CSULB's 'Team EAT' Project is the only North American Design to Make it to Microsoft Imagine Cup Finals

Team EAT, a group of four students from California State University, Long Beach's (CSULB) Embedded Applications Technology (EAT) club, and its once senior class project is now the only North American design to advance to the finals in the Embedded Development Competition at the Microsoft Imagine Cup competition that takes place July 3-8 in Paris. Called the Automated Power Cycling Network (APCN), an event to celebrate and demonstrate the design for the media and the public will take place on campus June 30 at 3 p.m. in ECS building, room 105.

If Team EAT's vision comes true and its prototype is developed for consumer use, the near future will include homes that think sustainability, that use embedded technology to automatically monitor the power consumption of all appliances to determine which devices should be cycled off to conserve energy during peak usage hours.

Team EAT consists of: Juan Gutierrez, a computer science and computer engineering major; Frederick Camba, computer science; Nicolas Tisa-Leonard, computer engineering; and Walter Guevara, computer science. Besides international recognition for the competitors' inventions, the Microsoft Imagine Cup awards winners $15,000 for first place, $10,000 for second place, and $5,000 for third.

"There is a lot of pressure, but we are proud and honored to represent our country in this international competition. We are also very thankful for all the support that the dean of the college of engineering [Dr. Forouzan Golshani], that Cal State Long Beach, and that student organizations have given us," said Gutierrez. "We believe this will be an essential technology in the future. Homeowners have been able to control their appliances for years from a central control unit. However, allowing the computer to help homeowners decide which appliances to turn off and on to save energy does not exist. Our project really brings home automation and power automated conservation together."

Team EAT's APCN design uses embedded technology to help conserve energy autonomously. Using a network of power metering and control units (called responders) that are connected to appliances within a home, the system monitors the power consumption of all appliances and automatically determines which should be turned off during peak hours, such as in the early afternoon. The design will be controlled by a central eBox running Windows CE. The eBox will gather all the information, such as the power consumption level, and then determine which non-essential devices can be cycled off.

"All the technology, for the most part, exists separately. But we've put it together. We're measuring the power consumption, which existing hardware can already do. We've combined that with a timer that is used for setting when the power should go on, which also already exists," said Tisa-Leonard. "By just plugging our idea into a wall outlet, this technology will be able to monitor how power is being used, then automatically turn off unnecessary devices to save energy."

APCN-type devices will also enable consumers to monitor and turn off all their appliances, such as the more dangerous devices like a left-on iron or space heater, remotely from a computer at work or a mobile phone. In addition, since the technology will monitor devices at the power source, appliances that continue to draw energy when turned off, such as mobile phone chargers and televisions, will no longer be a power drain.

"Our project would also be great for recycling appliances like a refrigerator on and off. Whether it's a fridge that is not opened for eight hours while you're at work, or an older fridge in the garage that doesn't get opened for days at a time, they still turn on more than they need to to remain cold," said Tisa-Leonard.

As a campus club, EAT's main focus is the design of devices that require dedicated computers or microprocessors to accomplish their tasks. EAT began as a group of interested computer engineering students brought together to design, build and program a microprocessor-controlled device for entry in the 2000 IEEE Computer Society's International Design Competition. Of the 50 teams competing, EAT's project was one of only three U.S. teams to finish in the top 20. In 2006 EAT's entry "Swarm Cast" was one of only three teams in the nation to make it to the world finals. In 2005, EAT was recognized as an official CSULB club, and is currently working toward a charter, with hopes of gaining the support of other chapters from universities nationwide.

"EAT was started to bring together students in the department's embedded systems track to participate in competitions as a method to actually use the technologies being taught in class. Over the past six years the EAT club has entered five competitions making it to the regional [U.S.] finals twice and to the world finals twice," said Bob Ward, a CSULB engineering lecturer who has been a driving force behind EAT.

The APCN project started as the four students' senior project, according to Gutierrez. The senior project is designed to teach students what it takes to launch and complete an entire engineering product design from the initial idea and research stage, to the actual design and construction. Each student graduating from the embedded systems track in the Computer Engineering and Computer Science Department must fulfill their senior project requirement by taking six units, or two courses over two consecutive semesters.

"We were researching an idea and our professor [Ward] said 'Why not create a project that can manage home energy, one that will help control costs and give homes the intelligence to manage energy consumption,'" said Gutierrez. "So that's what we did and what a success it has been so far."

The Microsoft Imagine Cup provides Ward's students an obtainable yet challenging goal to reach for.

"I encourage the students to direct their project towards the Microsoft Imagine Cup competition," said Ward. "Team EAT's entry did start out as a senior project, but as time progressed and their concept became more real, their involvement became a more dominate factor in their lives. To work on a project that makes it to the finals of any international competition requires a team that works well together and is extremely dedicated to the project. Team EAT is made up of four very competent individuals who are driven to learn more about their chosen field."

Visit http://verteksolutions.com to follow Team EAT's progress during the Microsoft Imagine Cup finals.