Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Improved fabrication of poly(vinylindenefluoride)-hexafluoropropylene (PVDF-HFP) thin films is of particular interest due to the high electric coercivity found in the beta-phase structure of the thin film. We show that it is possible to obtain high-quality, beta-phase dominant PVDF-HFP thin films using a direct approach to Langmuir-Blodgett deposition without the use of annealing or additives. To improve sample quality, an automated Langmuir-Blodgett thin film deposition system was developed; a custom dipping trough was fabricated, a sample dipping mechanism was designed and constructed, and the system was automated using custom LabVIEW software. Samples were fabricated in the form of ferroelectric capacitors on substrates of glass and silicon, and implement a unique step design with a bottom electrode of copper with an aluminum wetting layer and a top electrode of gold with an aluminum wetting layer. Samples were then characterized using a custom ferroelectric measurement program implemented in LabVIEW with a Keithley picoammeter/voltage supply to confirm electric coercivity properties. Further characterization using scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy confirmed the improvement in thin film fabrication over previous methods.

Decreasing energy consumption has become increasingly important in recent times due to climate change. The average temperature is increasing across the planet, and with it, an increase in droughts and other climate disasters can be seen. There are multiple ways to decrease energy consummation, and one of them is to regulate the light in a building. Much research has been done on light control aiming at offices and workplaces using a close loop system. However, even if those solutions work in a home environment, other solutions could offer a better solution. One solution could be using an open-loop system that senses the ambient light and decides to control the light based on that. An open-loop system’s benefit is that it may not need a sensor for each area like the closed-loop system needs, but the performance of such a system is unknown. Therefore, this thesis takes it upon itself to explore the open-loop system and compare it to a closed-loop system. The goal of the thesis is to compare the performance of the two systems and discover what differs in terms of usability for end-use and development. The results of the thesis are that the performance of the open-loop system does lack in comparison with the closed-loop system, but it is still in a usable range and could likely be improved. The usability of the open-loop system is also worse in terms of the end-use and development. The open-loop system needs further steps and parts to work satisfyingly compared to the closed-loop system. Further research would have to be done to answer if the open-loop system could work with only one sensor and solve other problems. A few solutions are suggested, but further research would be required to raise the open-loop system to a proper working system accessible for end-use. / Minskand konsumtion av energi har blivit allt viktigare på senare tider, på grund av klimatförändringar. Medeltemperaturen ökar över hela planeten och med det en ökning av torka och andra klimatkatastrofer. Det finns flera sätt att minska energiförbrukningen, ett av dem är att reglera ljuset i en byggnad. En hel del forskning har gjorts inom ljusstyrning som huvudsakligen syftar till kontor och arbetsplatser som använder ett öppen återkopplingssystem, men även om dessa lösningar fungerar i en hemmiljö så skulle andra lösningar kunna erbjuda bättre lösningar. En lösning skulle kunna använda ett system med öppen återkoppling som känner av det omgivna ljuset och beslutar sig att styra ljuset utifrån detta. Fördelen med ett öppet system kan vara att den kanske inte behöver en sensor för varje område som den stängda åtterkopplinge behöver, men prestandan för ett sådant system är okänd. Denna avhandling ta på sig att utforska det öppna systemet och jämföra det med ett slutet återkopplingssystem. Målet med uppsatsen är att jämföra prestandan mellan de två systemen, samt upptäcka vad som skiljer sig åt när det gäller användbarhet för båda slutanvändning och utveckling. Resultaten av avhandlingen är att prestanda för öppna återkopplingssystem är sämre i jämförelse med det slutna återkopplingssystemet, men det är fortfarande inom ett användbart område och kan troligsvis förbättras. Användbarheten av det öppna systemet är också sämre både vad gäller slutanvändning och utveckling. Det öppna systemet behöver ytterligare steg och delar för att fungera på ett tillfredsställande sätt jämfört med det slutet system. Ytterligare forskning skulle behöva göras för att svara på om ett öppet återkopplingssystem skulle kunna fungera med endast en sensor och andra problem. Några lösningar föreslås i uppsatsen, men ytterligare forskning skulle behövas för att utveckla det öppna systemet till ett väl fungerande system som kan användas för slutanvändning.

Behovet för kraftplattor idag växer inom idrotts- och sportsammanhang såväl som inom medicinska sektorn. Problemet med majoriteten av kraftplattorna på marknaden idag är att de är dyra, samt stora och tunga. På Kungliga tekniska högskolans skola för medicinteknik och hälsosystem utvecklades en kraftplatteprototyp med Wii Balance Board i hopp om att vara billigare och kunna användas i medicinskt, terapeutiskt och idrottssyfte. Enligt konstruktören och uppdragsgivaren finns det ett behov att göra om denna prototyp genom att undersöka möjligheten till att använda komponenter som är billiga, tillgängliga för allmänheten men samtidigt är noggrann och pålitlig i mätningarna. I detta arbete undersöks möjligheterna samt konstrueras två prototyper för jämförelse och analys för att säkerställa pålitlighet och noggrannhet.  Två kraftplatteprototyper utvecklades, ena prototypen använde en HX711 som AD- omvandlare mellan lastcellerna på Wii Balance Boarden och ESP32 mikrokontrollern och den andra en AD7124-8 som AD-omvandlare mellan lastcellerna och ESP32 mikrokontrollern. Lastcellerna kopplades till dessa AD-omvandlare som sedan kopplades till en ESP32 mikrokontroller som tog emot datat och presenterade det i Arduino IDE samt i applikationen Blynk. Resultatet av arbetet visade att båda prototyperna är pålitliga och noggranna i viktmätningarna vid låga samplingsfrekvenser, men att AD7124-8 är betydligt mycket mer lämplig i idrott och medicinska syften på grund av dess höga samplingsfrekvens samt filtreringsalternativ för brus då det i dessa sammanhang är viktigt att kunna mäta snabba kraftförändringar. / The need for force plates is increasing today in the sports and medicine industry. The challenges with force plates are the price point and the immobility of them, they are often big and heavy. A force plate prototype with a Wii Balance Board was developed at Royal Institute of Technology’s school for biomedical engineering and health systems with the hope of achieving a cheaper solution that could be used in medical research and the sports industry. According to the constructor of the force plate prototype, there is a need to redo this prototype by doing research of using cheaper and more readily available components but at the same time be precise and trustworthy in measurements. The possibilities are evaluated in this work and two prototypes are constructed.  Two force plate prototypes were constructed, one of them used a HX711 AD-converter between the load cells of the Wii Balance Board and the ESP32 microcontroller and the other prototype used a AD7124-8. The load cells connected to the AD-converters and then to the ESP32 which showed the output values in the serial monitor of Arduino IDE and in the Blynk app. The results of the tests conducted showed that both prototypes provided a reliable and precise measurement of weight at low sample rates. But that the AD7124-8 was considerably more suitable for medicine research and sports research due to its capability to sample at high frequencies and noise filtering options, which is crucial when wanting to detect rapid changes in force.

This thesis presents teaching fundamentals of digital logic design and VLSI design for freshmen and even for high school students using e-textiles. This easily grabs attention of students as it is creative and interesting. Using e-textiles to project these concepts would be easily understood by students at young age. This involves stitching electronic circuits on a fabric using basic components like LEDs, push buttons and so on. The functioning of these circuits is programmed in Lilypad Arduino. By using this method, students get exposed to basic electronic concepts at early stage which eventually develops interest towards engineering field.

The focus of this thesis is to explore the automation technology used in the modern entertainment industry. Upon completion of my thesis, I will deliver a working prototype of the chosen technology and present its capabilities in a choreographed show.

Syftet med projektet är att konstruera en inverterad pendel som sedan med hjälp av reglertekniska metoder ska stabiliseras. De linjära regulatorer som prövats är Proportionell, Integrerande och Deriverande (PID) -regulatorn och Linnear Quadratic Gaussian (LQG) -regulatorn som båda är populära och beprövade i industrin. PID-regulatorn är den absolut mest använda regulatorn medan LQG-regulatorn är mer raffinerad och i vissa avseenden en optimal regulator. Regulatorerna programmerades in i mikrokontrollern Arduino Nano som skickar signaler till en motordrivare som styr den stegmotor som ska balansera pendeln. Mycket av arbetet har handlat om att skapa en uppställning som tillåter goda förutsättningar för att pröva regulatorerna. I uppställningen finns delar som utformats i Computor-Aided design (CAD) -verktyget OpenSCAD och skrivits ut på en 3D-skrivare. Den givare vi använt för att mäta pendelns vinkel är en potentiometer infäst i dessa 3D-utskrivna delar. Motorn kunde styras till sin maximala kapacitet och en uppställning har skapats. Dock skulle en starkare motor och en mer robust uppställning möjliggöra en avsevärt bättre reglering. Regulatorerna klarade inte av att stabilisera systemet mer än ett fåtal sekunder, detta bland annat pågrund av tidsbrist till att justera regleringsvariablerna.

The factor of precision has always been the mastermind of the shooting sport. With new shooters coming into the field every day and with more aspiring shooters bringing laurels, a help of technology for training can make a difference. When advanced systems like the SCATT, Electronic Target Systems, etc. are marked for the people of the higher background, an easy handle autonomous system for self-monitoring training of precision improvement has always been a question of far reach. This project is about developing an external removable device, which will monitor and evaluate the shooter efficiency of gripping weapon, measure by pressure given at the contact points of the weapon. In the contact points, such as the trigger, the hand grip, cheek rest, butt plate and the hand rest; we use force sensitive resistors, which are connected to an automatic monitoring system built over an Arduino platform. The system analyses the shots based on the variation in the pressure at each point of contact for every shot. By further analysis and consolidation, the average pressure over a range of shots, an optimal pressure point can be fixed individually for the respective shooter. This pressure points are used as references, by rating them in comparison with the corresponding shot acquired in the target. The system includes a pre-designed training program, which autonomously monitors and trains the shooter to achieve the optimum grip in every shot, thereby increasing the accuracy and precision in a sequence of shots. With time, it helps the body to develop a muscle memory based on controlled training and learn the rhythm of applying optimum pressure to achieve better results. / <p>Noted the puBlication content is patented.</p>

The focus of this work was to design, develop and implement an automatic scoop system for an ice-cream shop. The main contribution covers programming of PLC and Arduino, LabVIEW, mechanical structure design of scoop, assembly line, timing belt and robotics arm and stress analysis of the structures in the system. This work solved the problem that the scooping ice-cream shop employees need to be supported by technology in their hard work and to improve the efficiency of the ice-cream disposal. The scoop is designed as a new type solving the stress issue. The control system was programmed to use robotics arm to scoop ice-cream, which enhanced the work efficiency. stress and modal analysis was done for ensure the safety of the system. Testing and validation of the system was carried out and results show it worked properly.

Master Thesis presents the system consisting of software and components of Arduinoplatform along with modules compatible with it, intended for use indoor. The device fulfils thefollowing requirements which are: to ensure privacy preservation, low energy consumptionand the wireless nature. This thesis reports the development of a prototype that would ensure step detection,posture detection, indoor localization, tumble detection and heart rate detection using themicrocontroller, AltIMU-10 v4 module, heart rate monitor, WiFi module and battery. Veryimportant part of the thesis is algorithm, which uses comparison function. Thanks to thewireless nature of a prototype, the system collects data regardless of an environment and sendthem directly to every device supported by Microsoft Windows platform, Linux platform orOS X platform, which are monitored by the supervisor, who takes care of the solitary person. The main contributions of the prototype are: indoor localization, identification andclassification of occurring situations and monitoring vital signs of the solitary person. To ensure indoor localization the prototype must collect data from accelerometer. Ofcourse data from AltIMU-10 v4 module in basic form are useless for the supervisor, so thealgorithm, using by the prototype, is programmed to processing and filtering it. Algorithm is also used to identification and classification occurring situations. Datafrom accelerometer are processed by it and compared with the created pattern. Monitoring vital signs of the solitary person are more complicated function, because itrequires not only data from accelerometer, but also from heart rate monitor. This sensor isusing to the analyzing condition of the patient when dangerous situation occurs.

Thesis deals with the theoretical design of an automatic control system for the aquarium and following simulation software environment Proteus ISIS. Due to simulation program can verify the behavior of the microprocessor in the specified functions, the correctness of electrical connections and errors in source code. The second part is analysis of commercial systems, their characteristics and applications. Apart from available commercial systems, there is a basic overview of commonly used peripherals in the aquarium, including their comparison and evaluation. Furthermore, the implementation of a complex system is done and the procedures and methods needed to set up the system are described. This topic also deals with cooling and reliability tests.