Denver Signal Processing Chapter announced the winner of 2010 Senior Project Funding Competition

Starting from 2008, the Denver Signal Processing Society Chapter created a competitive funding opportunity for undergraduate electrical engineering majors working on their senior projects.

Seven universities in the Denver Section were invited to participate in the competition. They are Colorado School of Mines, South Dakota School of Mines & Technology, University of Colorado (Boulder), University of Colorado (Denver), University of Denver, and University of Wyoming. Recently, they announced the 2010 winner: Jonathon Cox, from Colorado State University, for his project on TUX 2, A Balancing Wheelchair. The Tux project is an attempt to solve the common problem of mobility for paraplegic and quadriplegic people by designing a new and innovative wheelchair. The new design uses inexpensive parts and sensors to allow the base to only require two wheels, similar to a Segway Personal Transporter. Because only two wheels are necessary and the wheelchair is actively stabilized, the base can be substantially reduced in size and the maneuverability therefore greatly improved. Another benefit of the design is the ability to let the passenger ride in a standing position supported by a restraint system. This solves one of the biggest complaints of wheelchair bound people which is the inability to make eye to eye contact during a conversation. Click here for more details about the Senior Project Funding Competition.