Eibling Eye: As Spring Quarter closes, students present Capstone projects

Zinsou Messan explains the group's successes as the camera streams the presentation to a laptop computer.

The next group of tech moguls may be training right now at Columbus State.

As Spring Quarter comes to a close, students across campus are finishing up their Capstone projects. Many majors require students to do a Capstone project, a quarter-long project that brings together all the skills they've learned over two years. One project - that could have real-world, commercial applications - wrapped up May 31 in Electronic Engineering Technologies.

The five-man group was challenged by their professor, Joe Bowman, to create a system to control a security camera wirelessly from a handheld computer such as a PDA. The PDA would have to be able to move the camera as well as receive video. Such a wireless camera system would be easier and cheaper to install than typical security cameras, Bowman said.

The capstone project group included Jason Cochran, Sean Haney, Zinsou Messan, Austin Rampensad and Alex Tillman.

The students started by developing a specification document, and then researched what equipment was available. Cochran said the students chose a high-speed, pan-tilt camera, which they dubbed the "Eibling Eye." The students decided to give the camera an Internet address so they could access it using wireless Internet systems, said Tillman.

Sean Haney holds a dome enclosure for the camera. The group encountered real-world hurdles when suppliers sent the wrong equipment.

The system could be used to monitor highway traffic, watch over convenience stores, or examine manufacturing processes, Tillman said. The domelike camera sat on the table during the presentation, streaming their performance wirelessly to a nearby laptop computer.

In addition to their real-world project, the team faced a number of real-world hurdles. Suppliers sent equipment late, or sent the wrong equipment. The PDA they decided to use had been discontinued, and did not support the proper software. Although the system worked on a laptop, they needed more time to figure out how to control the camera through the PDA.

They did get some good pictures from the PDA, said Messan. The project has a "high likelihood of success," Messan said, and is "highly marketable."

"We had a lot of good brains working together and got a lot of good ideas," Bowman said. "They accomplished a lot, they learned a lot, and they worked hard on it. I practically had to kick them out of the lab during the day."

The students took several routes to get to their major in Electronic Engineering. Tillman said Electronic Engineering has "always been an interest." In the program he's built several interesting devices, including a "distomat" used for measuring distances. Tillman felt his experience at Columbus State will help him find a job after graduation.

Austin Rampensad outlines the group's market research as Jason Cochran looks on.

Haney said he transferred to Columbus State from another college.

"I'm partially disabled, so I had to go through the disabilities office," Haney said. "All the instructors have been really helpful."

Cochran is graduating from Columbus State in June--at the same time he graduates from Westerville South High School. Cochran was home-schooled most of his life, and entered Columbus State's post-econdary options program when he was 16. He picked up an interest in electronics from his dad.

Messan came to Ohio from West Africa. After working for a year to save money, he came to Columbus State.

"Once I got here, my first intention was to go to college," he said. "They make you take a lot of classes, but they pay off."

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