Yassine Salih Alj

An energy-efficient WSN-based traffic safety system

This paper describes the design of an energy-efficient wireless sensing network (WSN) system for highways lighting that we called vehicle detection for light providing system (VDLPS). This proposed study develops a system that would enable the efficient use of solar light poles. The VDLPS consists of solar light poles deployed in dangerous portions of highways. These poles would be assembled in groups and each group will be equipped with a sensor and an actuator. The sensor would serve for vehicle detection while the actuator would be responsible of switching on and off the light-emitting diodes (LEDs) of a group of poles. A control unit is used to process sensors signal into instructions for the actuators. Communication between the system components is done through Zigbee network and relayed by the use of repeaters. The architecture of the suggested system is introduced, its components, workflow and operating logic are detailed, and a cost study is conducted. The motivation behind this approach is to reduce accidents by lighting dangerous portions of highways that can be deadly with a reduced cost and along with an optimal and efficient use of solar energy.

Intelligent Parking System for Car Parking Guidance and Damage Notification

This paper presents an innovative intelligent parking system (IPS) that has two functions: Car parking guidance and car damage notification. IPS is an advanced automatic driving system that consists of car guidance which proposes oriented assistance for drivers while parking. IPS has some interesting functionalities that ensure an easy parking without damages, parking within less time in any suitable spots and getting a notification if the parked car has been scratched or damaged while the driver is not in the car. The main purpose of the IPS system considers a control car system, an algorithmic move car system and a damage notification system to the vehicle. During the parking process, the driver is alerted by visual and sound signals. The IPS system provides a path planning image that is displayed on the on-board computer system to indicate the directions for the wheels. The damage notification system consists of car-camera shock sensors placed in the front and rear of the vehicle that record the incident when the driver is not in the car.

Distributed RFID Shopping System

RFID technology has recently made significant advancements in the domain of retail sales. This paper presents a novel approach to the use of RFID technology in this field. Despite the current system architectures in RFID systems used in similar research projects, a distributed architecture and a suitable design are proposed. Users will be able to scan their purchased products by putting them in the shopping cart, view their current bill on the cart’s touchscreen, and get directions in the shopping area. The motivation behind this different approach is to give customers more flexibility and control over their shopping cart. It will enable them to benefit from information about the products and aisles of the shopping space. Additionally, it will also enable the storage of customer transactions and location data to render it available for data mining purposes.

StapBot: An autonomous surgical suturing robot using staples

This paper presents the design of a new autonomous surgical suturing robot StapBot using staples. This system is designed for performing wounds closure in Minimally Invasive Surgery (MIS). StapBot is equipped with a translational platform composed of different types of sensors for detecting all wounds characteristics and two automated robotic arms for clamping and stapling. Embedded algorithms analyze the collected data in real time and send computed results to actuators to use the appropriate type and size of staples, set the clamping arm to a specific position, and determine the motion of the of the automated stapling arm that will perform the stitching operation. This procedure consists on successive mechanic impulsions to fix the staples on the epidermis. In this paper, we discuss the sensing platform with the related proposed algorithms for an autonomous suturing operation. Furthermore, a draft cost study of the proposed StapBot is presented.

RFID-based Tracking System Preventing Trees Extinction and Deforestation

This paper describes the design of a radio frequency identification system that we called TreesRFID Tracking System (TRTS). This suggested study develops a system that would enable the detection and identification of trees illegal logging cases and hence preventing risks of species distinction and deforestation threats. The TRTS consists of RFID passive tags (static tags) fitted in trees and serving as unique identity for each tree, handheld readers (moving devices) with a suitable readable range and embedded circular polarization antenna. These readers would be held by forest officers and the data read from the tags would be accessible through the readers thanks to a visualization software that would analyze and process the data received. The database that saves all the readings and user interface and enables access to that data is located at the server side of the system. Communication between the tag readers and the server side is done through 3G connectivity enabled at the handheld reader device. An example of this suggested study practicality is the forests in Ifrane region of Atlas Mountains which are well known for the cedar species that are constantly subject to illegal extracting and thus are threatened by extinction. Moreover there has been no suggested method to improve their management process. Here is where our RFID system comes to play.

Performance Evaluation of a MIMO-on-Body System in a Mine Environment

In this contribution, the On-body propagation measurements at 40 m underground mine gallery and their statistical analysis are presented. Monopole antennas were installed on the body in order to form three on-body channels, namely belt-chest, belt-wrist and belt-head. The channel parameters of a 2 × 2 Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) On-body system are evaluated and compared to the single-input single-output (SISO) system parameters. It was shown that the RMS delay spread and capacity values of the MIMO channels are higher than those of the SISO channels. The average value of the Ricean K-factor shows little difference between the MIMO and SISO beltchest measurements. The calculated capacity values for a constant signal to noise ratio (SNR) and those calculated at a constant transmitted power demonstrate that the propagation performance is significantly improved by using the MIMO compared to the conventional SISO scheme. Hence, MIMO technology is a suitable candidate for On-body underground communications.

Students’ preconception due to former students’ feedback about the difficulty of an undergraduate engineering course

Purpose – Most university students, if not all, develop a preconception about any academic course before taking it. This preconception undeniably affects students’ performance by influencing their motivation. As a result, learning can be minimized. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the evolution of students’ preconception about the difficulty of an engineering course – taught by the same instructor – for a period of seven semesters by analyzing the results of survey questionnaire completed at the beginning of every semester. This approach allows the instructor to assess students’ preconception that is built by former students’ feedback and hence control the impact on students’ motivation which influences their learning performance. Design/methodology/approach – By analyzing the surveys’ results, the instructor gets a close idea about how the course is perceived. When students harbor misconceptions that constitute difficult barriers to learning, it becomes necessary to take action like adjusting ...

Automated Groundwater Monitoring Using Telemetry

Like many African countries nowadays, Morocco suffers from a serious shortage of water resources. Pollution and soil erosion caused a decline in the quality of both superficial and groundwater reserves. This work comes as a response to the urgent need of providing new ways to manage groundwater resources. Pressure, pH and conductivity are the main groundwater characteristics inspected by the considered mechatronic system, as they directly affect the groundwater quality and its sufficiency to meet the consumer needs. This paper presents an automated groundwater monitoring system that offers real time data collection using an on-site sensor system, and instant transfer through a radio frequency network to the Moroccan water companies. Additionally, the paper provides a full business feasibility study to analyze the market and to optimize the cost of using telemetry for groundwater monitoring.