Open Day to showcase innovative student projects

The University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering Open Day takes place on Wednesday, 22 November 2017 at the EECE (North and South Buildings) on the Howard College campus (Main entrance, Gate 1) from 14h00 to 17h30.

The Final-Year Design projects to be displayed form the pinnacle of the design activities in the EECE four-year degree programmes.  The projects undertaken by the students are a test of their individual abilities to survive as design engineers.

Academic Leader of EECE, Dr Leigh Jarvis, says, “The ability to create innovatively, through design is the most important skill an engineer possesses. The Open Day showcases our students’ design skills to solve complex engineering problems and serves as a rite of passage for them”.

The projects will be evaluated by a panel of external experts and winners will be announced at the close of the day.

The media are invited to attend a guided tour at 14h00 that will be facilitated by Bashan Naidoo (Senior Lecturer, Project Supervisor and Coordinator), and Tahmid Quazi (Senior Lecturer and Project Supervisor).

The tour will begin at the foyer of the Electrical Engineering North Building (between Main Library and Howard College Building).

Tahmid can be contacted on 082 512 2929

Bashan can be contacted on 083 258 8638

Some of the highlights to be showcased include:

Text to Audio Book Reader for the Partially Sighted

Student: Muhammad Aslam Vaid                                     Supervisor: Dr T Quazi

Registration: BScEng (Computer Engineering)           Demonstration venue: 2-15S

Description: Blind or partially sighted people traditionally have used either braille or audio books to access literature. This is very limiting as it relies on the work of the sighted to produce such material. The objective of this project is to design a low cost embedded system that can be used by blind or a partially sighted user to read any book he/she chooses.

Power system inspection robot

Student: Shaun Benjamin Barnett                                    Supervisor: Dr AK Saha

Registration: BScEng (Electrical Engineering)            Demonstration venue: G-24

Description: This project involves design of an inspection robot for detection of various electrical quantities such as bus-bar current, bus-bar voltage etc. from a remote location.

Wireless Headset for Sea Rescue Missions

Student: Jonathan Andre Kellermann                            Supervisor: Dr T Quazi

Registration: BScEng (Computer Engineering)           Demonstration venue: 2-01N

Description: Design and implementation of a wireless headset that can be used by rescue swimmers to communicate with personnel in the vessel or helicopter that transports them to the rescue location. The device is shock resistant, waterproof and has a battery capacity to last a few days.

Sensor Hub

Student: Rivania Maharaj                                                     Supervisor: Mr B Naidoo

Registration: BScEng (Electronic Engineering)           Demonstration venue: 2-14S

Description: Sensor hubs accept signals from various types of sensors and then further processes these signals in the digital domain. Software drivers enable the hub to capture and interpret sensor data. The data may then be optionally processed, encoded, logged and/or transmitted to a remote recipient.  Design and deploy a generic sensor hub that is based on a Raspberry Pi computer.

Autonomous traffic control in absence or failure of traffic lights

Student: Sesethu Ezile Mhlana                                           Supervisor: Dr T Walingo

Registration: BScEng (Computer Engineering)           Demonstration venue: 2-07S

Description: An Ad-Hoc based traffic control system with wireless communications. As a proof of concept an appropriate wireless scheme must be chosen – At least three toys cars will navigate a junction autonomously without collision.

Design and implementation of mirror bit communication between relays

Student: Nompilo Londeka Mthembu                            Supervisor: Dr AK Saha

Registration: BScEng (Electrical Engineering)            Demonstration venue: G-07S

Description: This project involves design and implementation of mirror bit communication between relays and demonstrates the same using commercial relays.

Design and testing of stator earth fault protection of a generator

Student: Saiuree Nayager                                                     Supervisor: Dr AK Saha

Registration: BScEng (Electrical Engineering)            Demonstration venue: G-07S

Description: This project involves design of protection scheme against generator stator earth-fault and testing of the same using a commercial relay.

Hexapod

Student: Aashutoshh Rampersadh                                  Supervisor: Mr B Naidoo

Registration: BScEng (Computer Engineering)           Demonstration venue: 2-13S

Description: Design and build of the 8th generation UKZN hexapod robot. This device extends on the existing technology and functionality of generation 7. The aim of this project is to deploy a robust, modular and scalable system architecture. High-level control of the platform is executed wirelessly from a PC and/or Android phone.

VoIP Application for the Mobile Command and Control Scenario

Student: James André Stokes                                              Supervisor: Dr T Quazi

Registration: BScEng (Computer Engineering)           Demonstration venue: 2-11N

Description: Design of a VoIP application that will enable voice communication in a mobile wireless tactical network. Features include point-to-point, point-to-multipoint, voice conferencing and limited multi-hopping.

Projects will be on display between 14h00 – 16h30 and the students will be on hand to explain and demonstrate.

Kindly RSVP to Sejal Desai – desaisej@ukzn.ac.za

For further queries please contact Mr Tahmid Quazi on 082 512 2929 / Quazit@ukzn.ac.za

Supplied by University of Kwazulu Natal