A SENIOR THESIS PROPOSAL

Transcription

1 AtmosFear by Anthony J. Fankhauser: Computer Engineering and Jeffery J. Sigmund: Computer Engineering A SENIOR THESIS PROPOSAL Presented to the Faculty of The Computer and Electronics Engineering Department In Partial Fulfillment of Requirements For CEEN 4980 Senior Thesis Proposal Major: Computer Engineering The University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Omaha Campus Spring, 2004

2 PKI 300-F Omaha, NE January 31, 2004 Computer and Electronics Engineering Department University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Omaha Campus 60 th and Dodge St. Omaha, NE The accompanying Senior Thesis Proposal, AtmosFear, is submitted in accordance with the requirements of CEEN 4980, Senior Thesis Proposal. As stated in the proposal, the project will be done for and funded by Anthony Fankhauser and Jeff Sigmund. Respectfully yours, Anthony Fankhauser and Jeff Sigmund

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4 TABLE OF CONTENTS I. BACKGROUND..1 II. THESIS OVERVIEW.1 III. GENERAL DESCRIPTION..1 IV. MAJOR COMPONETS.3 V. TIME SCHEDULE..4 VI. ACCEPTANCE TESTING.4 VII. TEAM MEMBERS.. 5 VIII. ASSIGNMNET OF EACH MEMBER (IN CASE OF A TEAM)..5 VIX. SUMMARY.6

5 I. BACKGROUND When playing a video game, the gamer often finds himself immersed in the action being displayed on screen. He loses contact with the outside world and escapes into a fantasy realm where he is the hero and savior of the world. The subversive effects of video games on the human psyche and perception are here to stay. With AtmosFear we aim to make the physical surroundings of the gamer just as engaging as the onscreen action and thereby make inroads into melding reality with abstract game play. II. THESIS OVERVIEW AtmosFear will be a wireless lighting system that will be compatible with modern gaming consoles. It will be a separate unit that will hook up between the gaming console and the television set. AtmosFear will be able to decipher brightness levels from the output video signal coming from the gaming console. It will then adjust the lighting in the room to match the lighting levels on screen. For example: if the action on screen is taking place outside on a sunny day, the lights will be relatively bright, but if the action then moves in to a tunnel or cave, the lights in the room will dim. GENERAL DESCRIPTION AtmosFear will consist of two main components each with a number of subcomponents.

6 The two main components will be the intermediary box between the television set and the gaming console and the other will be the attachment that screws into the light socket. Intermediary Box The intermediary box will be connected between the television set and the gaming console. It will have an input port and an output port for the video signal. This unit will house the following components and capabilities:

7 1. It will receive an input and then filter out the luminance (or brightness) level from the video signal. 2. Then it will process the signal in real time to determine how bright the lights in the room will need to be in order to make them correspond to the onscreen action. 3. The information obtained during processing will then be sent to a wireless transmitter. The transmitter will then send the brightness information to the wireless units attached to the light sockets. Socket Attachments The socket attachment will screw into a standard lighting socket. The actual light bulb will then be screwed into the AtmosFear socket attachment. 1. The socket attachment will accept a wireless transmission that contains the brightness level information. 2. It will use that information to control the brightness the light bulb. IV. COMPONENTS LIST The following is a preliminary list of the main components and their estimated cost. Since we are still in the design phase of the project, additional components and cost will inevitably need to be added before we see the design to fruition.

8 Part Estimated Cost Very Fast Micro Controller or Processor $15.00 Light Sockets $10.00 Wireless transmitters and receivers $25.00 Video Input Ports $20.00 Misc. Items $75.00 V. TIME SCHEDULE The following graphic represents how long we expect to spend on each phase of the project. VI. ACCEPTANCE TESTING The following is a checklist of the items that will be demonstrates to the CEEN faculty to show that our system meets the objectives that we have stated in this proposal. 1. We will show that the system is able to accept a video signal input. This will be demonstrated via an obvious physical connection. 2. Our system will be able to extrapolate the brightness level of the video signal. This will

9 be evidenced by the brightness of our test light matching the onscreen brightness. 3. Our main box will communicate wirelessly with the light socket attachments. There will be no obvious physical connection between the light attachment and the main box yet information will still be sent to the light attachment, thereby demonstrating wireless capabilities. 4. The system will successfully manipulate the test light bulb to match its brightness with the onscreen brightness. This will be proved via sheer observation. VII. TEAM MEMBERS Anthony Fankhauser Jeff Sigmund VIII. ASSIGNMNET OF EACH MEMBER (IN CASE OF A TEAM) Each team member posses the qualities and potential necessary to facilitate the completion of each part of the project, but due to time constraints the work needs to be divided. Listed below are the team members and their primary responsibilities. Team Member Responsibility Anthony Fankhauser Manipulation of video

10 signal Light attachment Order Parts Documentation Writing Wire Wrap Main Board Jeff Sigmund Processor integration Wireless capabilities Order parts Documentation Graphics/Tables Wire Wrap 2 small boards VIX. SUMMARY We feel that game play could be much more interactive. By integrating a lighting system

11 into a video gaming system, players will receive a much more interactive experience while they are gaming. This will help to facilitate a more enjoyable experience while playing video games as well as give the game a more physical presence in the room. AtmsoFear will perform in the following manner: 1. It will take an input video signal and extrapolate the brightness level. 2. It will process the brightness level in real time and then transmit information about the brightness level to a remote unit attached to a light socket. 3. The remote unit will accept the information and adjust the brightness of the bulb so it corresponds to the onscreen brightness level.