Supervisor: Mark Schulz
| 1. | Text-to-speech converter | Convert text to Australian speech. Involves collecting speech samples, extracting the diphones, and editing them to work with the MBROLA speech engine. This involves international cooperation. http://tcts.fpms.ac.be/synthesis |
| 2. | Toaster on the Internet | Using a small microcontroller and a single chip Ethernet interface, add some TCP/IP networking software (which you write), and add a toaster (coffee machine, hot water system, bath, washing machine, ...) to the Internet. Partner to develop a front end to control the device and display its status. Equipment can email fault reports to the service organisation requesting repairs. |
| 3. | A smart, compact video camera | Hook a CCD camera directly to a DSP chip, without converting the CCD output to analog video with sync pulses and framing pulses. This means that the DSP has complete control on where it scans an image, and how much data it needs to collect. Can you think of the uses for such a compact device? |
| 4. | A Hand-held Web Browser |
Continue the Work started by Ben Williamson on
the Slate project. Uses an ARM 7500 CPU and an
LCD display to display WWW info without the need
for a complete PC. Web browser for the masses -
the NC (network computer) much vaunted in the
trade press. Ben got a job in Silicon Valley because
of the work done on this project!
Some interesting links related to this are: |
| 5. | Active Badge network | Complete and expand the work done in 1996 on this project. Know where staff are at any time. Direct phone calls to the nearest phone, open doors, grant access to terminals, login automatically without needing passwords - all because your badge says who you are. Also implement a real badge network and get it working in the Axon building. Get a WWW page going to display the results for all the world to see. |
| 6. | ATM network projects | Get an ATM switch, a video camera. a video display on a PCI bus, and an audio board all working together to implement a Desk Area Network (DAN). Based on 3 projects from 1996. |
| 7. | Plan 9 operating system | Plan 9 is the Operating system from AT&T which follows from UNIX. Install a system of three computers within the 4th Year Thesis Laboratory, and integrate it into the existing network system. |
| 8. | Inferno Operating System | Inferno is the latest operating system from AT&T, via Lucent. It is in the flavour of UNIX, but three generations on - developed to support smart phones, set-top boxes, PDAs, etc. Get at least two systems operating in the 4th Year Thesis Lab, and use this to work with the Active Badge Project, or the Toaster on the Internet Project. Or suggest one yourself! |
| 9. | Electronic Book | Develop a standard for an electronic book. You don't want people to be able to save the book, or if they can then it must be encrypted. Liaise with the digital cash project to charge people for reading the book. The same technology can apply to distributing video or music or any other media. |
| 10. | A Digital Cash System | Implement a digital cash system, ie, where funds are transferred between accounts in an electronic bank. Need for encryption and privacy must be preserved. Use the system to pay for page printing charges within the department. May be extended to paying for other services within the department. |
| 11. | RF ID and equipment tracking | Using RF ID chips from TEMIC, develop a system to monitor the location and movement of equipment within the department. Make every bench "smart" enough to know the equipment sitting on it, and be able to report when it moves and which bench it moves to. save that big equipment audit every year. Put every bench on the Internet? |
| 12. | Clocks on the Internet | Implement digital clocks which can sync their time from the Internet, with stand power outages, and NEVER require resetting. Make use of the Network Time Protocol (NTP). Requires a microcontroller, Ethernet interface, and TCP/IP software. |
| 13. | Universal Serial Bus and the PC | Put standard peripherals on the USB, a newly proposed serial bus developed to reduce cable clutter on the back of the PC. |
| 14. | YOUR-OWN-TOPIC | Suggest a topic to me and I'll see if it is doable at the Pass or Honours level. |
| 15. | A Microphone Array for Multimedia Workstations and Conferences | Use beam-forming principles to achieve accurate control of the directivity of a microphone. Use for enhanced speech reconition by eliminating noisy backgrounds, allow for free roaming of the user, track the talker location, and track multiple talkers. |
| 16. | Diffuse Infrared Communications Link | Design and implement a diffuse (non line of sight) infrared communications links for use in the Computer Engineering Thesis Laboratory. It is intended as a group project. One of the group would be required to create an Ethernet-to-IR connection to the undergraduate computer network. |
| 17. | Power Line Communications Link | Design and implement a reliable communications link to operate over standard 240 volt AC power links around a residential dwelling. This link to be used for communications between devices used in home automation. It is assumed that the link will be slow speed (ie, not greater than 9600 baud). Project may have more than one person working on it, as there are many devices that can be automated in the average home. |
| 18. | Computerized Local PABX | Design and implement a microcomputer controlled telephone excange. 8 subscriber lines and up to 3 central office lines. 12 speech paths to support non-blocked operation and support multiple conference calls in progress at the same time. Look at Internet phone access as well. Entire project needs more than one Honours student. Have a look at this news item. |
Watch this space for more projects over the next few months!!
Electrical and Computer Engineering / marks@elec.uq.edu.au Last Modified October 25, 1996