CS 410 Project Ideas

Title

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Category

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Problem

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Solution

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CS Component

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Title

Bomberman

Category

Education

Problem

AI classes are normally not very interesting. Students do not find what they expected: an automated robot.

Solution

Let students to create their own bombers and see how those bombers (Bomberman game) perform, fight with other bombers. Create an environment in which students can easily develop their AI. Most CS students like to play games.

CS Component

Software

Title

Convenient Ordering Device (COD) for restaurant

Category

Commerce

Problem

When customers want to order a meal, they always have to talk to the server -> slow, have to wait in line. Many loyal customers are busy and they already know what they want.

Solution

Create a wireless device that can be used by customers to order their meals. More convenient for customers, more efficient for the restaurant. There is no need to hire more servers to take customers' orders.

CS Component

Hardware: wireless device. Software to control that wireless device.

Title

Tunnelling Programming Competition (TunProC)

Category

Education

Problem

It is difficult to create a programming competition because the judges have to make up problems and grade submitted solution -> Require a lot of time.

Solution

There already exists website that can do online-judging: contestants submit their solutions and that website will tell them if their answers are correct or not. Create a program to take advantage of that fact and save time for the judges: Contestants will submit their solutions to this program. In stead of letting the judges test those solutions manually, this program will send those solutions to online-judge website and get the answers back (Tunnelling).

CS Component

Software

Title

News Generator

Category

Journalism

Problem

The composition of brief news stories (such as obituaries) follow similar standard guidelines and can be tedious to write. This takes time and expertise away from more important and widely read stories, and increasing the risk of grammar and spelling mistakes.

Solution

A program that accepts factual information (including its priority) and quotes as input and produces a news story based on journalistic principles. This could be a full, usable story or a guideline for the writer.

CS Component

The solution would be in the form of a computer program.

Title

Legal Case Predictor

Category

Law

Problem

Most average people do not know the intricacies of the legal system and may be unaware that they have a potential lawsuit, or put off by the high costs of legal consultation.

Solution

A program that asks questions about and analyzes a person's legal situation and gives recommendations for possible courses of action.

CS Component

The solution would be in the form of a web page or computer program.

Title

Scannable Laundry Tags

Category

Everyday

Problem

Sorting laundry is an immensely tedious task. Every item of clothing has a tag that details its washing instructions and remembering/going through each one is a pain.

Solution

A tag/scanner system where each item of clothing has the care instructions encoded on a scannable tag, along with an end user defined 'pile' number. Rather than fiddling with the stitched on tags, a person doing their laundry can just scan the item to see which laundry pile it should go in or view the care instructions.

CS Component

Machine washable tags & scanner.

Title

Kitchen Helper

Category

Home Appliances

Problem

Imagine that you are trying to cook a new dish that you learned watching the Food Network, but you cant remember how much garlic was used. If you are lucky enough to have a DVR and have recorded the episode, you could go back to the episode and find the right spot where the chef explains the recipe, or you could go online and find the recipe, all while hoping your meal hasn't burnt in the meantime. Well what if you had a small computer right in the kitchen designed specifically to organized and search for common kitchen things such as recipes?

Solution

A touch screen flat panel with a small computer integrated into the setup that would allow for internet access and could be easily wall mounted. A GUI would also be developed that could be used to store and display things such as "to-do lists" or recipes, or could easily allow the user to search the internet for news or traffic reports and other such information.

CS Component

Touch screen flat panel monitor, small computer such as a Mac Mini that would allow for internet access and information storage.

Title

Flight delay percent software

Category

transportation

Problem

There are a lot of people who goes to the airport and their flight gets delayed. So sometimes they get stranded at the airport.

Solution

Develop software where a user at home can put in what airport they will be leaving from, the airport that they are going to, and the date that they are planning to go. Then the software get information about what the weather is predicted to be doing on that day from the starting airport to the airport they are going to. Then the software will come up with a predicted percentage that the flight will be delayed on that day. That way if the percentage is high they can change the date that they are planning to leave.

CS Component

Computer software, GUI for user

Title

Store Item finder

Category

Society

Problem

Going to a store to find a specific item can be hard especially if the store is big. Sometime it is hard to find a person who works at the store that you can ask. Even when you do find where the item is supposed to be sometimes the item is out of stock.

Solution

Develop software that can be stored in a wireless device which can be put on all the buggies at a store. Then the software allows the customer to enter an item name and it will search the store item stock database to see if that item is in the store and if it is the software will pull up a diagram of the store telling you where the item is located.

CS Component

Computer sortware, wirless device, database, GUI for user

Title

Virtual Test

Category

Education

Problem

Cheating on High School tests. Most High Schoolers cheat withought ever being caught.

Solution

Create a Virtual World where the student is in his own realm while taking the test. This prevents most the major types of cheating and allows a personal environment for the taking of tests.

CS Component

Virtual Reality.

Title

Termite Sensor

Category

Construction

Problem

Termites cause millions of dollars of damage to homes every year.

Solution

Create a series of sensors that you can embed into the foundation that will alert some service or the owner of termite activity.

CS Component

RFID, Termite Sensors.

Title

Wireless Video/ Audio Hook Ups

Category

Electronics

Problem

Old Clunky TVs with Hookups for Audio and Video in the back.

Solution

Create a device to which you would plug one end to the back of the tv, and the other to your device so you dont have to reach back and unplug all the cables everytime you want to move a game consol or cable box.

CS Component

Wireless sensor.

Title

Find misplaced item locator

Category

Everyday

Problem

People are always forgetting where that put something. Sometimes it take them a long time to find what they are looking for.

Solution

Have wireless sensors that you can clip on to anything that you want to. Then have a wireless device where you can scan a sensor and then give it a name. Then when you want to find something you look on that device and select the item that you want to find and then that item sensor will start beeping until you find that item and then you turn it off with the wireless device.

CS Component

wirless technology, sensors, GUI, scan device

Title

Find misplaced item locator

Category

Everyday

Problem

People are always forgetting where they put something. Sometimes it take them a long time to find what they are looking for.

Solution

Have wireless sensors that you can clip on to anything that you want to. Then have a wireless device where you can scan a sensor and then give it a name. Then when you want to find something you look on that device and select the item that you want to find and then that item sensor will start beeping until you find that item and then you turn it off with the wireless device.

CS Component

wirless technology, sensors, GUI, scan device

Title

Too much Traffic!

Category

Department of Transportation

Problem

Solve the traffic gridlock allong I-64 during rush hour by analyzing traffic flow data and providing solutions to combat the growing congestion.

Solution

Model alternative highway layouts (i.e. instead of the cloverleaf) and see which layout results in the lowest traffic.

CS Component

Use computer modelling to determine an optimal design for traffic

Title

Computer teacher

Category

Education

Problem

Public Elementry schools lack funding to hire enough teachers to achieve a low student-to-teacher ratio. Providing students access to computer software can mimic the lessons taught by teachers at a fraction of the cost.

Solution

Design an interactive program that lets children learn with out the need of a teacher.

CS Component

Develope a computer program that can deliver lectures/interative games/tests.

Title

Automated Tax Logging System (ATLS)

Category

Finance

Problem

Exiting tax software fails to accommodate for electronic importation of forms or tracking all your deductions before filing. Manual entry is prone to error and often leads to forgetting or misplacing important deduction forms.

Solution

Design tax software that will allow for importation of scanned and other electronic tax forms. The importation will automatically fill necessary forms needed to complete the return. Also, there will be abilities to set up a profile of all the documents that are needed to complete a return. Once everything is submitted, you would get notification that your return was ready to file.

CS Component

OCR; Scanners; Database; Internet; Security;

Title

Phone Solicitation Management

Category

Communications

Problem

Unwanted phone solicitations are out of control. The governments National Do Not Call Registry does not seem to be helping. How are the people to restrict the calls they receive without changing their phone numbers or disconnecting them?

Solution

Phone Solicitation Management system will allow you to block calls by name, area code, phone number, etc... Easily integrated with existing phones, this system can be managed wirelessly to provide the user with the most control over who calls them.

CS Component

management software, phone hardware, wireless component

Title

Entertainment Order Tracking (ENOT)

Category

Entertainment

Problem

Ever order the same movie or music CD? I have and it is a waste of money when you have two copies of the same item or a waste of time when you end up trying to watch the same movie again.

Solution

Prevent ordering duplicate entertainment items by logging order confirmations from received emails. Also provide ability to alert you when you add an already ordered item to a shopping cart.

CS Component

XML; Internet; email; shopping cart

Title

Online Grocery Store

Category

Food

Problem

Grocery stores now a days are more trouble than they need to be. They don't always have what we want, it takes too long to get all the food together, and we sometimes don't realize that we left something off the list till we come home and have to drive all the way back.

Solution

Make Online Grocery Store Database that allows someone to create a grocery list that is sent to the grocery store. By having trained staff, that know where everything in the store is, this could seriously caught down on the time people need to spend at the grocery store. People would be out of the store in mere minutes with everything that they need.

CS Component

Internet, Database, Management, Security

Title

Dynamic Font Sizer

Category

Computer

Problem

Many times fonts are to small or to big depending on the resolution of the monitor and the size of the font used. This problem is especially common in documents and internet websites. Wouldn't it be nice if you never had to worry about changing font sizes to suit your preferences again?

Solution

Dynamic Font Sizer is an application plug in that would work with the users web browser, word processor, etc... to dynamically adjust the size of the fonts to a specific size dependent upon distance from the monitor and quality of the users eyesight to give maximum comfort and reduce eye strain.

CS Component

plugin software, distance sensing hardware

Title

Electronic Pharmacist

Category

Medicine

Problem

Perscriptions are written by a doctor on pad, then brought to the pharmacist to fill. These have to be verified, and can be lost or the handwriting can be bad, or altered.

Solution

Compose a database for hospitals and pharmacists to have access to, where doctors input perscriptions directly, with no worry of handwriting, and the patient losing the form. Allow the pharmacists to be able to connect and find relevant perscriptions, no matter the location, and mark the perscription filled (to avoid multiple fillings of same perscription).

CS Component

Databases, networking (security).

Title

Portable Bookstore inventory device

Category

Commerce

Problem

Currently bookstores are able to locate titles in the computer; but if a customer asks for a title on the bookfloor the bookseller must take the customer to the stores computers then back out to the floor to locate the book. This takes too much time and causes large lines at customer service locations.

Solution

All booksellers stationed on the bookfloor would carry a poratable unit that can lookup the location of books by accessing the store's computers. This could either be a new device or a modification of the device bookstore's generally have that allows them to scan books and determine their location.

CS Component

Software and/or hardware

Title

New Blackboard

Category

Education

Problem

The Blackboard software that is currently in use at ODU is poor at facilitating education.

Solution

Create a new web based course management environment to facilitate the online education of students, that is easy enough to use for even non tech savvy educators.

CS Component

Web, home computers.

Title

Awesome remote

Category

Entertainment

Problem

Television (and other ) remotes are lost, much time is spent finding them.

Solution

Add a speaker to the remote that beeps when a page button on the television is pressed.

CS Component

embedded systems.

Title

Linux Audio

Category

Music

Problem

Getting a functioning midi/audio recording suite up and running on Linux is still difficult, even in the age of Ubuntu. Even Ubuntu Studio is insufficient for the needs of a musician accustomed to Windows or Apple environments

Solution

Package a distro specifically tailored towards recording audio and working with midi. This would be a very slim, sexy distro with no cruft.

CS Component

Recording / DSP / Operating systems.

Title

Touch screen keyboard

Category

health, gaming

Problem

With modern QWERTY comptuers, the keys are in a fixed location. This makes modern keyboards uncomfortable, and hard for people with larger fingers, or changing the angle of the keyboard for the comfort of wrists.

Solution

Create a touch screen keyboard with keys being able to be enlarged, moved, and rotated and what not in order to help people who need special keyboard configurations.

CS Component

Touch screens

Title

Grocery Store Recipe Catalog

Category

Commerce

Problem

Sometimes people at grocery stores will see some sort of ingredient then get an idea to make a certain food. A lot of times the people will not know what else they need to make it.

Solution

A terminal could be added to various grocery stores which is basically a database of recipes. If someone sees hamburger meat and decides they want to make goulash, but does not remember what is in it. The person could simply find the ingredients and instructions in the database. These instructions could be printed out and would contain the locations of each ingredient in the store.

CS Component

display, printer, storage device, input device

Title

Auto-Hem

Category

Fashion/Home

Problem

Always having trouble finding pants that are the correct length? Don't have the time to get to you local tailor or just sick of waiting weeks to get your new pants back from said tailor.

Solution

Auto-Hem is a fully configurable hemming system that will allow the user through software available for any desktop/laptop PC to shorten pants, choose the color thread for the hem, remove old hems and choose the width of the new hem.

CS Component

sewing firmware, configuration software, USB interface

Title

The Gatekeeper

Category

Privacy

Problem

Unsolicited calls can still be legally made because the Do-Not-Call Implementation Act provides exceptions for certain types of unsolicited calls. Political organizations, charitable foundations and those conducting surveys are given an exception to the act. In addition, companies with whom a consumer has had a previous relationship (within the past 18 months) can be contacted. Consumers making an inquiry to a company can be contacted for 3 months of that initial contact. Consumers who do not wish to be contacted by callers under these exceptions must specifically ask each of these callers to cease making the calls to their telephone number.

Solution

The Gatekeeper will connect to a consumers phone line and be the first point of contact for an incoming call. It will determine if that call is allowed to ring your phone based on: user-defined whitelists/blacklists, and a central database of offending telephone numbers.

CS Component

Central database, accompanying website, PC configuration/management software for the unit.

Title

Conventionizer

Category

File Management

Problem

Users who have large file collections from many sources often end up with files named with many different naming conventions, duplicate files that have the same content with different names. Current software that helps users rid their systems of duplicate files require too much user interaction by asking the user what actions to take when duplicates are found. Current renaming utilities do not recognize duplicate files.

Solution

Software application that searches specified directories for files that violate user-defined naming convention with precedents. Example: User who prefers the format 11022007 Pod Cast - John Smith.mp3 can give higher precedence to " " over "_" so that a file named 11022007_Pod_Cast_-_John_Smith.mp3 would be renamed appropriately. Where duplicate files are found with the above names, the file with the correct naming convention would be retained and the other would be deleted without prompting the user.

CS Component

Software Application

Title

Smart Tablet

Category

Education

Problem

Textbooks are expensive and can be very cumbersome if you try to carry 3 or 4 to class.

Solution

Combine the functionality of an e-reader and a tablet PC. At the moment, e-reader technology exists but textbooks are generally not available in this format. Students would be able to download all their texts into their smart tablet instead of having to carry around several books. The tablet would also allow note taking which would eliminate the need for notebooks.

CS Component

software and hardware

Title

No Offense

Category

Online Communities

Problem

Members of online communities, chat rooms, forums, etc are often driven only by their desire to offend others. Some online applications attempt to filter offensive chat but offenders find ways around the filter. Also many of these online applications apply the filtering to messages sent among users but do not apply the filter to the selection of user ids.

Solution

Software module that attempts to do a better job filtering out offensive text by detecting when offenders attempt to use phonetics to bypass vulgarity filters. Ex: If "fire" is deemed to be an offensive term users may try to get around the filter by typing "phire, fyre, phyre, fi her", etc.

CS Component

Software

Title

Server System Setup (S3)

Category

Technology

Problem

It takes time to reconfigure a server. Ghosting software does not seem to work well with servers. Even if it does work, you must have the similar servers or workstations for the image to work.

Solution

Design a ‘keylogger’ type system that will be able to automate configuration of different servers by generating scripts that will automatically click ‘next’ when necessary and to install updates and standard software determined by what type of server it is (DB, IIS, SMS, etc) without human interaction. Set it and forget it!

CS Component

Keylogging; Artificial Intelligence; scripting;

Title

Blind Spot Sensor

Category

transportation

Problem

Many accidents are caused by the difficulty changing lanes. This is because mirrors leave a blind spot that makes it difficult to see if a car is right next to you.

Solution

Cameras and or sensors on both side mirrors that record if a car is in the adjacent lane. When a driver wants to change lanes they would push a button on their steering wheel, depending on if they wish to go right or left, that pops up a transparent heads-up display of the lane next to them. After changing lanes the driver releases the button and the display disappears.

CS Component

Hardware, sensors, software for the display

Title

Smart Carts

Category

Food

Problem

Check out lines at many grocery stores are ridiculous. Wouldn't it be nice to walk up to a register and only need to pay?

Solution

Use a combination of wireless networks and RFID's to track items placed into shopping carts. When the customer pulls up to the register the cashier asks for a payment, the customer obliges, the customer receives their receipt, and take their groceries home.

CS Component

Wireless Network, Grocery Carts, RFID's(smart lables)

Title

Searchable Business Locator

Category

Business

Problem

You are interested in finding a business specializing in something, but you do not know where to start.

Solution

A database of businesses is created which is search-able and can list things in categories. The different places can be rated or reviewed. So if you were interested in ordering some Chinese food in Norfolk, VA, you could simply type the city in, then the word "Chinese". A list would come up with rated and reviewed Chinese restaurants to chose from.

CS Component

website, database of information

Title

Faster Airport Checkin

Category

Travel

Problem

Check in can be time consuming. Checking baggage, going through security, claiming your seat, all take much more time than is necessary.

Solution

Online Baggage check in. Use an online form to input amount of baggage, dimensions of bags, and make processing bags one less step for Airlines. Passanger would only need to use a baggage drop off. Also an online background check could be initiated at the time of ticket purchase in order to bypass some security checks. All these steps in an effort to save time at the airport.

CS Component

Web Server, Barcode scanning(for tracking baggage)

Title

Automobile Intercommunication System

Category

Transportation

Problem

Driving is left to humans, and even as more and more cars are becoming automated, the actual control of the car is left in human hands. Many accidents are caused from human error while driving: getting too close to another car, guessing wrong on the time it will take another car to come through an intersection, and things of the sort.

Solution

Using a registered frequency, automobiles send their current GPS coordinates, as well as movement vector, and size(of vehicle) in a broadcast, while recieving the same information from other cars. This allows the cars to be able to better manage their speed and course in order to avoid collisions with other cars.

CS Component

WiFi communications

Title

Baggage Tracker

Category

Airlines

Problem

Baggage being lost is pretty common problem with people that do a lot of flying.

Solution

Using RFID tags baggage could be more accurately tracked. This would eliminate the inconvenience of lost luggage and also the need for airline employees to transport lost luggage to people's homes.

CS Component

RFID tags, tracking software

Title

Automatic cell phone disabler

Category

Communications

Problem

Driving while using a cell phone has been proven a deadly (or at least costly) distraction on the road. Gatherings such as movies, classrooms, libraries, business meetings have suffered (mostly unintentionally) because of cell phones ringing/making noise.

Solution

Require all cell phones to have bluetooth capability and software that will switch to a mode that blocks incoming/outgoing calls EXCEPT for 911 or calls that have been dialed with "emergency" status. Require vehicles to have bluetooth technology to force cell phones into this mode. Public places can install bluetooth switches at entryways to switch any cell phone off upon entering the room.

CS Component

Bluetooth, wireless sensors, Cell phone software

Title

Computer created songs

Category

Music

Problem

Radios play the same songs everyday and give listeners little deviation from one day to another.

Solution

Use computers to create totally randomized songs.

CS Component

Computers could be used to create a unique song by randomizing length, pitch, speed, beat, notes and any other musical entities.

Title

Appointment Updater

Category

Medical

Problem

Patients have to wait significant amounts of time (a few hours at a local medical facility) before their scheduled appointment because of unplanned circumstances in the doctor's office. Patients lose productivity or recoverability, and the waiting rooms become overcrowded.

Solution

Give medical personnel the ability to indicate the appointment schedule is behind *30 minutes* (or any time increment) and have that message sent to all patients via cell phone or email. If the patient has no cell phone, loan/rent a pager to those patients.

CS Component

Wireless technology (cell phone/pager), email

Title

Restaurant Ordering

Category

Food Services

Problem

Ever want to order food from a particular restaurant or diner but you don't know the number? Or you are worried that they will get the order wrong? What if you could fill out an order form online and email to the restaurant, then you could simply wait a few minutes and go and pick up your meal without worrying about whether they got the order right or not.

Solution

Have an online form on a restaurant's website that could be filled out and emailed to a computer at the restaurant, or even a fax machine in the restaurant that would print out orders. There could be boxes allowing for customization, such as no pickles on a cheeseburger.

CS Component

Internet, html/php coding

Title

Wireless Car alarm

Category

Automobiles

Problem

Car thieves can silently break into your car even when it's locked.

Solution

Install a sensor that detects when a door or window is opened. The sensor can send a signal received by a special keychain that will sound an alarm. For longer range, an attempt to contact a nearby Wireless Router can be made by the sensor, and email and text messages can be sent out, and authorities can be notified.

CS Component

Simple sensors, wifi communication, radio frequency transmission

Title

Energy Efficent Houses

Category

Economy

Problem

A lot of energy is wasted because appliances are left on such as lights, tv, radio, and the heater.

Solution

By having a computer control the electrical components of the house, these features can be automated. They will have sensors and timer so they will shut off automatically and even turned on at a desired time. All of these can be set to manual if the client wishes.

CS Component

Computer will control the electrical components.

Title

Something to do

Category

Life

Problem

Sometimes you just don't know what to do or what there is to do.

Solution

This program will search the web and compile a list of things to do. The program will also be able to "learn" what the user likes and will tailer results. It will also suggest things that are popular among people with similar interests. There will be an option to add friends and see what they plan on doing (if they wish).

CS Component

The program will be a website based application.

Title

Virtual Dressing Room

Category

Retail

Problem

When you go to the store to buy clothes you run into the problem of trying clothes on to make sure they fit, because you may not wear the same size in one store as you do in another. This becomes very frustrating and time consuming, especially if you are in a rush or have your kids with you.

Solution

A virtualy dressing room would eliminate this hassle. You would step into this customer friendly dressing room that would take your measurements, and based on the results, suggest various clothing styles and sizes that would fit you best and what the store has in stock. This would reduce the amount of time and frustation spent deciding which styles will fit you best and eliminate the hassle of trying on two different sizes only to find out that neither one of them fit you the way you want them to and ut that the store may not even have the size that you really need.

CS Component

Database inventory system, sensory/scanning virtual technology, customer kiosk.

Title

Social Network Combiner

Category

Social Activities

Problem

A lot of time is spent logging on and browsing different social networks like MySpace and Facebook.

Solution

This website will log into all your social networks and display your comments, messages, friends, etc as well as let you search all of them at once.

CS Component

Website.

Title

Virtual ER Admitting Center

Category

Health/Medicine

Problem

People dread going to the emergency room. You have to first talk to the nurse in triage, tell her your id information, tell her whats wrong, and then your vitals are taken. You then have to sit there and wait while all your information is put into a database. After that you are asked to go sit in the waiting room to be registered, before they call you back to see the doctor. You are looking at a two to three hour wait every time you go.

Solution

A Virtual ER Admiting CenteR. You enter the ER, step into the next available room, your fingerprint is taken. Your personal identification information, medical records, insurance information is accessed while you tell the virtual nurse the reason for you visit. That information is put in the data base along with your vitals that are taken by this virtual nurse without even touching you. Your situation is rated by the virtual nurse and you are seen based on medical priorty (as it is usally assessed...i.e. bleeding, shortness of breath, life threatning injuries).

CS Component

Virtual interactive software, databases, scanning/sensory software.

Title

Fingerprint Identification (CS300 Paper Topic)

Category

Technology

Problem

Identity Theft has become one of the most talked about problems in the world today. Their life away and given to someone else for malicious use while they are left to pick up the pieces.

Solution

A fingerprint based system that will link their identity, personal information, financial information, bill payment information, criminal record, DMV records,and even insurance information. This will eliminate records that are easily obtained by preditors to steal someones identity.

CS Component

Biometric technology, databases (financial, personal, dmv,etc) linked together.

Title

Portable music request player

Category

Music

Problem

CD's always scratch and files in computers can sometimes become corrupt. The smaller mp3 players of today have not enough space for a descent music collection.

Solution

Provide a device that connects to a wireless server, connection to the server should be a low monthly fee but allow unlimited requests. Allow the listener to request a song by artiest, album, year, song, and/or more. Play it efficiently with out having to store it on the device.

CS Component

Internet, GUI, database

Title

Daily Alarm Clock

Category

Time Management

Problem

Many alarm clocks have an alarm that you can turn on and off. Some allow you to set different alarms for weekends and weekdays. College students don't always have the same schedule everyday. This forces college students to change there alarm clock every time they go to bed because when they get up will very, this is a huge hassle.

Solution

An alarm clock that you can set for weeks at a time with the ability to go off multiple times per day if wanted. Should be able to save a week at a time to make it easy on similar weekly schedules.

CS Component

Clock, user interface.

Title

Online Harddrive

Category

Personal Use

Problem

Many people store a lot of files on a computer which they do not wish to lose. Making backups can be difficult for people who are not used to computers, so if their hard drive crashes they may lose everything.

Solution

An Online Harddrive. People would just have to log onto the site and log into their personal online hard drive which could either be a full harddrive, which works like a virtual drive connected to the computer, or just being an FTP to upload and download files for a backup. There would be multiple servers set up (with backups) to handle the hard drives for the people.

CS Component

Website, servers

Title

Fingerprint Creditcard

Category

Finance

Problem

Using a credit card can be a hastle. they are easily stolen and many places do not ask for an ID when someone uses one, so if someone uses a stolen credit card it would be easy for them to get a way with it.

Solution

Instead of carrying around a card set up fingerprint readers in stores. When you are ready to pay, you put your finger on the reader and your account will be credited.

CS Component

Fingerprint scanner, updating credit card data and stores' points of sale (POS) to work with fingerprints

Title

In the Right or Wrong

Category

Traffic

Problem

When a car accident occurs, sometimes there is a dispute over whether the light is green, yellow, or red when the car crosses the intersection. This information is important because the person that is in the wrong needs to be held responsible.

Solution

Have the car send a signal to a remote site when it senses a collision. The data is then merged with another signal that is sent by the stoplight at that intersection. GPS and tracking of the vehicle is used to discover who is in the wrong.

CS Component

router satellites, computers, and receivers necessary for GPS

Title

Pay Attention

Category

Education

Problem

Teachers do not always get their point across to their students.

Solution

Use facial recognition technology to find the mood of the student. Use this data to compute whether the student understands or is lost. The teacher can then address that student's problem.

CS Component

Camera Computer

Title

Tell the Truth

Category

Relationships

Problem

Match-making sites have a hard time matching people because they embellish what they say about themselves.

Solution

Set up a truth detector that connects with software to help get the correct information about a person using the site.

CS Component

Truth detector Computer

Title

Can you Hear me Now?

Category

Telephone

Problem

In a noisy environment it is very difficult for a person to hear your voice.

Solution

Create a filter to only transfer the person's voice and discard the noise garbage in the background.

CS Component

Software

Title

Automobile Database

Category

Entertainment

Problem

People need to remember to keep or bring their music in their car such as CD's which are easily scratched and ruined and MP3's like an iPod.

Solution

Put a hard drive behind the cars audio player allowing a person to copy music from a CD or iPod to the harddrive to have the music permenatly in the car.

CS Component

Harddrive and Burning software

Title

Hear no Evil

Category

Telephone

Problem

Often times there is a certain someone that you don't want to talk to or call over the phone, but blocking them or ignoring their calls may lead to embarrassment when confronted after the incident.

Solution

Create a type of firewall that when a number is added to the firewall when that person calls your phone appears to them as turned off automatically going straight to your voicemail.

CS Component

Software

Title

Extension to Digital Sheet Music

Category

Music

Problem

Fall '07 had Digital Sheet Music that automatically turned pages. Musicians often mark personal copies of music with notes to themselves, i.e. breathe here, up-bow here, get louder, softer, slow down, eyes on conductor.

Solution

Either make the Digital Sheet Music completely over-writable, or provide multiple layers (like photoshop) or many, many built-in comments that can be added in appropriate places. -Side note: would be useful for other musicians to see the modifications of others/make it easier for first-chair to decide on group decisions.

CS Component

Fall '07s Digital Sheet Music, editing software to modify the scanned document, Digital Library of music capable of storing many many copies of a single document, perhaps only the layers that others modified to conserve space.

Title

Concrete Analyzer

Category

Construction

Problem

Concrete mixtures are notoriously picky in the construction industry - if a Concrete Manager picks the wrong mix for a particular job, it will either decay too fast, not set right, set too fast, or any number of other problems causing weeks or months of delays as a new, more suitable mix is determined.

Solution

Computers can analyze and predict much faster than humans. Create a program that, not only determines the properties of the 'set' concrete given a quantity and list of ingredients, but can predictively adapt, and list variants on the theme that might be superior to what the concrete manager listed. In this way, a concrete manager would only need to 'ballpark' an estimate to succeed at creating a perfect mix, the first time, saving weeks or months in construction delays.

CS Component

Advanced Program familiar with concrete to an incredible degree

Title

Bluetooth - for your TV/Video Games

Category

Entertainment

Problem

Can't find the remote to adjust TV settings, don't feel like getting up from your favorite comfy seat, or want a universal remote for everything.

Solution

Touch-screen bluetooth combination video-game controller AND super-universal remote. With Bluetooth active, remotes will not have to guess at programming, they'll just connect. Works great for a next-next gen console too, since touch-screen can be so versatile.

CS Component

complete GUI, and programming, for a context sensitive touchscreen of indeterminate length/width, bluetooth in every TV/videogame.

Title

Song recognition

Category

entertainment

Problem

you hear a song in a mall or a shopping center and you do not know who sings it, so you cannot purchase the album

Solution

you pull out your cell phone and push record, then a software is used to compare the waves of the song to the large library of songs out there, and it tells you the name of the album so you can go purchase it

CS Component

you connect your cell phone to your computer first,you transfer the song you recorded, then you run the software.

Title

video games exchange

Category

entertainment

Problem

you want to get rid of your video games and get new ones, without necessarily having to buy these new ones.

Solution

you go to a website, you enter the games you want to get rid of, they are matched with people who are looking to acquire them. on the other hand, you are matched with people who already posted the games you want to get.

CS Component

website

Title

Mailbox electronic counter

Category

General

Problem

checkbooks and checks sent by credit card companies can be easily stolen and signature can be forged. credit cards and important documents can also be stolen.

Solution

putting small sensor with an integrated automatic counter, counts how many letters the mailman brought that day. advertisement flyers are not counted,just the letters with your exact name and those living in your house.

CS Component

sensor with integrated letter counter.