1. EarthLab – Team Continuity Report
Fall 2014
_______________________________________
Team Leader: Kimberly Nguyen
Treasurer: Galust Yesayan
Client Liaison: Sarkis Tarinian
Webmaster: Kenny Lee
Greywater Sub­Team
Leader: Rachel Patron
Rainwater Sub­Team
Leader: Sam Ayrapetyan
RFID Security Sub­Team
Leader: Nareg Hovasapian
iOS Mobile Application Sub­Team
Leader: Alex Jin
Team Member: Brian Choi
Team Member: Jay Yoon
Team Member: Darren Anthony
Team Member: Lusine Petrosyan
______________________________________________________________________________
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Srivinas Sukumar
TA: Robert Wolff
_______________________________________
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2. Table Of Contents
Executive Summary……………...……………...……………....…………...….4
______________________________________________________________________________
Greywater Recycling…….....……...……………...………………..….…....5­10
Project Description…………...……………...………………..…….....…...5
Goals and Challenges...…………...……...…...…...…………………......5­6
Design Structure & Function
I. Concept……...…...….………...….…………..…..…..………7
II. Projected Productivity……..…...……...……...….…..………7
III. Materials…………………...……...………....………...….….7
IV. Waste……...……...…………...………...….………………...8
V. Size, Elevation, and Cost Considerations…………………….8
VI. Prototyping…………………...……...………....…….…...…..9
VII. Process Testing……………...……...………....………...……9
VIII. Cost Analysis……………...……...…………...…………...…9
Future Goals & Task List...……...…………...…………...………………10
Schedule of Tasks……………...…………...…………...………………..10
______________________________________________________________________________
iOS Mobile App………...…………...……...……………...….....................11­12
Project Description…………...……………...………………..…….....….11
Goals and Challenges...…………...…...…...…………………..................11
Code Structure & Function…………...……..………….…...……..…......12
Schedule of Tasks………..…...…………...…………...………………....12
______________________________________________________________________________
Rainwater Catchment System……………...……...……………...…........13­15
Project Description…………...……………...………………..…….....….13
Goals and Challenges...…………...…...…...………..………………........13
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3. Design Structure & Function
I. Concept……...…...….………...….…………..…..…..…..…13
II. Materials…………………...……...………....………...……14
III. Prototyping…………………...……...………....…….……..14
IV. Cost Analysis……………...……...…………...…………14­15
Future Goals…………......……...…………...…………...……………….15
Schedule of Tasks……………...…………...…………...……………......15
______________________________________________________________________________
RFID Security System……………...……...……………….……...…........16­20
Project Description…………...……………...………………..…….....….16
I. Concept Design & Function……...………………..…….....…...….16
II. Cost Analysis………………………………………………………16
III. Materials…………………………………………………………....17
Research and Challenges...………….....…...………..………………..17­18
Future Goals…………......……...…………...…………...……………….19
Schedule of Tasks……………...…………...…………...……………......19
______________________________________________________________________________
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4. Executive Summary
EarthLab is currently a team of thirteen various engineers and computer scientists. The
mission of Earthlab is to provide for greater exposure of STEM projects and careers to the youth
of Millennial Tech Middle (MTM), a middle school that cultivates the science, technology,
engineering and mathematics skills necessary for students to become global leaders and
productive citizens in their chosen career path. The EarthLab Team is sustained through the
Global TIES program at UC San Diego.
EarthLab is divided into four sub­teams:
Greywater Recycling led by Rachel Patron;
Rainwater Catchment led by Sam Aryapetyan; RFID Security led by Nareg Hovasapian; and iOS
Mobile App led by Alex Jin. Each of these projects are carefully designed to instill STEM
fundamentals in a fun and interactive way such that students are engaged and interested.
Meanwhile, the projects themselves have potential toward becoming life­sized,
sustainable
development systems that would alleviate MTM’s electricity bills, make effective use of MTM’s
4 acre land, and reduce the footprint of the school as a whole. Another Global TIES Team, K­12,
will be working on the lecture guidelines for the educational component of our designs.
The Greywater sub­team
concentrates on the development and testing of a solar filtration
system. The objective is to teach students about the water cycle – precipitation, evaporation, and
condensation! A proposed solution to do so is to have students design their own “prototypes” of
the solar filter design using cardboard and aluminum foil to catch water, harness solar energy,
and evaporate the water all under less than an hour. The cardboard and aluminum foil models
can distill up to a liter of water a day!
The Rainwater Catchment sub­team
is focused on the development of a series of
rainwater catchment systems to demonstrate to students the effects of pressure, velocity, and
shape on the flow rate and re­directing
of water. The prototype is meant to expose students to the
idea of geometry, flow rates, and a simple, everyday useful design.
Last year, the iOS Mobile Application team allowed students, teachers, and community
members to access a customized EarthLab application through strategically placed QR codes that
linked directly to an ever growing database. This year, the team is aiming to expand the project
with additional features! One such feature is a database that keeps record of how often and when
students scan certain QR codes. The feature may be useful to incorporate in a class when the
teacher is having the students out on a field trip around EarthLab.
Last, but definitely not least, the RFID Security Team stumbled upon some very
interesting technology! The incorporation of radio­frequency
identification (RFID) may well
become an invaluable asset to the EarthLab Learning Center. Using innovative radio technology,
the Team intends to strategically place the identification within certain objects, such as expensive
solar panels ot plants, to prevent theft and maintain security around the Learning Center.
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5. Greywater Recycling
Project Description
With the current drought and limited freshwater sources, one of the problems presented to the
Earthlab team is the need to teach students about the importance of water conservation and filtration. A
system of greywater recycling was suggested by the client so our team decided to develop the concept
further.
As the inaugural quarter of the Greywater Recycling sub­team,
the first half of the term was
invested in researching how greywater recycling worked, what it could be used for, and which filtration
methods were actually plausible. The end goal of this quarter was to synthesize an easily
understandable filtration design that would serve as a teaching module for the educators and students of
Millennial Tech Middle.
We hope that with the completion of this project Earthlab will sustain some of its horticulture
on recycled water from the school and inspire the next generation to take on the necessary challenge of
clean water alternatives.
This Quarter’s Goals and Challenges
The main focus of these 10 weeks was to synthesize a way Greywater could be used as a
teaching module. Because the mission of Earthlab is to provide a learning space for school children, we
recognized that kids would learn more from a visible demonstration rather than an underground piping
system, so aboveground is the landscape of our design.
The team brainstormed several solutions, including the biofilter, sand filter, and the settling
filter. The biofilter however was too difficult to teach and expensive to possess and the sand filter and
settling filter were neither substantial nor clearly understood enough to be designed as a learning
module. After deliberation of numerous systems, the team eventually decided on the idea to design a
solar shed.
Although distilled water is not the best water to use on plants, it is nonetheless severely more
safe for children and better for plants than hyper­mineralised
unfiltered water gathered from sinks and
kitchens. In addition, the uses of distilled water are numerous, while there are little to no uses for
hyper­mineralised
unfiltered water.
Now – while the full piping system from on­site
water sources would be an impressive feat for
undergraduate engineers, this portion of the project should be saved for after the prototyping process
and is likely better done by certified engineers and technicians. The structure that we came up with has
four walls and a 45 degree angled roof. It is lined at the bottom with a removable bioadhesive material
that will catch harmful bacteria and waste. Painted black to accumulate heat in its system, the shed will
warm the water that enters to evaporation. The vapor condenses at the roof which is angled in order to
direct the water into gutters that lead the water to clean water storage containers. This water will be
usable for any Earthlab needs. Distilled water is the number one water to use for cleaning. It is not as
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6. good as spring or well water in terms of irrigation, but is better than its tap alternative. Waste will be
easily disposed of when the shed dries and the inner lining of the shed can be removed and cleaned.
The main challenges from this quarter is in finding optimal method of filtration of greywater
and makingup for the limitations of distilled water. Greywater is water that is considered lightly used
and may come from washing food or washing hands. When the water is filtered in our method, it is
considered distilled water. Distilled water is good for many things and is often used for industrial and
experimental purposes. However, the deoxygenation of this water and lack of minerals makes it hard
for the water to support life which makes it good for cleaning. In order to make this water optimal for
watering plants, this water must be treated by oxygenation and mineralization. We hope that the
Greywater Recycling team in the following quarters will address this issue.
Design Structure & Function
I. Design Concept
The ­Solar
Filter (GRSF) system works by
harnessing solar energy to heat up the dirty water
below, causing clean water to rise and adhere to the
aluminum ceiling. The angled ceiling then allows
for the clean, distilled droplets to run along the
ceiling and collect in the gutters. The GRSF system
is a 3 unit system that allows dirty water to travel
through a PVC pipe into a dirty water storage tank
that then funnels the water into the solar filter shed.
The solar shed then distills it into a clean storage
tank – ready for use.
Source: samsamwater.com
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7. II. Projected Productivity
In order to develop an equation for the production rate of clean water out of our system,
several variables related to the rate of evaporation must be considered. The evaporation of water
from a water surface depends on the temperature in the water and the temperature in the air as
well as the humidity and velocity of the air above the water’s surface. The equation that relates
these variables is: , where represents the evaporation rate gh = Θ A (xs — x) gh per hour, while
Θ, A , xs , and x stand for the evaporation coefficient, surface area of the water surface,
humidity ratio in saturated air at the given air temperature, and the humidity ratio in the present
air, respectively. An important detail to note is that humidity is most relevantly expressed as kg
H₂O / kg air.
This equation will be now be evaluated to apply to our watershed. The evaporation coefficient
for water is empirically defined as Θ = (25 + 19 v) , where v is the velocity of the air above the
tank. Since our water supply will be in a tank, v is projected to be zero, meaning that our evaporation
coefficient equals 25 kg/m2h . Our surface area will be 254 sq. feet which converts to 23.60 m². In order
to calculate the humidity ratio in saturated air we must determine the temperature of the air in the tank.
Considering the average temperature of San Diego, we will estimate the average temperature inside the
tank to be about 20℃, and the saturation humidity ratio at this temperature would be xs = 0.014659. A
common relative humidity for the air above a pool of water is 50% humidity, which leads to a humidity
ratio of x = 0.0098. These values lead to an evaporation rate of 2.87 kg H₂O / hr. Taking the molecular
mass of water to be 18.02 g/mol, and the standard conversion from grams to liquids of gases is 22.4
mol/L, the calculations lead to 166 liters / day without factoring in the existence of aluminum, which
would consistently increase or sustain the temperature inside the tank.
This evaporated H₂O will condense and accumulate onto the roof and then fall down the slope
and collect into the clean water storage. This a rough estimate made without the knowledge of the
specific average temperature or relative humidity inside the tank. In reality, the temperature will likely
be greater than 20℃ because of aluminum’s outstanding thermal conductivity, which will help
productivity. Also, the relative humidity will likely be greater than 50% because of our system’s
isolation to the atmosphere, which will decrease the evaporation rate. Further testing is needed to
confirm the productivity of this system.
Source: engineeringtoolbox.com
III. Materials
Materials chosen were in consideration of water’s most efficient rate of evaporation. Water
evaporates faster at higher temperatures, so conducting material of a high thermal conductivity constant
was chosen to line the inside of the shed. Aluminum is a strong conductor of heat meaning it will
efficiently absorb whatever heat it is exposed to and directly conduct that heat into the tank of water,
thus speeding up the evaporation process and creating a greater yield of clean water.
Thermal conductivity is a measure of how quickly a material converts energy into a
temperature. Aluminum has a thermal conductivity constant of about 220 W/m­K
making it a viable yet
inexpensive material for absorbing the heat inside inside the shed and directly conducting it into the
water supply.
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8. IV. Waste
In order to provide for a simple and safe waste management system, we will use a
negatively­charged
plastic with waterproof lining to plate the bottom half of the watershed, where the
water that is about to be filtered sits. Negatively charged
plastic with waterproof lining is heat­resistant,
waterproof
to prevent mold, and adheres biological organisms to
prevent any traveling up the 72 inch wall and into the
clean water exit. The projected plan is to line floor of the
filtration system and 36 inches of the walls with a
biologically adhesive, heat resistant, removable, reusable
plastic similar to the plastic of petri dishes. This negatively
charged plastic will attract biological agents such as cells
and bacteria and will make it easier to remove and disinfect the waste from the greywater. Essentially,
this plastic would be a tray with water resistant lining on the sides to stop water from seeping around
the bin. This tray would be cheap and easily replaceable and facilitate a biological teaching component.
V. Source: clker.com
VI. Size, Elevation, and Cost Considerations
The final structure will be 6x6 ft at its base and vary diagonally from 6 to 12 ft at its height. 304
sq ft of plywood frame and gutter will be required as well as 254 sq ft of aluminum sheet interior. This
provides for 254 square feet of external sun­facing
surface area as well as 254 square feet of interior
insulation. Aluminum sheeting, through a cost­benefit
analysis, is the best material to use of its
competitors (glass and steel) because
of its simultaneous higher thermal
conductivity constant and significantly
lower cost.
The size indeed may be
adjusted, since the current calculations
provide for 2.87 kg H₂O / hr – that is
24 liters per day. Should less water be
desired for filtration, adjustments for
size decrease can be made. Decreasing
size would linearly decrease cost of
the structure. Due to the linear nature,
calculations between cost, size, and
flow rate are simple and easy. See
Projected Productivity for more
details.
In addition, the structure
works most efficiently if on a slope, so that gravity may be harnessed to coordinate the flow of water
rather than installing a costly and complicated pump system.
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9. VI. Prototyping
The GR­SF
Solar Filter Prototype is made out of easy and accessible materials: cardboard, aluminum,
and masking tape. With the life­sized
box section of the Solar
Filter designed to be 6ft x 6ft x 6ft, the box section of the
prototype Solar Filter is 1/18th of that size, sitting at 4in x 4in x
4in. With the cardboard and aluminum prototype, we tried to
obtain an answer to whether the solar filter worked on a
small­scale.
With the CAD model prototype, we are hoping
investigate how the client responds to the Solar Filter and
whether it is a structure the Client could envision on their
property.
VII. Process Testing
We waterproofed and insulated the inside of the cardboard with aluminum and tape so that we
could attempt a small­scale
solar filtration. Together all of
us tested the model and found that about a cup of water was
distilled through a 1/18th scaled down prototype model. The
testing took place on the 2nd floor deck of Geisel Library on
an overcast Sunday, with the gutter water exiting into a cup
that was held down by a ~ .5”x.5” pebble inside. The cup was
filled to the brim. Discounting the volume of the pebble, we
have ~ 1 cup of distilled water. Indeed, even on a small scale
the solar filter is able to distill water a cup of water on such
an overcast day.
VIII. Cost Analysis
Actual Structure Qty Unit of Issue Cost Tax Total (Prototype) Total (Actual)
Sanded Plywood 10 SH $28.32 .07 $303.02
Aluminum Sheet 30 SH $21.98 .07 $705.56
Black Paint 1 CN $30.98 .07 $33.15
Petri Dishes 3 BG (20 pk) $5.95 .07 $19.10
Waterproof Lining 15 EA $7.67 .07 $123.10
Aluminum Foil 1 BX $1.99 .07 $2.13
Cardboard 1 BX $2.12 .07 $2.27
$ 4.40 $ 1183.93*
*Well within Budget
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10. Future Goals
Incorporation into MTM: After the finalization of the filtration system, the next step
would be the piping system that would incorporate the water sources from Millennial Tech
Middle School and transport said water to Earthlab. We have identified that drinking fountains,
bathroom sinks, and the kitchen are plausible sources of Greywater that do not contain harsh
chemicals or unfilterable waste. The final blueprint of the piping system will be a goal for future
Greywater Recycling teams.
Treatment of Water for Plant Use: The distilled water is good for cleaning and can be
used for dishes, pavement, and outdoor equipment. However, as discussed in the challenges for
this quarter, a future goal for the Greywater Recycling team would be to make this water liveable
should the clients want this water for watering the plants on Earthlab. The water needs to be
oxygenated and mineralized as well as pH’d. This can be accomplished through maintenance
systems found in aquariums but further research is necessary and other methods should be
explored.
Educational Component: The Greywater Recycling team is excited about the possible
curriculum that could be developed for the filtration shed. We hope that the next Greywater
Recycling team will design an LED display for the shed that will provide figures for the students
on how much water is filtered, the inside temperature of the shed, and other measurements that
are useful to the curriculum developed by the K­12
Global TIES team. We plan to communicate
with the K­12
Global TIES team to collaborate on the content of this display.
Task List:
• Obtain water sources. Rainwater Catchment and School Kitchen are viable sources.
• Design pump / piping system from alternative water sources.
• Find out if water must be used for watering plants.
• If water must be used for other than washing, explore water treatment options.
• Communicate with K­12
team to develop teaching modules.
Schedule of Tasks
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11. iOS Mobile App
Project Description
Technology is growing exponentially, and one of the areas that is growing even faster is the
mobile technology industry. As the result, there are constant updates and changes required in order to
fully utilize the technology. By taking advantage of our expertise in the Computer Science, we have
dedicated ourselves last year and have developed an IOS application that will help boost learning
experience of the young future scientists that visit Earthlab. This year, we have decided to extend our
application and add more features that will bring benefits to students, teachers, and the managers of
Earthlab.
Goals and Challenges
I. Last Quarter
The application developed last year scans a QR code and displays information of the object
related to each unique code by connecting to the Earthlab website. The coding language was written in
Object C, which had been the main programming language for devices running under iOS.
II. This Quarter
This year, we have decided to extend this feature and add another feature that will keep track of
all the scans made in Earthlab for each visitor. The feature will allow students to review what they have
seen during the trip at Earthlab and allow them to reflect on what they have learned throughout the day.
Teachers may evaluate the statistics of QR visits and further enhance the learning experience by
teaching materials that students are most interested in. Also, the feature will allow managers of
Earthlab to decide what kind of projects they need to expand on by giving them statistical data that
shows what students are interested in.
Changes were also made in the back­end
– a new language called Swift has emerged recently in
an effort by Apple to make IOS programming easier and faster. To take advantage of the new features
of Swift, we have decided to convert our existing code from Object C to Swift. The switch will allow
us to have bigger scope of the application, speed up the execution time of the application, and allow for
more potential on what new features could be added into the application.
III. Next Quarter
The main challenge to face in the project is the novelty of Swift and the database logistics.
Since Swift is a new language, we are not very familiar with the syntax. There is a learning curve that
we need to overcome as a team in order to convert our code to Swift. The other challenge is to finding a
host to implement a database that will be used to keep record of the number of scans. This can easily be
solved once we find a free website that hosts databases.
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12. Code Structure & Function
Although it has its benefits, Objective C is a slow language. The main reason for this is
that Objective C guarantees every method to be dynamically dispatched. Since there are no static
dispatched at all, it makes it impossible to optimize the program using Objective C. Swift, on the
other hand, allows static optimization, which increases the speed of the program around 40
percent compared to the one that is written in Objective C.
Schedule of Tasks
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13. Rainwater Catchment
Project Description
Rainwater catchment, or harvesting, is the gathering and reusing of rainwater for specific on­site
locations instead of allowing it to runoff. One of the advantages of rainwater catchment is having
water during droughts and being able to control where the water goes. The Earthlab team is
working on creating a system/prototype that will successfully collect rainwater and store it in
bins located in Earthlab. After the rainwater is successfully collected, our Rainwater Catchment
team is planning on distributing the collected rainwater from the storage bins to the nearby
creek/wildlife area to maintain the necessary wetland.
Quarter’s Goals and Challenges
For the Rainwater Catchment team, this quarter was mainly spent researching and brainstorming.
This was the first quarter of the team’s project therefore we had to spend a lot of time learning
about different ways to harvest rainwater, the variety of materials that could be used, and the
ways to store the collected rainwater. The final goal for this quarter was to create a working
prototype of our designed system and to have an educational plan associated with our project that
can be taught to the students of Millennial Tech Middle School who visit Earthlab.
Design Structure & Function
I. Concept
Through research and intuition, our Rainwater team decided to go through with a simple
yet effective design for our needs. Our design incorporates a slanted roof design where the water
trickles down and meets in the middle to be further guided through a gutter and into a rainwater
bin. The design allows for sunlight to enter the interior without any lighting, especially in the
winter, and shade for those hot summer days.
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14. II. Materials
The material ingredients needed for our design were made feasible and basic, due to the
simplistic nature of our project design.
Materials were selected in consideration with So­Cal
weather conditions and limited
rainfall, in other words, non­severe
weather conditions.
Our first piece of hardware is the “Catch­a­Raindrop”
PVC plastic made for durability
and designed to filter out debris in rainwater collection systems. The system can easily connect a
garden house directly to water plants, which is highly advantageous for its purpose in Earthlab.
The next requested material is the 10ft. White Traditional Vinyl Gutter. The gutter is
lightweight and easy to install. Because it has a high­capacity,
it channels water easier and
prevents garden erosion and foundation damage. The vinyl coating resists rusting and corrosion,
so it will remain aesthetically pleasing in Earthlab.
The last piece of our design is a 5ft. Classic Rib Steel Roof Panel in Galvalume. Simply,
this piece will guide the rainwater through its grooves to the gutter where it will be dispensed
into a bin. The roof panel withstands severe weather conditions including high winds and
fire­advantages
and is virtually maintenance free and resistance to mildew or rotting.
III. Prototype
To visually illustrate our team’s design, we constructed a small prototype made out of
purely cardboard, tape, and a flask filler. After testing it out, the cardboard as one would imagine
would get wet and lose much of its chemical
properties, so we plan to show it off by putting
aluminum all over the surface for demonstration
purposes.
By cutting up a small packaged box, we used a
part of it for the base(representing the shipping
container) and the other part for the slanted roof
design. The flask filler was used as the gutter, to catch
the water as it ran down the valley of the slant.
IV. Cost Analysis
As you can see from the table below, we are
well within budget and should have no problem
purchasing any of the items needed for the system. All
items on the list should be purchased from Home
Depot. Later on, as we detail our design, we might
need to purchase some 2x4s and such, but that should
not affect the cost significantly.
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15. Category Item Description Item Shipping Total
Hardware Amerimax Home Products
Catch­a­Raindrop
6.85x(4) $0.00 $30.00
Hardware 10ft White Traditional Vinyl
Gutter
3.98x(5) $0.00 $22.00
Hardware 5ft Classic Rib Steel Roof Panel
in Galvalume
13.98x(3) $0.00 $44.00
Other Expenses $0.00 $0.00 $0.00
Total $96.00
Future Goals
In the next few quarters, the Rainwater Catchment team’s main goals will be to create a
better prototype, purchase the materials needed for the system, and finally build the actual
system in Earthlab. The current prototype of the system that we have is made with simple
materials, such as cardboard, and is acceptable in order to present the main purpose and goal of
our project. However in the future, we hope to have a prototype made with materials similar to
the actual system we are designing in order to have a much more accurate representation.
We hope to present and get feedback for that prototype along with a list of a few
educational lessons that can be taught to the students when they visit Earthlab. Once the
prototype is approved, our next steps will be to purchase the materials needed to start building
the rainwater catchment system. Hopefully by the end of the school year or beginning of
summer, or team or any future team will have approval to start building the system in Earthlab.
Schedule of Tasks
15

16. Radio­Frequency
Identification Security
Project Description
I. Concept
EarthLab is a 4­acre
open space parcel that the San Diego community seeks to use as an
outdoor learning facility for students. Through EarthLab, our sub­team
is working on using Radio
Frequency Identification to transfer data through electromagnetic fields and track tags attached to
certain objects.
The concept for our team project was first introduced through using the ADA pathway. The
ADA pathway at EarthLab was originally going to be used as an pathway where students can interact
with the facility and learn. Through research and group meetings the project slowly transformed to
using RFID technology to not only secure the EarthLab facility but also serve as an educational project.
RFID is an acronym for Radio­frequency
identification. RFID is used to transfer data through
electromagnetic fields and tracking tags attached to certain objects. These “tags” contain electronically
stored information. Our primary goal using RF technology is to program chips, connect them to
expensive material on the facility, and sync them with nearby sensors to be tracked.
II. Cost Analysis
Actual Structure Qty Cost Tax Total Cost
Arduino UNO R3
board
1 $26.25 .07 $28.09
SMAKN 315Mhz Rf
Transmitter
5 $6.99 .07 $37.40
2pcs nRF24L01+
2.4GHz Wireless
Transceiver
5 6.98 .07 $37.34
Leviton WST05­10
LevNet RF Threaded
Mount 3­Wire
500
Relay Receiver
1 $55.78 .07 $59.68
Total: $162.51
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17. III. Materials
Arduino UNO R3 board
SMAKN 315Mhz Rf Transmitter
nRF24L01+ 2.4GHz Wireless Transceiver
Leviton WST05­10
LevNet RF Threaded
Mount 3­Wire
500 Relay Receiver
Quarter Research and Challenges
Our primary goal using RF technology was to program chips to play prerecorded messages that
give information about different areas of EarthLab. For research we first thought about all the other
ways we can implement the RFID technology to be used at EarthLab.
Our Research:
I. ADA Pathway: The first use we first thought of was to have play prerecorded messages that
give information about different areas of Earth Lab whenever students holding a RFID tag go
near one of our sensors. The pre­recorded
messages would be educational and help students
learn more about a particular plant, activity, or event at the facility.
II. Social Photobooth: Another use that we have thought that may incorporate the Radio
Frequency technology would be a type of social booth where users who take pictures at the
booth at the ADA interactive path will use NFC and RFID technology to post photos you take
onto your facebook or twitter.
17

18. III. Display Clock: Another idea we developed would be having a display clock at the EarthLab
site. The display clock would another unique way students can learn more about the RFID
technology visually. Students visiting the site holding RFID tags can walk up to our clock and
change the color of the display, according to what RFID tags they were given.
IV. Security: As the most flexible auto­identification
technology, RFID can be used to track and
monitor the physical world automatically and with accuracy. RFID can tell you what an object
is, where it is, and even its condition its in. RFID sensor technology can sure as an integral part
of making sure the EarthLab facility is safe and secure. RFID may have many uses like
protecting plants from being stolen at the Earth Lab site. Cactus thieves get about $500­$
5000
per cactus and been a recent issue in Los Angeles. RFID tags can serve as a deterrent to the
thieves. The RFID tags can be read by sensors about a foot away and if one is taken from its
location, it can alert and reveal the location through the chips GPS.
Our Conclusions:
After speaking with both the EarthLab team and our colleagues we decided the RFID security
system would be our goal to complete. Our biggest challenge right now would be to obtain the
necessary information about how RFID systems work and interact with sensors. We hope to overcome
this challenge by first researching, planning, and speaking to our Advisor’s colleague Michael who
owns a lab in Pacific Beach.
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19. Future Goals
Prototype: After using this quarter for research and planning, we will dedicate most of
next quarter for prototyping and building. The hardest part of a project is research, getting the
ideas down, and deciding what to do/build. Since we did that this quarter, we have ample amount
of time to put those ideas into an actual prototype. We have a wide budget in which we can use
to buy all the equipment that would provide the best security for Earthlab.
The Use of Outside Sources/ UCSD Alumni: Michael was a member of the Earthlab
team that graduated UCSD recently. We have met Michael during our trip to visit the Earthlab
site. What we have learned about Michael is that he has a workshop in which we can use to make
the prototype. Both Dr. Sukumar (our faculty advisor) and Robert (our T.A) suggested we get in
contact with Michael because of his workshop, and more importantly, his ability to work with his
hands. He is very educated with what we are planning to work on, therefore he is a great resource
to take advantage of. It would be a great way to get started, and use Michael’s expertise to point
us into the right direction.
Education: Besides building and working on projects for the Earthlab site, we are
concentrating highly on the educational aspect of our sub­team
project. Besides being a
community center, Earthlab, is a site that is also a school. It consists of students that range from
grades 6­8.
We think that with our project, we can excite students about science and engineering.
We will be working with Ardiuno Uno, transmitters, receivers, base stations, sensors, gps, etc.
There are many new things that we are learning ourselves, therefore, we want to come up with
ways in which we can teach the students of how things work.
Schedule of Tasks
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20. Acknowledgements
Srinivas Sukumar ­Advisor
and Project Manager
Joanna ­Earthlab
Contact
______________________________________________________________________________
Team Contact Information
Srinivas Sukumar ­­Faculty
Adviser
Phone: #1­858­603­0510
Email: ssukumar@soe.ucsd.edu
Robert Wolff ­­Teaching
Assistant
Phone: #1­619­931­4558
Email: rdwolff@ucsd.edu
Kimberly Nguyen ­­Fall
2014 Team Lead
Phone: #1­619­808­8974
Email: mgooch@ucsd.edu
______________________________________________________________________________
Client Contact Information
Leslie Reynolds ­­Earthlab
Contact
Phone: #1­619­543­0430
Email: leslie­reynolds@
att.net
Nicole Hersch
Earthlab Manager
Groundwork San Diego ­Chollas
Creek
Phone: (619) 543­0430
Email: nicole@groundworksandiego.org
_______________________________________
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