Innovating the future: Exploring the Capstone Projects that are shaping tomorrow's technology

This award honors a team that demonstrates outstanding technical analysis, complexity, and problem-solving.

Winning Project: Analog Intelligence

Team: Alfonso Faria Espinoza, Timothy Gao, Jorge Marcano, Cameron Mears, Griffon Thomas, Ivan Zhang

Current neural network signal processing typically involves quantizing signals both spatially and temporally before inference. This process requires converting large amounts of input data before feature extraction, which increases latency and computational inefficiency. In response, the team developed the Analog Neural Signal Processing Unit. This printed circuit board integrates both digital and analog circuits to perform inference directly in the analog domain using continuous signals. By shifting quantization to the feature level rather than the input stage, this approach reduces the need for heavy computation, saving space, time, and energy.

The project shows strong potential for commercialization, with a design that is scalable beyond the prototype phase. The team is exploring opportunities to bring the technology to market. This collaborative effort has been both challenging and rewarding, highlighting the power of teamwork in driving innovation forward.

As the team prepares for life after graduation, most are focusing on careers in the tech industry, with some considering academia or travel before making their next move.

Project: Book-to-Movie

Team: Chinemerem Chigbo, Atharva Gangal, Keyon Jerome, James Jiang, Orson Marmon

Imagine stepping into the world of your favorite book, not just through words, but with vibrant visuals, sound, and interactive elements. Book-to-Movie (B2M) is a system that combines cutting-edge AI with advanced book-scanning technology to transform both physical and digital books into dynamic multimedia experiences. By integrating AI-powered text-to-speech, image generation, and text segmentation, B2M enables authors to turn their books into high-quality, video-based stories that are more engaging and accessible. The system automates the scanning of pages and processes the text to generate visuals, assign character voices, and create an animated, audiobook-like format.

Initially designed to help authors convert books into affordable audiobooks, the project has evolved into a solution with broader commercial and social implications. B2M has the potential to transform society by offering an immersive and accessible format for individuals with learning disabilities and other diverse needs, while enhancing the experience of literature for all readers. While the prototype is functional, future iterations could include full animation and even greater accessibility. With the possibility of commercialization, the team’s innovation—fostered in Waterloo’s hands-on learning environment—seeks to revolutionize storytelling.

Project: Sign Echo

Team: Ashwin Boni Bangari, Ritik Chanchlani, Daniel Markovic, Bassel Al Omari, Lokansh Rai, Muhammad Tanveer

Sign Echo is a revolutionary wristband designed to break down communication barriers for American Sign Language (ASL) users. This innovative wearable device translates ASL gestures into spoken English through a mobile phone speaker, offering a solution to the challenges faced by the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHH) community. By utilizing Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) and electromyogram (EMG) sensors to capture hand movements and muscle activity, Sign Echo transmits real-time data to a mobile app, where a machine-learning algorithm processes and translates the signs, enabling seamless communication in both social and professional settings.

Inspired by a personal connection to ASL, the team set out to create a device that empowers ASL users to communicate more effortlessly and integrate into society. Throughout the project, they collaborated closely with the university's ASL Club, refining their design to ensure it met the needs of the community. Though still in the proof-of-concept phase, Sign Echo’s potential for future iterations with enhanced capabilities is clear, and the team is exploring commercialization opportunities. This project exemplifies the power of engineering innovation in creating a more inclusive and accessible world for ASL users.

Project: Spice-it

Team: Duke Gand, Veer Khurana, Nick Lam, Kehn Saplagio

Spice-it is an innovative automatic spice dispenser created to simplify cooking for home chefs. With just the push of a button, it dispenses precise amounts of spice—down to a quarter-teaspoon—eliminating the hassle of measuring and pouring. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced chef, Spice-it ensures perfect seasoning every time and lets you save your favorite recipes for quick, repeatable use.

Built with custom-designed components, including a specially crafted PCB and 3D-printed parts, Spice-it is the product of a hands-on, dedicated team. In its current form, the dispenser features a rotating funnel system that holds a variety of spices and dispenses them accurately into your cooking container. But the innovation doesn’t end there—the team is exploring future upgrades, like integrating artificial intelligence to suggest recipes and automatically dispense the right spices while you cook.

Though still in its early stages, the team is focused on refining the design and enhancing both materials and functionality. With its potential to revolutionize the kitchen, Spice-it promises to make cooking easier, smarter, and more enjoyable.