02/10/13 - Personal Analysis


The team takes part in a Belbin Analysis in order to find out which roles would play to everyone’s strengths.

02/10/13 - Brainstorming has begun


Let the research begin! Inertial Navigation, Dead Reckoning, GSM, WiFi & Bluetooth. These are the topics which we shall be taking over our lives in the coming weeks.

03/10/13 - Group roles have been assigned (may change)


The team have all expressed interest in different areas of the project, roles have been delegated, this should help spread the work load & let us be more efficient.

07/10/13 - Group leader Andrew Merrell has struck GOLD


Andrew Merrell has shared some very valuable information with the group about a potential partnership which could arise with a firm called: Seven Technologies.

08/10/13 - Some possible routes are forming


A few different routes for the end application of the project are beginning to arise. Campus tours? Package tracking? Personal Navigation?

09/10/13 - Covering all our bases


The group has enlisted the help of Dr Shum Prakash to aid in the business aspect of the project. The end goal would be to make a viable product for market.

09/10/13 - Industrial Partnerships presents difficulties

The group has learned that they must be careful with Intellectual Property when talking to Industrial Partners.

11/10/13 - Major phone call with Seven Technologies just completed


The group, with the aid of Warwick Ventures, has just finished its’ first conference call with Seven Technologies. A lot of interesting ideas have been thrown back and forth. Both parties seem to be happy to work together.

14/10/13 - Smartphones – a possible platform?


Smartphones might be a possible route for the group to use as a platform for creating a dead reckoning system. Investigation ensues.

15/10/13 - Gait Lab – The First Encounter


The team has just finished its' first introduction with the Gait Lab. Excitement is fused with confusion as everyone does their best to wrap their heads around this new system.

16/10/13 - Ideas are flowing


Loads of great ideas are beginning to come in: using WiFi routers to establish distance using relative strengths. Campus Maps are being sourced – Campus Tours the possible goal?

18/10/13 - Project hits a snag


Research has revealed a French Firm have already come up with a very similar product. Relevant patents are in place; rethinks to end goals for the project are in full force.

22/10/13 - Milestone looms

The first milestone approaches, research slows and focus switches.

28/10/13 - Website is live!

The WiNG website is now LIVE! Please check back to follow team progress.

10/11/13 - Work Slows – rethink is necessary

The group sit down together to evaluate the direction of the project. A more iterative has been decided upon. Members will share problems, timelines will be set up in order to have an accurate guide of how to sort each problem and what are the barriers stopping progress. The project work has slowed down until manufacture of the first prototype is possible - AlphaWiNG.

15/11/13 - 2nd Conference Call with Seven

The group have just wrapped up a 2nd call to industrial partners Seven. Early Christmas presents for everyone as the group have been told that Seven will help us out with the design of PCBs that are necessary to aid the project. Full steam ahead.

18/11/13 - Orders Placed!

Orders have been placed for all sorts of components. Two pairs of boots – ordered! Electronic Components ranging from Bluetooth Modules to Razor IMU boards have all been ordered!

18/11/13 - Tekscan

The team is using a new piece of kit – Tekscan. The system uses electronic soles which are placed inside shoes and give the team data of forces and pressure distributions inside the shoes whilst the subject is walking, jumping or jogging. The data will aid in the future stage of the boot and electronics design.

20/11/13 - Testing, Designing, Modelling & Simulating

The group is hard at work, small sub-teams are working on different aspects of the project. Gait Lab testing is underway, Solidworks Modelling & Simulating is underway. All focus is on getting all the necessary data once components arrive.

2/12/13 - 1st Term Done!

The winter term might be over, but the group is still at work. Emphasis has shifted from electronics to mechanics & manufacturing. CAD drawings, used to indicated the location of the cavity inside the boot, are being finalized and sent to the technicians whilst the team awaits for the arrival of new components.

3/12/13 - Poster Party

Alongside mechanical work, the group has come together to work on their poster. Providing a summary of the project so far, the aims and the future objectives the poster is key.

9/12/13 - Problems Arise

The CAD drawings are not enough to manufacture the cavity. A Jig is needed in order to keep the boots secure and in their correct alignment during the milling process; a jid must first be made.

14/12/13 - Jig Ready!

The mechanical sub-team have spent days organising the manufacture of the jig. CAD drawings for the jig complete, the workshop’s carpenter has aided the team, provided material and manufactured a wooden jig. The final step to cut an opening for the boot to sit in.

25/12/13 - Merry Christmas!

From the whole team here at WiNG, we wish you all a very Merry Christmas!

31/12/13 - Happy New Year!

To everyone who’s been following the team’s progress or has just joined, we wish you all, a very Happy New Year and all the very best in 2014!

11/1/14 - Cavity Complete

Longer than hoped but the boots are finally ready to accept their electronic counterparts. The technicians did a great job in hand milling the hole in the boots after many back and forth moments.

13/1/14 - Algorithms

One of the most painstaking aspects of the project; the algorith. Improvements to the data stream have been made wiht the implementation of a basic Kalman filter. Work is now looking at the comparing the Gait Lab data to the output of this filtered data.

18/1/14 - 3D Printing & Rapid Prototyping

The team have enlisted the help of Martin Millson and his 3D printer. A lid for the enclosure which shall hold the components in a suspended nature has been 3D printed. Great piece of technology.