Cornell Hockey
ECE 476 Final Project
Rives Borland
Ryan John
Brian Tarricone
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Other Considerations
Budget
All engineering projects have monetary limits, so this project should be no different. Professor Land gave us a $25 budget, with items we were able to find in the lab itself not counting toward that limit. We were able to keep under budget easily:
Pushbutton On/Off Switch $2.59 Pushbutton Switch $2.29 DB9 Connector (x2) $1.38 Project Box $6.99 Total $13.25
Ethics
An oft-ignored aspect of engineering projects is ethics. The question "should I really be creating this piece of technology?" is frequently ignored. Even if it is acknowledged, and answered satisfactorily, there is one further item of concern: can use of this technology possibly harm the user, and, if so, what warnings should be provided to help mitigate this harm?
With that in mind, we offer some suggestions. While we do not think the existence of our hockey game inherently provides a danger to anyone, there are a few warnings we can offer. People who are succeptible to sight-induced epileptic seizures should limit their use of this game (or avoid it entirely), as it involves the rapid display of images using flashing lights (as does any video game displayed on a screen). At minimum, excessive use without breaks can cause eye fatigue. Prolonged use can cause repetitive stress injuries (RSI) related to the hands. And, as with any video game simulation of a real-life athletic activity, a video game is no substitute for actual physical activity.