SensorBlocks: The WoodandNails of the Electronic Sensor World - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Title: SensorBlocks: The WoodandNails of the Electronic Sensor World


1
SensorBlocks The Wood-and-Nails of the
Electronic Sensor World
Frank Vahid Department of Computer Science and
Engineering University of California,
Riverside vahid_at_cs.ucr.edu http//www.cs.ucr.edu/
vahid Also with the Center for Embedded
Computer Systems at UC Irvine This work is
being supported by the National Science
Foundation SensorBlocks are also known as
"eBlocks" http//www.cs.ucr.edu/eblocks
2
Seen this Problem?
Not!
Available

• Technology everywhere Why no good solution?

3
Introduction

• 1998 Simple Problem
• Garage door open at night
• No simple solution
• Off-the-shelf solutions costly, hard to find,
  and/or not customizable
• Alarm system cost overkill
• Connecting existing sensors, logic,
  transmit/receive, LEDs is hard
• Electronics, programming
• 2-week project 70 EE/CS unable
• Countless similar applications go unrealized
• Why can't I just connect those components like
  "Lego" blocks?

4
Shrinking Processor Size/Cost Enables New Solution
Courtesy of Joe Kahn
http//www.templehealth.org

• Make sensors smarter
• By adding processorbattery
• Becomes a "block" easily connected to other
  blocks

5
Shrinking Processor Size/Cost Enables New
Solution SensorBlocks
Existing component view
New "SensorBlock" view
6
SensorBlocks

• Just connect blocks, and they work
• No programming knowledge, no electronics knowledge

LED
yes/no
7
SensorBlocks Example

• "Garage Open at Night" detector
• lt10 minutes to build

Need to indicate garage open at night use LED
block
Detect night-time use Light Sensor block
Use Combine block to combine light sensor and
contact switch into one
Detect garage door open use Contact Switch block
Plug pieces together and the system is done!
8
What's Hard (The Research Part)

• (1) Finding right set of building blocks

9
What's Hard (The Research Part)

• (2) Making the blocks understandable
• People NOT likely to read directions
• Those that do are unlikely to understand

Performed extensive user testing (over 500
students, kids, and adults) over two years
Example Combine block
Most success
10
What's Hard (The Research Part)

• (3) Batteries must last years, yet performance
  should appear continuous
• Blocks are off 99.9 of the time

Developed theory to map SensorBlock events to
continuous time
Developed custom CAD tool to automatically find
the best block parameter settings out of the
billions of possibilities
11
Built gt100 Prototypes

• Size of deck of cards (eventually smaller)
• 2-3 years on 2 AA batteries (eventually longer)
• Can communicate via wire gt1.5 miles, 150 ft
  wireless
• Hundreds of trial users

12
Graphical Simulator

• User specifies and tests block design
• Java-based simulator
• User chooses between pallets

13
Graphical Simulator

• User specifies and tests block design
• Java-based simulator
• User chooses between pallets
• Blocks added by dragging

14
Graphical Simulator

• User specifies and tests block design
• Java-based simulator
• User chooses between pallets
• Blocks added by dragging

15
Graphical Simulator

• User specifies and tests block design
• Java-based simulator
• User chooses between pallets
• Blocks added by dragging

16
Graphical Simulator

• User specifies and tests block design
• Java-based simulator
• User chooses between pallets
• Blocks added by dragging

17
Graphical Simulator

• User specifies and tests block design
• Java-based simulator
• User chooses between pallets
• Blocks added by dragging
• User is able to configure various blocks by
  clicking on switches

18
Graphical Simulator

• User specifies and tests block design
• Java-based simulator
• User chooses between pallets
• Blocks added by dragging
• User is able to configure various blocks by
  clicking on switches
• Connections created by drawing lines between
  blocks

19
Graphical Simulator

• User specifies and tests block design
• Java-based simulator
• User chooses between pallets
• Blocks added by dragging
• User is able to configure various blocks by
  clicking on switches
• Connections created by drawing lines between
  blocks
• User can create, experiment, test and configure
  design

Button
20
SensorBlocks as a Programming Paradigm

• Use virtual blocks in graphical simulator to
  describe desired sensor system behavior
• Intuitive due to spatial emphasis, not temporal
  emphasis
• Automatically compile to code on programmable
  SensorBlocks

21
SensorBlock Tool Generates Code

• Tool generates C code automatically

C Code

• Download code to block with click of a button
• Ordinary users can write programs in minutes
• Spatial vs. temporally-oriented language
• 20 high school graduates eBlocks (spatial) vs.
  LEGO Mindstorms (temporal), 6 example systems, 40
  minutes to build

22
Conclusions

• SensorBlock technology nearly mature
• Possible early-adoption applications
• Hearing impaired home monitoring
• Aging parent non-intrusive monitoring
• Middle-school early engineering experience kits
• Trends work in favor each year
• Smaller, cheaper (lt5), longer battery life (or
  no battery?)
• Eventual applications
• General blocks for home, stores, office
• Blocks as front-end devices to "smart home"
• New blocks and tools for intermediate/advanced
  users
• Collaborators
• Ph.D students Susan Lysecky, Ryan Mannion, David
  Sheldon Profs. Harry Hsieh, Walid Najjar, Crista
  Lopes (UC Irvine) UG students Andrea Coba,
  Margaret Ukwu, Caleb Leak, and several others