Project Overview

Abstact:

     The goal of the project is to make a "treadmill" that adjusts speed based on optimal heart rate. The basis of this is to help lose weight more efficiently and promote healthiness.

     In order to achieve our goal, we will program a code using C++ that speeds up or slows down the "treadmill", which will be represented by a hamster wheel.  The code will ask for your gender and age and then plugs them into the appropriate equation for you in order to determine your optimal heart rate. Then every five seconds a random heart rate is ran through the code to show how the "treadmill" will react. If it is lower than the optimal heart rate the speed will increase, if it is higher the speed will decrease. In order to show that our code works, we will use a motor-bee with an electric motor. We will run the code through a computer connected to a Motor-bee that will be able to send different voltages through our electric motor. The electric motor will be glued to a block of wood and has a gear attached to the end of it that fits into the  wheel and spins it.

[Figure 1: Block Diagram of Technical Process of Program]

The main technical activity was writing the code that simulates a heartbeat, comparing it to a calculated ideal heart rate range, and adjusted treadmill speed accordingly. First the program must declare all variables and constants in addition to initializing the MotorBee board/loading the bee’s dynamic link library (DLL).

The program contains two sub functions: the first when run, adds a random number between -1 and 2 to the current heartbeat (this favors increasing as one’s heart rate tends to do over time when exercising), the second function when run, increases the heartbeat if the treadmill is set to fast, and decreases the treadmill if set to slow (the amount it increases is dependent on how far the treadmill speed is from the median up to a maximum of five).

First the program asks the user to enter their gender and age; from these it can calculate the ideal maximum and minimum heart rate for exercising. After stating those two rates, it starts the treadmill. If the heart rate is below optimal it speeds up and if it is above optimal, the program slows it down. The program constantly checks the heart rate every second so it can set the speed of the treadmill accordingly. If the heart rate is neither above the maximum nor below the minimum, it will keep a constant speed. If at any time the individual heart rate exceeds 200 the machine shuts down and calls 911.

The machine also contains some special features: one of which is the spring feature. It sets the treadmill to maximum speed and keeps it there until the user’s heart rate reaches unsafe levels at which point it shuts off. The treadmill will stay at the lowest speed setting so the user can have a slow peaceful walk. 

Project Timeline

	Week
Task	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Studying of circuits, coding, Motor-Bee, and heart rate simulator	x	x	x	x	x
Mechanical design		x	x	x	x	x
Electrical design			x	x	x	x	x
Coding			x	x	x	x	x	x
Testing					x	x	x	x	x
Final report preparation							x	x	x	x

Table 1: Design Project Timeline for “The Running Heart”

     To complete this project, a timeline was created. Before a project was even created, research was done to see what kind of program was needed, what software/circuits/machinery did we need to purchase or hand-make. General research was done for the first week, to come to a conclusion on the project. For weeks 2-5, each individual member studied diagrams on circuits, coding using C++, and review the guide for Motor-Bee. While we are learning how to code using C++ and connecting the MotorBee to the laptop, Annie and Sean were working on the Mechanical Design for the placement of the motor and hamster wheel. Electrical Design was the easy component, since our primary source of power is the laptop and a power generator (which we later eliminated because we got an additional motor). Coding was the hardest part. Many components were added with each week, and constantly edited with each test run. 

Introducing the Engineers

Annie Feng
Drexel University, Class of 2017
Biomedical Engineering
Email: annie.feng93@gmail.com

My name is Annie Feng. I am a Biomedical Engineering in the 5-year Co-op. I was born in Shanghai, China and I came to USA at the age of 6. I have loved animals and nature ever since I was young. In the picture are my two girl Leopard Geckos. One has a genetic engima trait.
I hope to apply to Veterinary School after I receive my BS/MS or go into research. And I would love to open an animal clinic/animal shelter when I am settled in the future.
I have been loving my college education (excluding Midterm, Finals, and sometimes Biology...) and the city Philadelphia.

Sean Foerschl

Drexel University

Biomedical Engineering, Class of 2017

My name is Sean Foerschl, and I am a biomedical engineer at Drexel University. My hometown is Jackson, New Jersey and I ran cross country and track in high school. I love to watch sports and my favorite teams are the Giants, the Cowboys, the Devils, and the Celtics. When I graduate I hope to have a job that deals with tissue engineering and I would like to live in DC. After I receive my degree here at Drexel I want to attend graduate school in order to get a Master degree. As of now I do not know exactly where I want to work but I want to be able to help people and develop new ideas.

Halvor Remole

Drexel University

Computer Engineering, Class of 2017
Email: Halvor.Remole@gmail.com

Well versed in machine shop from welders and milling machines to laser engravers and cutters. Additionally I also have significant experience with electrical wiring and hydrogen fuel cell workings as I was in charge of getting such a car up and running in high school.

Jithin Thenasseril
Drexel University, Class of 2017
Electrical Engineering
Email: jpt44@drexel.edu

Jithin Thenasseril is a 5 year co-op student majoring in Electrical Engineering. He chose engineering because it’s challenging, makes one stand out from the crowd, and he wants to be the first to develop new technologies. He was encouraged to participate in engineering competitions at school which led to him winning second place in the Kuwait Annual Pre-Engineering Competition for a bridge design. He also designed and built a catapult for the annual school science fair that could throw a 1kg object over 30 meters. Jithin hopes to acquire new skills throughout his academic career and will continue to work on his sense of humor (he’s terrible at making jokes).

Xingchen Huang

Drexel University, Class of 2017
Engineering
Email: xh59@drexel.edu

I'm Xingchen Huang, from China. I'm freshman in Drexel and major in Electrical Engineering. Playing video games took up most of my free time and doing sports like tennis, pool, and soccer is also my hobby. I am looking forward to this project.