Dissertation Ideas

Hi guys,

I need to comer up with a project for my final year dissertation within the next couple of weeks. Unfortunately everytime i try to think of a program/project i get complete block.

I want something that will really impress and that i will find interesting. (although i'd rather impress than find interesting)

Any Ideas? what would you do if you had to choose a project.

Thanks guys

What level class are you in?

Sorry should have said, its at degree level.

how much of a challenge are you looking for?

i'm guessing something more complicated than blackjack


sorry, i'm not at that point in my education yet... i dont' know how much you're looking for...

Well this might not be suitable but it's an idea anyhow. I just finished my dissertation and I gave a presentation the other day which was attended by the vice-chancellor of my university. I got chatting to him afterwards and we were talking about software (my project was software based). He was telling me that they are trying to find some alternative solutions to the room-bookng software they use for the uni lecture centre. Apparently the current software is not able to efficiently handle things such as:

Classes wanting rooms for only part of the semester
Classes needing some of the (limited) special equipment such as TVs, projectors etc.
Classes of different sizes needing different size rooms

and various other things that I can't think of from the top of my head. Consequently the lecture centre currently runs at 12% utilisation.

I don't know, it's just a thought. Maybe you could ask the admin department of your university to see if the same problems exist. I think it could make quite a meaty project once you really looked into it. Maybe it would be too much in which case you might be able to team up with someone else. It was just an idea that seemed to fulfil a requirement.

I relish a challenge, but no nuclear physics or quantum mechanics.

The admin project sounds good, i had a couple of other similar projects suggested to me by my tutor. And i'll probably end up doing something like this.

I would really like to do something industrial, like a control system for something or a similar project. It can mix assembly and C/C++ i don't mind.

For example the company i'm working for at the minute has an underwater power generator and the control program shows its elevation, power production etc and the GUI looks great, you can see the generator moving.
Obviously i think this is out of my scope but something on a similar topic would be great.

Thanks for the ideas so far guys

how about writing a program, if, given a state transition diagram and other requrired info, minimizes the no. of states, and implements both mealy and moore machines.

?

I like the sound of this lift idea.
now where can i steal all the information (only kidding, well....)

this will incorporate some form of mechanical model, a control system and a lot of research data and patterns and such. This is exactly what i want i reckon.

Anyone know where i can get information on these types of projects including the mechanical side (i Don't know much about this part)

Any more ideas along a similar line? Its just the model for the lift would probably have to be simulation as i can't really build a building and stuff.

Thanks

Has anyone used Matlab/Simulink with any C++ projects and if so do you you think i will be able to use this product to achieve what i want to do.

i know Lego has a kit that you can program with c++, or visual basic. my dad uses matlab at work, but im not exactly sure what he does. one of the women i work with (i work at my dads work) she codes in VB interfacing to their equipment


edit:
http://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/bu/p...indstorms.html
http://mindstorms.lego.com/eng/commu...es/default.asp

ive read about people making robots and such things with it; with pathfinding etc. im sure you can model it into something..just an idea. the kit isn't too expensive either. i'll try to find more links