

Ask HN: Embedded system project ideas? - alexhutcheson

My senior capstone project for my undergrad computer engineering degree is to develop a prototype of a product with some type of embedded computing. The parameters for the project are really broad: the only strict requirement is that the project needs to involve both hardware and software.<p>Choice of platforms is also wide open, could be anything from a small microcontroller (Arduino&#x2F;MSP430), to a single-board computer (R Pi&#x2F;BeagleBone Black), or even an FPGA solution.<p>Does anyone have any ideas for a device that they would like to see built? Any ideas are appreciated.
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Dnguyen
I was out watering my yards the other day because some area didn't get enough
water and the grass is yellowing. If only I can set one particular sprinkler
to run five minutes longer than the rest of the other sprinklers in the zone,
that would save my grass. Then I started to think, why can't we make smart
sprinkler heads that give us more precise control of our irrigation, and
conserve water at the same time. It's possible with today's tiny and low power
chips. I did some digging into this is it's not too complex. Unfortunately I'm
not an EE. But if this interest you, I'd be more than happy to go into more
detail.

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alexhutcheson
That's an interesting problem. I frankly would have thought someone would have
done this by now. We'll do some research, and I'll definitely ping you if we
decide to pursue it. Thanks so much!

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codegeek
I would like a device (hardware) that somehow captures _each_ individual
energy item and its usage in the house and records it on an app. So for
example, I want to see on a given day, which bulbs were used, for how long and
what was the energy consumption.

Bonus: If the device/app can also record that an item was used while not
needed. For example, master bedroom light was on while the room was empty for
60 mins etc.

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makerops
I had a need for a light timer/alarm system to help me wake up at 5:45AM; my
ideal solution would be an app, that interfaces to a lamp, where I could set
an alarm that would ring my phone in the AM, but also in conjunction with
that, turn on a lamp in my room. Basically a wemo, but compatible with more
phones

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alexhutcheson
This is a great idea. I often have the same problem (I'll just turn off the
alarm before I'm actually awake, and then oversleep). I actually didn't know
about Wemo, and I'd be curious to see if there is a technical reason they are
limited to so few devices. We'll definitely look into this, thanks!

~~~
makerops
Fwiw, I ended up just buying a 20$ outlet timer from home depot, and a lamp
that I don't use for anything other than shining right in my face at 5:45. I
set my phones alarm at 5:45, 5:50 and 5:55, and the light kicks on at 5:45. It
has been working really well.

