The Boring Illini
Sensor-side firmware for a competition tunnel boring machine, with separate FreeRTOS tasks for strain, temperature, health monitoring, telemetry, and watchdog supervision.
FreeRTOS tasks separate sensor acquisition from telemetry and supervision.
Strain, temperature, health-monitoring, telemetry, and watchdog work execute as separate tasks. Queues transfer measurements between tasks so sensor timing is not coupled to Ethernet transmission or host availability.
Structured packets carry measurements and device status to the host.
STM32 nodes acquire sensor data, validate readings, and publish telemetry over Ethernet/UDP. Heartbeat and watchdog state allow the host system to distinguish an inactive sensor from a failed node or transport interruption.
The firmware was integrated with the competition machine.
The sensing and telemetry stack was developed against the tunnel boring machine hardware and host pipeline. The team finished first at the Not-a-Boring Competition, set a competition world record, and received Rookie of the Year.