Hello! My name is Connor Chin and I am an Electrical Engineering student at the University of Alberta.
I am drawn to the challenge of problem solving and expanding my knowledge in a variety of fields. Two main areas of interest are power systems and embedded system design. This has led me to join the autonomous robotic vehicle project (ARVP) where I have the opportunity to learn about circuit and PCB design as well as exposure into the writing of firmware.
Over the August long weekend, I participated in natHACKS 2022 which was my first ever hackathon. This hackathon was focused on brain-computer interface (BCI) technology. Our team developed a chromium browser extension that monitors a user's alertness using a Muse S brain wave device and adjusts screen brightness accordingly.
Brain waves can be sorted into five different groups based on their signal frequency. Each frequency band corresponds to a certain brain state. The two frequencies that our group focused on were the alpha (8-13 Hz) and beta (13-32 Hz) bands. The alpha band corresponds to a physically and mentally relaxed state whereas the beta band denotes an awake and alert state. By taking the ratio of the alpha to beta wave ratios that were present in a user's brain signals, we were able to determine the alertness of the wearer.
The Muse S device collects voltage readings over time. To analyze the alpha to beta band ratios we needed to apply a Fast Fourier Transform to the input signal. From there we sorted the signals into the relevant frequency band bins and performed the calculations that would allow us to determine how alert the user was. Once this information was obtained, the brightness of the browser tab would either increase or decrease (performed using HTML, JavaScript and CSS). Further details on our project as well as our GitHub repository can be found using the below DEVPOST link:
DEVPOST SubmissionDuring my first co-op work term, I had the opportunity to work in the Telerobotic and Biorobotic Systems Group. The focus of this team is the development of robots and robotic systems for rehabilitative purposes. I was tasked with designing a control system for a Soft Wearable Exoskeleton that incorporated a user’s muscle signals. By utilizing the freeRTOS operating system on an esp32 microcontroller, I enabled the system to handle multiple tasks simultaneously. These tasks included sensor reading, data processing and trajectory planning.
An additional component to this project was the implentation of online reinforcement learning to calibrate the system for an individual user. For further details about this project, our conference paper titled "Deep Reinforcement Learning for EMG-based Control of Assistance Level in Upper-limb Exoskeletons" is available online.
This summer I decided to pick up an arduino kit with various components so that I could learn some basics about how microcontrollers can be applied to various scenarios. The distance measurer was a simple project that allowed me to test out some of the skills I had learned through various tutorials.
Upon pressing a button, the HC-SR04 sensor sends out an ultrasonic signal that reflects off of a solid object. The echo-pin on the sensor is set to high until the signal returns at which point the pin switches to low and the arduino is able to record the signal travel time. By using basic a basic velocity calculation (assuming that the signal travels at the speed of sound), I am able to produce an accurate measure of the distance between the object and the sensor.
In order to make the assembly portable I connected up a power module that allowed me to use an input voltage supply of 9V and output a voltage of 5V that could be used by the arduino. I also used an LCD screen to display basic user instructions as well as the results of the measurements in inches. The wires were a bit messier than I would have liked but overall this project was a good starting point.
In my first year at the University of Alberta I joined the Autonomous Robotics Vehicle Project (ARVP). I joined into the mechanical team as I was unsure of which discipline I wanted to go into and this would be a good opportunity for some hands on experience.
Over the course of the year I worked in a three person sub-team that was in charge of designing a completely new spring powered torpedo launcher within a $130.00 budget. In the previous years the team had used a CO2 canister that had issues of leaking and needing to be replaced quite frequently. Within the torpedoes sub-team I was mainly in charge of the solid modelling using the solidworks software. It was a steep learning curve, but with the help of some of the senior members, I was able to pick it up quite quickly.
After many iterations, we finally had a design that we wanted to pursue. This design featured a 3D printed body that housed the springs, and a single servo that controlled a latch swinging latch to hold both torpedoes in place. By rotating the servo 90 degrees in one direction, one torpedo would be released and rotating 90 degrees past center in the other direction would launch the second torpedo. Not only did I learn how to solid model, but I also obtained valuable experience about the engineering design process. One example being the idea that every design choice must be deliberate and able to be backed up with logical reasoning and calculations. To illustrate, one of my sub-team members ran a stress calculation on the front latch to figure out how thick we would need to make the latch to avoid deformation.
These are some of my favourite places that I have had the pleasure to travel to recently. I love to be able to experience other cultures to expand my own views, but most of all I enjoy trying the delicious food that each country has to offer!