As computer power increases, and integrated chips become more complex, computers are able to make increasing numbers of calculations in nano-seconds. With that power, the possibility of creating an autonomous robot also becomes closer to reality. Today's robots are tied, as with a leash, to their programmers. They are not able to go beyond what they have been programmed or "taught to think", even if the programming is incredibly complex. An advanced project for electrical students involves developing computer and neural network designs that have the ability to grow beyond their programming, and "think" on their own.
As fossil fuels become more expensive to retrieve, and with the fears of green house gasses which create global warming increase, the value of electrical vehicles (EV) is growing. However, many engineering hurdles still litter the road like potholes in front of these vehicles. Existing battery designs are too heavy, and can't hold enough electricity to power a vehicle with horsepower similar to that created by an internal combustion engine. Many advanced projects for electrical students revolve around developing technology and computer programming that will move EV past the obstacles which stand in the way of commercial acceptance and economic viability.
Robots are able to follow and interpret their programming. For this reason, robots generally work as individuals, not cooperatively. If robots can work together on a project, each one is programmed with specific tasks within the larger scope of work. An advanced project involves developing robots which can communicate with each other, and adapt to changing conditions as they cooperatively complete projects and tasks.
Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) Tags are finding applications throughout the commercial and business world. From ID cards that grant gym members access to the facility to tags embedded in pets for identification and location, RFID tags are a relatively inexpensive way to manage data and data flow. An advanced projects for electrical students involves developing transportation applications for RFID tags. RFID tags are currently used for express pay lanes on highways. As the car passes a sensor, the RFID is identified, and the customer billed the appropriate toll. RFID tags could also help control traffic flow. If a network of sensors could read traffic movement and backups based on the movement of the tags, engineers could program smart traffic grids to change traffic light patterns in order to alleviate the congestion in response to changing conditions.