Course Meeting Times
Lectures: 1 session / week, 3 hours / session
Course Goals
The overall goal of this course is for students to attain a broad familiarity with many different sensors useful in a broad definition of “HCI” (Human-Computer Interaction)
- Develop judgment of what sensors and modalities are appropriate for different applications
- Know how to electronically condition the sensor, hook it up to a microcomputer, and process the signal (at least basically)
- Have some idea of how/where these sensors were used before
- Have a reasonable idea of how different sensors work
- Develop a sense for recognizing bad data and an intuition of how to resolve problems
Textbooks
Fraden, J. Handbook of Modern Sensors: Physics, Designs, and Applications. 4th ed. Springer, 2010. ISBN: 9781441964656. [Preview with Google Books] (3rd edition also OK)
Horowitz, P., and W. Hill. The Art of Electronics. 2nd ed. Cambridge University Press, 1989. ISBN: 9780521370950.
Readings in these books will be complemented by auxiliary references in other books, magazines, and Websites.
Coursework and Grading
This course combines lecture and lab-based instruction. Students are required to complete several problem sets and labs, and a project due at the end of the term with a final report and in-class presentation.
Grading
| ACTIVITIES | PERCENTAGES |
|---|---|
| Problem sets | 30% |
| Final project | 30% |
| Lab performance | 30% |
| Attendance, participation and reading | 10% |
Calendar
| SES # | TOPICS | POSTED ASSIGNMENTS | DUE ASSIGNMENTS |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Introduction: Electronics | PS1, L1 (optional) | |
| 2 | Introduction: Electronics (cont.) | L2 | PS1, L1 (optional) |
| 3 | Introduction: Electronics (cont.) | PS2 | L2 |
| 4 | Pressure, Force | PS3 | |
| 5 | Pressure, Strain, & Piezoelectrics | PS3 | PS2 |
| 6 | Electric Field and Capacitive Sensing | L3 | PS3 |
| 7 | Capacitive Applications & Magnetic Sensing | PS/L4 | L3 |
| 8 | Inertial Sensing | PS/L4 | |
| 9 | Optical Sensing | Project proposal due | |
| 10 | Acoustic and Thermal Sensing | ||
| 11 | Digital Sensor Processing and Modules | ||
| 12 | RF and Acoustic Coherent Sensing, Bioelectric Sensing & Related Topics | ||
| 13 | Final Project Presentations |
