DevLab portfolio

This list contains the current graduation assignments for which we are searching for student from both Bachelor (HBO) and Master (WO) level. Are you a student in the field of informatics, electronics, electromechanics or embedded systems and are you interested in one of our assignments? Send an e-mail to Lex van Gijsel with your resume and your interest (short).

Most assignments further develop the MyriaNed platform.
Myrianed "is about the development of Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) technology that is both ultra lowpower and scalable. A WSN is a network composed of resource scarce sensor nodes that communicate with each other wirelessly. The core of MyriaNed is a low dutycycle periodic TDMA MAC layer in combination with a gossip based data dissemination protocol."

Mimic the HexBug nano

The HEXBUG Nano is a Micro Robotic Creature (see website) which gives the appearance of being smart. Using 12 legs, locomotion is achieved by a pager motor inside the Nano which rotates a counterweight causing forces up and down. In this assignment the HEXBUG Nano will be mimicked to a larger scale (5-10 cm).
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WSN Energy Harvesting

This assignments focuses on the study, implementation and experimentation of an energy management system between the DMFC (Direct Methanol Fuel Cell) and WSN. This system should take the characteristics of both the DMFC and WSN into account and optimize the flow of energy. A possible solution could be implemented with a small embedded processor.
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Building PotPlantNet

For this assignment you will set up a wireless sensor network in a small building in order to collect data from growing plants. Different types of sensors will monitor the growing parameters. Via a data sink the data will be transferred to a PC for presentation.
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Porting MyriaNed software to Cortex M3

The assignment is to port the MyriaNed software to a Cortex M3 hardware platform provided by SallandElectronics. This should be demonstrated by using SallandElectronics hardware in a MyriaNed network..
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Dual protocol wireless node

The assignment is to investigate if and how two networks with different protocols may be joined. If it seems possible to implement the protocol dualism, then this should be demonstrated. The envisioned demonstrator consists of a group of people wearing nodes that form a MyriaNed network, if the distance between the nodes permits this..
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Working principle HexBug nano

The HEXBUG Nano is a Micro Robotic Creature (see website) which gives the appearance of being smart. Using 12 legs, locomotion is achieved by a pager motor inside the Nano which rotates a counterweight causing forces up and down. In this assignment the working principle of the HEXBUG Nano will be investigated. How does it work?
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Measure small forces over time

The aerodynamic lift of flapping wing MAV (micro air vehicle) is generated by a flexible wing which flapping frequency is around 30 Hz. As the aerodynamics of such a flexible, flapping wing is far too time consuming to calculate numerically, experimental analysis and optimization of the wings is necessary. In this assignment a design of a wing measurement set-up will be made which must be able to hold different wings and drive them at around 30 Hz over a flapping angle of 90 degree’s.
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Remotely Accessible WSN

Experiments with the Wireless Sensor Networks technology of DevLab are only accessible on the site where it is deployed. There is a need for remote access to the networks, because it increases the number of possible deployments and experiments. This assignment will find ways to remotely access the WSN networks.
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An FPGA for Wireless Sensor Nodes

Targeted at WSN debugging a hardware frontend is developed to enable a PC to cooperate in a WSN. The frontend is based on an RF receiver stage, an fast ADC, an FPGA to perform DSP preprocessing and a highspeed USB interface. The assignment is to implement the MyriaNed media access and physical layers in the FPGA of the frontend.
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Software Defined Radio for Wireless Sensor Networks

Targeted at WSN debugging a hardware frontend is developed to enable a PC to cooperate in a WSN. The frontend is based on an RF transceiver stage, an fast ADC, an FPGA to perform DSP preprocessing and a highspeed USB interface. The assignment is to have this hardware be run on a Linux PC cooperating with GNURadio (www.gnuradio.org). Additionally using GNURadio software defined radio components, a full MyriaNed stack must be created. The target is that de PC processes raw RF data and performs all demodulation and decoding in software (C/C++).
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MyriaNed Sniffer Tools

The assignment is the development of a more advanced and higher level WSAN analysis method and supportive tool set. One of the ideas is to use a tool that is already available, and is developed by prof. Kay Römer from ETH in Zurich.
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MyriaNed Synchronisation Analysis

The MyriaNed wireless sensor network platform is based on a synchronous protocol in a distributed system. Synchronization is critical and is an important research issue. The assignment will define the necessary experiments in order to analyse the synchronization mechanisms.
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Node counting in a distributed wireless system

Our wireless sensor and actuation network MyriaNed is a distrubuted system with mesh topology where it is important to have information about the neighbouring nodes. This assignement will analyse node counting algorithms by means of implemenation and running experiments with many nodes.
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