Team Rodents

1
Automated Real-Time Rat Tracking System

• Team Rodents
• Rich Carrillo (EE)
• Jacob Cerny (ME)
• Hocine Haddad (ME)
• Alex Kossett (ME)
• David Sellers (EE)

http//www.impactlab.com/
2
Agenda

• Project Description
• Customer Needs and Specifications
• Concept Selection
• Project Plan

3
Background

• Footprint-tracking system created by previous
  Senior Design group
• Not real time
• Cannot automate feeding
• No maze

Taken from the previous groups report
4
Mission Statement

• To design an automated system that detects and
  records in real time the presence of a rat at
  arbitrary locations and allows dispensation of
  food pellets at arbitrary locations based on the
  history of the rat's movements

5
The Customers

• Primary Customers
• Our Project Advisor
• Prof. David Redish
• Neuroscience Dept.
• Research Assistants
• Secondary Customers
• Other researchers outside of Redishs group
• Rats

6
Critical Customer Needs

• Requires no human interaction during a test
• Reliable
• Harmless to rats
• Cannot be circumvented by rats
• Automatically delivers food after the rat reaches
  a series of pre-selected checkpoints
• Compatible with footprint detection system
• Records sensor activation and food dispensation
• Easily reconfigurable

7
Critical Design Specifications

• System runs automatically once test starts
• Zero detection/feeder/recording errors over 30
  minute test
• Exposed surface temperature 40C Max
• Maze gap sizes 1 Max
• Wall impact strength .3 J Min
• Reprogrammable hardware
• Does not affect footprint detection
• Maze setup time 15 min Max

8
Concept Generation

• Over 150 ideas in 6 areas
• Maze Construction
• Sensor Design
• Sensor Wiring
• Event Recording
• Feeder Design
• Control System

9
Concept Selection
10
Selected Concepts

• Segmented LED display
• Provides human-readable output
• Microcontroller
• Versatile, reliable, inexpensive
• Individual commercial feeders
• Very reliable

• U-Brackets with pins
• Simple and Strong
• IR Rangefinders
• Reliable output
• Battleship circuit grid
• Simple to interface and program

www.gardensite.co.uk
www.mct.net
www.solarbotics.com
www.roboshop.ca
http//www.med-associates.com/
11
Major Concepts Considered

• Maze Construction
• Snaps
• Electrical connectors
• Velcro
• Magnets
• U-Brackets with pins
• Sensors
• Pyroelectric
• IR rangefinder
• Piezo strip
• Ultrasonic rangefinder
• Wiring
• Individual cables
• Voltage divider circuit
• Battleship circuit

• Event Recording
• Record on microcontroller
• Record with video system
• LEDs
• Segmented display
• Mechanical flags
• Feeder Design
• Individual feeders at specified locations
• Single feeder with distribution system
• Control System
• Microcontroller
• Mechanical logic machine
• Electronic logic circuit

12
Battleship Grid
13
Analyses

• Cover material thickness
• Wall strength
• Maximum allowable cover weight
• Voltage drop across grid
• Power consumption

14
Cover Material Thickness Calculation

• Assumptions
• Simply-supported beam
• Uniform load distribution of walls/sensors
  hanging from cover
• Result
• Examples (P 20 lbf)
• American Soft Pine - .22
• 6061 Aluminum - .02

t Thickness P Load Sy Yield Strength

• 1040 Steel - .016
• Acrylic - .04
• Polycarbonate - .036

15
Technical Risks

• Programming
• Wiring Issues
• Sensor/Microcontroller Interface
• Interfacing with Footprint Detection System

16
Project Milestones
17
Schedule
?
?
18
Final Product
Configurable by user
Non-Configurable
Modular Maze Walls
Modular IR Sensors
Roof/Grid
Controller System
Re-writable C Code
Active Feeder/Sensor Display
Feeders
19
Questions
Taken from the previous groups report
www.roboshop.ca
http//www.med-associates.com/