Computer Engineering

Team Name

Pythia

Team Members

Clement Cole
Chris Roche
Enrique Torres
Elijah Adedapo

Sponsor

Dr. Robin Pottathuparambil

Abstract

The Algorithmic Stock Trading System uses historical stock data to make predictions for future stock
high and low trading values. Team Pythia developed and adapted a predictive algorithm based on the
genetic model to run in both software and hardware.

The software implementation is programmed in C++ and runs in a Linux environment on an x86
architecture CPU. The hardware implementation is in VHSIC Hardware Description Language (VHDL)
and runs on a Xilinx Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA).

The stock trader can use a graphic user interface (GUI) to select up to ten stocks at a time to analyze. The
analysis and performance results are displayed for the user on the GUI. Both implementations are
compared to identify performance gains from the hardware implementation of the predictive algorithm.

The VHDL implementation takes advantage of the hardware level parallelism of the FPGA which results
in lower latency than the software implementation. Therefore, stock traders can make better informed
sales and purchases, faster. This project serves as a proof of concept that FPGAs are a viable solution for
stock trading.

Team Name

Spatium Lucis

Team Members

Zachary Simpson
Terry So
Jeremy Trammell
Chukwuebuka Nwankwo

Sponsor

Salazar George - NASA's Texas Grant Space Consortium

Abstract

The Intelligent Lighting Control System (ILCS) is a response to a project proposed by NASA to address
lighting in space-faring vehicles. An intelligent lighting system is needed not only for allowing sight in
the blackness of space, but to also in maintaining circadian rhythms. The ILCS will be customizable to
the personal and working spaces of individual crew members and attempt to maintain healthy circadian
rhythms by modeling light intensity and color values. In addition, the ILCS will be capable of
compensating for any degradation in intensity or color values. Any degradation measured from 8 feet
away will cause the system to compensate by increasing output or activating a secondary source and will
cause the system to emit auditory and visual warnings. The ILCS will consist of three subsystems
connected wirelessly, to accomplish these tasks: The Control Subsystem, Sensor Subsystem, and Lighting
Subsystem. The Control Subsystem will allow the user to view the status of the system by using a
browser enabled device. The Sensor Subsystem checks the status of the lights and provide feedback to the
Control Subsystem. The Lighting Subsystem interacts with an RGB LED network to provide light to the
user based on the time of day.

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank our NASA adviser, George A. Salazar, for ensuring that we understood the
problem, Dr. Tim Urban and Talia Jurgens of the TSGC for providing us with this great opportunity, Dr.
Barrett Bryant and Sally Pettyjohn of the UNT CSE Department for ensuring that we get the tools and
parts needed for the project, and our faculty adviser, Dr. Robin Pottathuparambil of the UNT CSE
Department for his advice and making sure that the project meets its requirements.

Team Name

Remote System Online

Team Members

Johnathan Auringer
Fernando Mosquera
Peter Ogunrinde

Sponsors

Robin J Pottathuparambil

Abstract

The Remote Embedded Systems Lab (RESL) is a development environment for embedded systems. This
lab is remotely accessible through web browser, and allows users to upload compiled code to an
embedded systems board, and to monitor the board s outputs by camera, microphone, and serial port. The
lab includes hardware capable of interacting with the target board, to activate sensors and buttons,
through the web interface. This includes relays, Peltier modules, and LEDs, to manipulate buttons,
temperature sensors, and light sensors on the target boards. The Remote Embedded Systems Lab also
features an extensive database, permitting the management of boards, users, permissions, and statistics of
usage. This lab provides a web-based method of developing embedded systems, which opens paths to
distance education as well as helping to reduce the required number of workstations and boards in the
traditional Labs.

Team Name

Hear Me Out

Team Members

Michael Canan
Corey Smith
Zac Jordan
Mayur Kotamraju

Sponsors

Robin Pottathuparambil

Abstract

The Bat is a wearable, indoor navigation assistant for the visually impaired. It is designed to be discreet
when compared to other aids, such as a cane or service animal, which can give the user more
independence. The user can use this device to freely roam around the interior of a building or enable the
navigation system to be guided, with verbal instruction, to an exit.

Team Name

Lux

Team Members

Konner Gonzalez
James Goines
Davonta Hubbard
Saud Alkhelaiwi

Sponsors

AcculightUSA
Dr. Robin Pottathuparambil

Abstract

AcculightUSA is a light manufacturer with a focus on sustainability and efficiency. The company creates
custom built LED lighting solutions for industrial, commercial, and public use. They have reached out
with UNT to implement a smart street light system that will provide greater functionality and positively
impact the communities served by their products.

Team Enlightened (UNT, 2015-2016) implemented a prototype version of the design, which features a
Central Management Server that communicates using powerline communication (PLC). Streetlight
features implemented include dimmable and light-sensitive LED control, temperature sensor, camera,
motion sensor, and a sleek, user-friendly web interface, which controls LED lights and the ability to
stream and record video from the camera.

AcculightUSA agreed to continue its partnership with the University of North Texas and provide another
year for prototype design and testing. Team Lux will augment the design by adding a speaker system, for
announcement capability; network attached storage device, for backing up video feed from the onboard
camera for later review; solar panel and battery backup, for powering the LED; networked lighting
detection, for automatically brightening the area when car or pedestrian traffic is detected; and finally, a
Wi-Fi access point, for public internet use.

Team Name

Disease Contact Detectives (DCD)

Team Members

Paul Garmer
Scott Visser
Jerad Stewart
Christopher Smith

Sponsor

Dr. Armin Mikler

Abstract

A project called Detect Disease Contacts Initiative (DDCI) has been created to assist in research directed
by Dr. Armin Mikler from the University of North Texas. The team Disease Contact Detectives(DCD)
accepted a proposal to work on this project for Dr. Mikler. A research tool was requested that would
allow for the measurement of the number of contacts that a person receives in an average day. This
research data has many applications; but is primarily focused on the potentiality of airborne disease
spread. The tool that was requested will focus detecting the presence of an individual (or multiple people)
within 6 feet of a subject with the tool.

A volunteer will wear the DDCI tool for a period up to 12 hours collecting data of the contacts that they
acquire during that period. Once the period has lapsed the data will is then collected and processed by Dr.
Mikler and his research team. To facilitate this, function the tool or tools will cover a 360 field of view
and sustain both power and data requirements for the 12-hour period. The tool has a software component
that processes the data from the sensors and delivers that data to the research team in a workable format.
The DDCI tool allows Dr. Mikler and his team to accurately measure person to person contact over a
period of time. This data is instrumental in forming an algorithm of the ways certain diseases spread in a
population.

Team Name

MARS

Team Members

Alex Bilozertchev
Eric Suedmeier
Michael Palmer
Didier Munkindji

Sponsor

Robin Pottathuparambil

Abstract

With SpaceX, NASA, ESA, and Roscosmos all proposing and developing technology to establish a
colony on Mars, there will inevitably be communication issues between Earth and the red planet. The
colony would have all the essential data available to them on local storage, but needs a way to access the
terrestrial internet, limited by vast distances and connectionless transmission protocols.

The main focus of this project is to create a priority-driven, connectionless file distribution network
between the Mars colony and the global internet on Earth. This network would be able to accept data and
website requests from the colonists on Mars, securely and efficiently download the data from Earth, and
store it on the Martian servers. During the course of this project, the development would include a
software communication system, an interface to request content from Earth, and compression/encryption
algorithms to ensure secure communication and achieve minimal data loss.

The simulation environment will be built to mimic the bandwidth and transmission window limitations
Martian colonists will experience, and adjust to these constraints. As interplanetary communication
technology improves and allows for more uptime, higher bandwidth, and lower latency, the system s
simulation environment can be adjusted to best utilize these improvements.

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the CSE Department at UNT for the continuous support and contribution to our
engineering education. A special thank you to Dr. Robin Pottathuparambil for guidance and direction
throughout the senior design sequence, as well as to Thomas Kanabay for providing the necessary tools
and resources over the course of the project.

Team Name

IRIS

Team Members

Jacen Kohler
Alex Fatum
Tyler Alvarez
Yale Empie

Sponsors

NASA Chatwin Lansdowne
Dr. Robin Pottathuparambil

Acknowledgements

Dr. Tim Urban - Texas Space Grant Consortium

Abstract

NASA currently statically assigns all the addresses that spacecraft use for networking in space. Since
NASA is responsible for over a thousand spacecraft, this labor intensive, manual process can lead to
errors and duplications. Dynamically assigning these addresses in unfeasible because the vast distances of
space cause significant delays with the four war DHCP handshake. We have been tasked with finding a
method to efficiently assign addresses in space dynamically. Currently, the relay satellites are just
repeaters, so the DHCP server would have to be put on earth. We are proposing adding computational
ability to future relay satellites, allowing us to move the DHCP server into space, cutting the distance in
half. We are then proposing a pipelined DHCP protocol enabled by the ability to make line of sight orbital
mechanic predictions. With these combined changes, we can cut the amount of time to make a DHCP
handshake to twenty five percent.

You can read more on our GitHub project page: JacenRKohler.GitHub.io/IRIS/

Team Name

Navigators

Team Members

Sadman S Ahmed
Amr Naser
Anthony Munoz

Sponsors

Dr. Robin Pottathuparambil

Abstract

Our project named Beacate is an indoor navigation and user interaction iOS application using the
Bluetooth Low Energy Signal. We are looking forward to building an indoor navigation system, that can
be used in a specific indoor environment but can be implemented on different locations all around the
world. We will be using Beacons to get the signals and using that signal the application will find the user
s location and help them to navigate and a lot more such as save parking spot, add notes, add reminder,
etc.

We found that there is no practical application that is used to describe the user's position within inside the
buildings and stores, and that the Satellite technology that is used on roadmaps is not an alternative since
it lacks on the tight places accuracy, where it's unable to determine an accurate position inside a specific
building due to many factors. So we are trying to find a solution by using Beacons to locate the user
inside the building and help them navigate inside the building precisely.

Acknowledgements

Estimote Inc. , Professor Robin Pottathuparambil, Estimote Community and peer mentors, Thomas (our
TA)