Filtering by
- Creators: Barrett, The Honors College
- Resource Type: Text
This work details the process of designing and implementing an embedded system
utilized to take measurements from a water cooler and post that data onto a publicly accessible web server. It embraces the Web 4.0, Internet of Things, mindset of making everyday appliances web accessible. The project was designed to satisfy the needs of a local faculty member who wished to know the water levels available in his office water cooler, potentially saving him the disappointment of discovering an empty container.
This project utilizes an Arduino microprocessor, an ESP 8266 Wi-Fi module, and a variety of sensors to detect water levels in filtered water unit located on the fourth floor of the the Brickyard Building, BYENG, at Arizona State University. This implementation will not interfere with the system already set in place to store and transfer water. The level of accuracy in water levels is expected to give the ability to discern +/- 1.5 liters of water. This system will send will send information to a created web service from which anyone with internet capabilities can gain access. The interface will display current water levels and attempt to predict at what time the water levels will be depleted. In the short term, this information will be useful for individuals on the floor to discern when they are able to extract water from the system. Overtime, the information this system gathers will map the drinking trends of the floor and can allow for a scheduling of water delivery that is more consistent with the demand of those working on the floor.
The cocktail party effect describes the brain’s natural ability to attend to a specific voice or audio source in a crowded room. Researchers have recently attempted to recreate this ability in hearing aid design using brain signals from invasive electrocorticography electrodes. The present study aims to find neural signatures of auditory attention to achieve this same goal with noninvasive electroencephalographic (EEG) methods. Five human participants participated in an auditory attention task. Participants listened to a series of four syllables followed by a fifth syllable (probe syllable). Participants were instructed to indicate whether or not the probe syllable was one of the four syllables played immediately before the probe syllable. Trials of this task were separated into conditions of playing the syllables in silence (Signal) and in background noise (Signal With Noise), and both behavioral and EEG data were recorded. EEG signals were analyzed with event-related potential and time-frequency analysis methods. The behavioral data indicated that participants performed better on the task during the “Signal” condition, which aligns with the challenges demonstrated in the cocktail party effect. The EEG analysis showed that the alpha band’s (9-13 Hz) inter-trial coherence could potentially indicate characteristics of the attended speech signal. These preliminary results suggest that EEG time-frequency analysis has the potential to reveal the neural signatures of auditory attention, which may allow for the design of a noninvasive, EEG-based hearing aid.