This is the official description of my GSoC Project

Project Title: Plugins for ExpEYES – An Open Source Portable Science Lab

Mentor Organization: FOSSASIA

Assigned mentors: Phuc Hau, Hong Phuc

Short description: ExpEYES ( Experiments for Young Engineers and Scientists) is an Open Hardware and Free Software framework for developing science experiments and classroom demonstrations. This project will work on developing a set of plug-ins for ExpEYES. These plug-ins with GUI’s will enhance the scope of ExpEYES for using it to perform several experiments in mechanics, sound and waves. Project will also focus on adding features for using acoustic and motion sensors for various science experiments.

Additional info: http://expeyes.in/

ExpEYES ( Experiments for Young Engineers and Scientists) is an Open Hardware and Free Software framework for developing science experiments, classroom demonstrations and projects. It also functions as a test equipment for electronics hobbyists and engineering students.

ExpEYES is portable, expandable and affordable, supporting wide range of experiments from high school to post graduate level.  It combines the real-time measurement capability of micro-controllers with the ease and flexibility  of Python programming language for data analysis and visualization.

With the objectives of developing  affordable laboratory equipment and training science  teachers, ExpEYES  is from the PHOENIX ((Physics with Home-made Equipment and Innovative Experiments)  project of Inter-University Accelerator Centre, New Delhi.   It converts your PC into a portable science laboratory.

The GUI programs are available for various experiments. This project will work on developing a set of plug-ins  for  ExpEYES.  These plug-ins with GUI’s will enhance the scope of ExpEYES for using it to perform several experiments in mechanics, sound  and waves.   Project will also focus on adding features for using acoustic and motion sensors for various science experiments.

The main intention behind this project is to provide students  an affordable hands-on experience which will give them a deeper understanding of graphing and interpreting motion graphs.  The ability to capture real-time graphs offers the important benefit for students to better visualize the associated phenomena and develop a deeper understanding of it.

Python modules like Scipy, Matplotlib and Tkinter will be used.

Details of plugins to be developed

Plugins for Motion Graphs (Mechanics Experiments)

These plugins will focus on providing a graphing app, which can engage students with a hands-on experience that is centered on various aspects of motion. With the use of motion sensor and photo-gates,  ExpEYES can be used to accurately measure position, velocity, and acceleration of a target. The data can be collected in real time and various motion graphs can be plotted.

The mechanics plugins are intended to provide following applications/experiments…

• App to build a basic understanding of position, velocity, acceleration and slope/rate of change
• One dimensional motion experiments
• Newton’s Laws of motion
• Free fall and value of ‘g’
• Experiments involving oscillatory motion
• Conservation of mechanical energy
• Momentum and collisions  etc…

Plugins for  Sound wave forms ( Sound experiments)

These plugins  are intended to add features for using acoustic sensors with ExpEYES, with the focus on engaging students by allowing them to generate, hear, see and manipulate sound waves. This will enable the use of ExpEYES for many experiments with sound and waves.

The sound and waves plugins are intended to provide following applications/experiments…

• App to build a basic understanding of amplitude, frequency, tones, harmonics etc…..
• Experiment to analyze various common sounds by plotting waveforms
• Study phenomena of beats
• Speed of sound in various materials
• Doppler effect  etc…

After GSoC

I will be working on the development of new science experiments and will be involved  in providing training programs to science teachers and students. I will also be volunteering to promote use of ExpEYES and other open source hardware and software tools in education, so that affordable open source tools can  made available to the students of the developing world and help them learn better.