Science Engineering Entrepreneurship Design (SEED) Journal

Design of Internet of Things (IoT) Based Wearable Electrocardiogram

2023-05-08T13:21:18-07:00

An electrocardiogram is a recording of the electrical activity of the heart. It is a crucial technology for the early detection and diagnosis of heart-related issues such as heart arrhythmia and other abnormalities in the heart. Most ECG machines, both the handheld single lead devices and standard 12 lead ECGs found in hospitals make use of adhesive gel electrodes which are uncomfortable for long periods among other issues. These devices are also quite expensive for the average Ghanaian. The standard ECGs found in hospitals also lack remote capability and the ability to transfer and store results instantly over the internet. This project explores the design of a wearable, low-cost, IoT device that will cater to each of these limitations. Textile electrodes sewn into a shirt are used in place of the gel electrodes to avoid irritability and the wearing off of electrodes in long-term usage. A design based on a low-cost microcontroller, the esp8266 together with other circuit components is employed to ensure the system is affordable and has remote capability. Digital processing techniques are also implemented both in real-time and through post-processing in MATLAB to provide alternative means of processing the signal from the electrodes. Results obtained from testing show that the prototype cou

Ram vs. Cycle Pump: Designing a Sustainable Water Pump for Use in the Berekuso Township

2023-05-08T13:38:14-07:00

The world's poor rural population (900 million people) lacks access to safe drinking water and sanitation, resulting in enormous human health and economic costs, as well as gender and other societal disparities. Rural water and sanitation assistance is more difficult to provide due to the settlements' location, which is mostly in environmentally sensitive areas: dispersed settlements, an agrarian economy, and complicated infrastructure. Rural populations lack access to appropriate, lowcost, and locally manufactured technologies for water, sanitation, and hygiene. Modern, urban-oriented technologies will not be suitable in a rural setting. Other factors in technology should be considered, such as energy efficiency and the use of dependable and low-cost water transportation systems. In this project, a sustainable water pump is designed and implemented for a local town [Berekuso], in Ghana. Two distinct pump designs are proposed and compared, the ram and bike pump. The ultimate goal of this design project is to scale up the prototype for easy water transportation in a town. The product should be portable and easy to assemble – these will be tested using software simulations [Fusion 360 and SolidWorks] as well as reading physical measurements, using instruments.

Avoiding Bridge Failure: The Effect of Material and Bridge Structure type on Ultimate Bridge Strength

2023-05-05T06:53:24-07:00

Bridge failure can be catastrophic, hence the need to continuously improve bridge designs. But what material type or bridge structure type can be used to make the strongest bridge? The purpose of this research paper is to investigate how material type (wood, concrete, steel, etc.) and bridge structure type (beam, arch, and truss), in combination, affect bridge strength. In this research paper, a recommendation of the best material type and bridge structure type suitable for bridge construction will be made. A Static Stress Analysis Simulation was performed on several bridge designs of different materials and structures to determine the maximum von Mises stress for each, under normal bridge loading conditions. These bridges were first designed then simulated using Autodesk Inventor Software 2019 and based on the statistical results obtained from a Two-way Analysis of Variance ANOVA test at 95% significance level, the highest average maximum von Mises stress for bridges of structure type truss and bridges of material type steel suggest that under static stress analysis simulation conditions similar to ours, truss bridges and steel bridges are the strongest, hence are ideal for bridge construction. In this research study, we are interested in how the two factors – material type and bridge structure, in interaction, affect bridge strength.

A Portable Design of a Maize Drying Machine

2023-05-08T14:01:44-07:00

Most Ghanaian maize farmers incur losses in their business. This is due to the burden that comes with post-harvest grain management. The inability of the farmers to dry these grains effectively leads to its spoilage. Maize harvested in the first planting season of maize is susceptible to destruction by weevils and other insects due to the high moisture content. To prevent the problem of post-harvest losses in the maize farming business, a maize drying machine is designed to effectively dry it before storing the grains. This paper concentrates on the calculations, design processes and procedures on specific nature of chosen design parts. The machine makes use of an induction motor that is controlled by an electrical control unit to continuously stir the grains. A blower with the necessary heating element is used to supply the grains with air. Also, there is a temperature and humidity sensor at the bottom of the machine to detect if the maize is dried. The design prevents overheating of the grains during the drying process, and reduces the manpower expended by the farmer.

Efforts to Apply Natural Language Processing Technologies in Africa

2023-05-05T07:14:58-07:00

The primary objective of this paper is to investigate the developments and advancements made in Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR), Natural Language Processing (NLP), and Text-to-Speech (TTS) technologies for African languages and problems. The paper addresses the challenges the African continent faces in implementing these technologies. Additionally, the paper proposes a novel concept that combines computer vision, NLP, and TTS to aid visually impaired individuals in Ghana.

Design, Fabrication and Testing of a Torsional Compression Thread-based Gari Screw-type Press (Cassava Pulp Mechanical Dewatering Machine)

2023-05-05T07:26:07-07:00

Gari is a popular type of food in Africa obtained from the dry frying of dewatered cassava pulp. Unfortunately, small scale Gari producers in Africa are hampered by adoption of inefficient and inappropriate pressing methods. This delays Gari production and results in low quality products. The purpose of this study is to design, fabricate, and test a torsional thread-based cassava pulp mechanical dewatering screw press which will provide a cheaper way of pressing cassava compared to the modern methods which are too expensive for the ordinary farmer due to the complexities involved in their processes and the components used in manufacturing them. The aim is to make a more hygienic system by enclosing the cassava pulp in a confined cylindrical space and providing a way of trapping the liquid emanating from the compressed cassava pulp during pressing. The screw will make it easy to drive and press the cassava pulp. The research also gives details of the manufacturing processes, tools, materials, that will be used if the product is fabricated. Cassava was not utilized in the testing process, rather, a wet napkin to test the pressing mechanism by reducing its moisture content. It was found that the machine could dewater 2 kg wet a napkin with 70 % to 15 % moisture in about 3 minutes. The maximum stress reported on the screw shaft handle was 2.773 ×107 N/m2 which was less than the yield strength of the material used for the simulation.

Internet of Things: The Budding Area of Mobile IoT Technologies (LTE-M and NB-IoT)

2023-05-05T07:40:01-07:00

This paper explores the growing field of mobile IoT technologies and looks at the requirements and characteristics of these technologies. With a deeper focus on Long Term Evolution for Machines (LTE-M) and Narrow Band-Internet of Things (NB-IoT), we look at how different industry operators and governments have provided service for these technologies. The paper also looks at edge computing an issue that arises with Mobile IoT Technologies. In cases where solutions have been developed, we explore the design and deployment process. Findings proved that mobile IoT Technologies specifically LTE-M and NB-IoT will be a great asset to IoT Technologies.

Inter-Turn Short Circuit Fault Detection and Prediction in Induction Motors

2023-05-16T12:52:07-07:00

Induction motors are expensive and the backbone of every industry. There would be no production when induction motors break down. It is also costly to repair them after a sudden shutdown. Industries are gradually adapting to predictive maintenance to prevent unnecessary shutdowns and reduce the cost of maintenance. This paper's objective is to make the predictive maintenance of induction motors more reliable by adding fault detection. This will ensure the reliability of the induction motor, as it will continuously run to increase production quantity and quality while lowering production costs. This project uses secondary stator current data from a three-phase induction motor to detect and predict inter-turn short circuit faults. The stator current data can detect a higher percentage of electrical faults. The predictive maintenance toolbox in MATLAB is used to achieve the fault detection and prediction algorithm. Two classification algorithms, Support Vector Machine (SVM) and K-Nearest Neighbor (KNN) are used to detect and predict the inter-turn short circuit fault. It is found that the selected classifiers of the SVM algorithm gave almost a perfect prediction accuracy as compared to the classifiers of the KNN algorithm. The suggested fault detection and prediction in induction motors work very well, increasing the machine's reliability by decreasing the breakdown time and maintenance cost.

I am Happy to Announce

2023-06-06T18:37:52-07:00

Feature in Issue 3.