BME698:012 Fundamentals of Embedded Systems
HW1: Project Overview and Functional Description
1) List of team members
2) Name/Title of your project. Choose something short and descriptive –
remember, this project is ideally something great to put on a resume. Approach
your proposal with this in mind.
3) Functional Description of the Project. This is a one-paragraph, very well
written description of WHAT the project is going to do. This is your
“advertisement”...product features. Who would buy this and why. Recall product
searches you do online...this is the opening paragraph that you see next to the
product picture. Do not jump directly into the gory details on HOW it will be done.
This comes later. Check out the website link as an example of information to
include.
3) Block diagram of the proposed system. As discussed in class, this generally
has at least 3 blocks: inputs, processing, outputs.
Inputs: List all of the proposed inputs. These are generally a) hardware
sensors and b) any associated hardware that may be located ON or OFF the
Experimenter’s Board. Do not forget secondary inputs like buttons where the
user controls something, like start and stop of a timer, of data collection, etc.
 What is being measured? (e.g., ECG, temperature, light, etc.)
 How is it being measured? (e.g., bend sensor, ECG simulator,
microphone, etc.)
Outputs: List of all proposed outputs (include the units). These are generally
hardware that engages a human (display, LED, buzzer, etc.) or a separate
machine (voltage signal, etc.). Please design for humans.
 What signal is being conveyed to the outside world? (e.g., Heart
rate in BPM, bend angle in degrees, etc.)
 What method is being used to convey this information to the
outside world? (e.g., LCD display, buzzer, speaker, LED, etc.)
Processing: Identify what processing will occur. This may include several
steps. Identify the steps – you will be further breaking them down in the
next homework in the form of another flow chart.
4) Parts List. Identify any parts needed for this project at are not part of the
Experimenter’s board. Propose where you can acquire these parts. I don’t expect
part numbers yet, only that you have a list of stuff you will need.