was adopted to develop
a usable layout for the Internet Yellow Pages. After this process
was
completed, data from the Philadelphia area for two popular category
headings (Florists and Pizza) was entered into a database from which
the
World Wide Web sites were to be generated. The software was then
developed in the Visual Basic for Applications programming language
to
test the influence of specific features. This software allows
for the
generation of 16 distinct interactive Web sites. These Web sites
are
built using a combination of Microsoft Active Server Pages, Server-Side
VBScript, Client-Side JavaScript, and HTML. In addition, database
interactivity, via ActiveX Data Objects, was included to allow the
system
to record data online when the influence of the various advertising
features are tested.
Advisors: Ketterer
The goal of this project is to design a pulse width modulated 1kW DC
- DC
converter. The converter will input 50 volts (4 - 12 volt batteries)
and
deliver a variable voltage output. The converter uses a Boost topology
and operates at a switching frequency of 20kHz.
Advisors: van der Spiegel
A CMOS camera was developed by Ang, etal in which the photosensitive
area
of the pixel only covered half the area. A process for constructing
lenses out of photoresist was developed. The lenses were intended
to
increase the sensitivity of the camera by focusing light onto the
photogate. Lenses with focal lengths from 100-40 microns have
been
fabricated in the in-house microfabrication lab.
Advisors: Ketterer
The Smart Function Generator (SFG) is designed to assist medical
researchers in their fight against many diseases, most notably
cancer. The SFG is a microprocessor-controlled high voltage
oscillator, which generates square waves at specific, selected
frequencies, known as the Rife frequencies. When a Rife frequency
is applied, it destroys a targeted cell, microbe, or virus through
resonant oscillation. These Rife frequencies are so specific
that
non-targeted cells will not be harmed. The SFG can generate the
original 106 Rife frequencies, as well as 19 newer frequencies.
The SFG's micro-controller, output electronics, and keypad are combined
with a sophisticated backlit LCD display which allows for a user-friendly
interface. This interface, which includes menus, programmable sequences
and cursor control, gives the user increased control over the operation
of the machine, as well as detailed information about the output status.
Even with these superior features, the machine is much less expensive
than existing Rife frequency generators.
Advisors: Steinberg
In the course of Scientific Research, often times certain tasks must
be
performed over and over again. The amount of time it takes to go through
these
tedious procedures takes a lot of time away from doing actual useful
research.
This project is intended to automate an existing procedure which uses
3
different software programs to obtain more contrast from a rather dull
and gray
ultrasound image of possible tumors. Like most automation projects,
a computer
program will control almost all aspects of the procedure. All the user
has to do
is input some parameters like where the images are stored and the rest
is left
to the program.
Creating the automation program requires three steps:
Determining if the programs involved can be controlled externally
or not
if not, alternative programs must be used
Finding the control methods of each program
Implementing the methods using the proper syntax
Through automation, this procedure which normally takes up over an hour
to
complete, can be done in under 2 minutes.
Advisors:
Advisor: Gui Karyo
Accurate amplification of guitar sound is a desirable characteristic
that is
sought after by many guitarists. The main objective of this project
is to
create a guitar pickup for the purpose of amplification that uses light
to
avoid many of the drawbacks inherent to magnetic pickup schemes.
Magnetic
amplification of the sound from guitar strings is subject to many compromises
such as 60Hz electrical noise, detection of string vibration in only
one
dimension, and the inability to operate with nylon strings. The solution
to
these problems exists in an optical detection scheme, which uses LED
emitters
and phototransistor detectors to monitor the shadow of a vibrating
string.
Twelve optical couples consisting of one emitter and one detector can
detect
the motion of each of the six strings in two-dimensions. The
signals
acquired by these couples is now available for manipulation prior to
amplification. This project simply sums the signals for amplification
although other projects could benefit from isolated string signals.
The
output signal of the twelve combined signals is now suitable for conventional
amplification free from the hindrances intrinsic in magnetic detection.
Advisor : Phil Farnum
An Ultrasound Homing Device (UHD) capable of performing beacon location
and proximity detection was constructed and successfully tested.
The UHD
allows the tennis-ball-collecting Golden Retriever robot to return
to its
user when called, where "calling" consists of turning on a handheld
beacon (20 kHz transmitter). When called, the Homing Device does
the
following tasks:
1. Indicates that a beacon
signal is present.
2. Provides the angular
location of the beacon (relative to the
front of the robot).
3. Indicates when the beacon
has been reached.
To perform these tasks, three subsystems were constructed. An
array of
four microphones provides 360 degree coverage as well as directionality.
Receiver hardware processes each microphone signal and produces two
outputs: a DC voltage which is proportional to the amplitude of the
detected beacon signal, and a DC voltage which varies with changes
in the
beacon frequency. The hardware outputs are further processed
by software
running on a microcontroller.
Advisor : Vankatesh
Abstract:
A wah pedal is an effects pedal for the electrical guitar that is
controlled by rocking a pivoting foot pedal back and forth by foot.
The
position of the foot pedal dictates how the guitar signal is filtered,
and
rocking the pedal from end to end filters the signal through a moving
band
pass filter, creating a smooth transition between the low pass filters
and
high pass filters. The result is a moving filter which creates an audio
effect sounding like "wah wah", which is where the pedal gets its name.
Analog wah pedals have existed for decades, and some digital
implementations of wah pedals exist as parts of larger effects processors.
These digital implementations have not been popular among musicians
due to
lack of sound quality; however, in recent years technology has advanced
to
the point where a digital implementation can preserve more of the
characteristics of the original signal than the analog implementation.
This project is a digital implementation of the classic wah pedal which
takes advantage of the CD quality audio attainable through the use
of a
digital signal processor. It also includes a feature to make
it more
versatile among musicians: user controllable rails. It is possible
to set
the highest and lowest levels that the filters will be allowed to
fluctuate between, thus personalizing the sound while still allowing
the
musician the full range of motion of the foot pedal.
Advisors:
For information, contact Prof. F. Ketterer (ketterer@ee.upenn.edu)
Updated April 17, 1998, 5:42 PM
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