Christopher Pagano​

For my graduate mechatronics class, groups of three students had to propose, design, code and pitch a product. My group’s pitch involved the development of a warning device that a person could wear and warn of approaching obstacles including cars. This could not only be used by the blind, but also by people who become too distracted by their electronic devices while walking. The product uses both an ultrasonic sensor and a photoresistor to sense oncoming obstacles. For the blind, this product contains an eccentric motor that acts as a vibration device that pulses with increasing frequency as the distance between the user and an obstacle decreases, and uses a piezo speaker to generate sound when the minimum distance, set at 2 feet, is passed. An LED and LCD screen as also placed on the device to mimic notifications that could in the future be implemented on smart phones to notify distracted users. Phone implementation was not deemed possible to be done right away due to the limited time frame for the project. Without these two components, the device size can be greatly reduced.

The tasks I focused on were the model and design of the overall device and determining the necessary circuit diagram and final soldered prototype.