Table of contents:
- Prototype convinces in student competition
- "Bodywarn" detects falls and triggers an emergency call
- Robotic arm plucks eyebrows
Video: "Ghostbuster" Sensor Warning System Wins Cosima Competition
With their solar-powered “Ghostbuster” sensor system, three students from the Saarland University want to “track down” ghost drivers. The aim is to find a cost-effective alternative to systems with claws or induction coils in the road to warn drivers of wrong driving. The sensors of your warning system can be installed in the guide posts and can thus detect passing cars and their direction of travel through the interaction of various sensors. The measurement data converge in the micro-controller inside the guide post and can trigger various reactions: a light signal to warn the wrong-way driver, an emergency call signal or a warning message via SMS to road users and the police.
Prototype convinces in student competition
Julian Neu, Benjamin Kirsch and Daniel Gilo convinced the jury of the Cosima student competition with their prototype and won first place and a prize money of 1000 euros. With the support of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), the VDE has been organizing the competition since 2009, in which students from technical colleges and universities in German-speaking countries develop ideas for new uses of microsystems.
Sensor system
Stop ghost drivers with sensors in the guide posts
"Bodywarn" detects falls and triggers an emergency call
Elena Bürkin, Julian Singer, Fabian Lickert and Ole Thaden from the Albert Ludwigs University in Freiburg were delighted with the second place and 750 euros. What is new about their “Bodywarn” emergency call system is that the system, which is worn on the wrist, detects a fall and automatically triggers an emergency call. The user does not have to make the emergency call by pressing a button. In contrast to comparable systems, the fall sensor supplies itself with energy that is obtained from the environment through energy harvesting. This ensures that the device cannot fail due to empty batteries.
Security
Conference on security research discusses intelligent sensor systems
Additional information on the topic of Cosima - Competition of Students in Microsystems Applications
The Cosima competition creates new applications and concepts for existing microsystem components. The tasks range from economic planning and project implementation to public relations. The teams then develop a prototype from promising concepts. Microsystems can be used in many different ways and mostly consist of one or more sensors, actuators and control electronics. Further information at www.cosima.mems.de
Robotic arm plucks eyebrows
Third place and prize money of 500 euros went to an international team of students from Furtwangen University. The team investigated how robots can be used in the future for topics such as personal care and cosmetics. The prototype by Derek Orbaugh from Guatemala, Reem AlGaifi from Yemen, Uma Maragatham Muthiah and Yuvaraj Murugesan from India is a robotic arm that can use the so-called thread technique to pluck eyebrows. Using microsensors, the robot “recognizes” the distance to its counterpart. Using methods of image recognition, he identifies the area of the face and targets the hair in a targeted manner. The team is working to expand the functions of the robotic arm to include skills such as shaving and face painting.
The three winning teams also qualified for the international I-Can 2017 competition. From August 8-10, 2017, they will meet teams from all over the world with their projects in Beijing. (sh)
