Mindfulness Wheel — project brief

Mindfulness Wheel

Abstract

In PHYS 351, Scientific Instrumentation, our final project is meant to be both fun and mind-opening. This fall we will build a dual-rotor Mindfulness Wheel—a quiet instrument that hears a simple human cue and returns it as smooth, measured motion. The aim is secular and practical: use careful electronics and clear firmware to shape an experience that brings attention back to the heart, like wind over water, without pretense and without appealing to anything outside ourselves.

Story & Background

We may open our minds in different ways. In space: each year we look beyond the United States and learn from another culture—Italy, Japan, the Netherlands and more. We do this to broaden perspective as part of a holistic undergraduate education. Seeing through another lens changes what we notice and how we build. In purpose: we choose work that can matter to ordinary life, not only to laboratories and factories. This year we turn to 轉經輪—Zhuǎn Jīng Lún. See Figures below

Photograph unavailable: handheld prayer wheel.

Photograph unavailable: corridor of prayer wheels.

Zhuǎn Jīng Lún is often called a “prayer wheel,” but the philosophy beneath it is quieter than the English suggests. Within Tibetan Vajrayāna, which sits inside the wider Mahāyāna tradition, short lines—often associated with Avalokiteśvara/Guanyin—are written many times on a hidden scroll. One turn of the cylinder is treated as many gentle recitations. The motion is not a plea to an outside power; it is a return inward, a way to come back to the heart so attention can rest in compassion. Tibet’s high plateau—among the highest places on Earth—gave the device a physical home; the practice of “turning toward the heart” gave it a lasting one. It is religion, philosophy, and daily habit braided together: a way to steady the mind through rhythm.

There are many forms of this device. Some are small, handheld cylinders turned gently as one walks; others line monastery corridors in long arrays so you can pass slowly and set each wheel in motion with your palm. And there are monumental versions as well: in Qinghai, a giant wheel in the Guide/Guìdé area is water-driven by the Yellow River, a local landmark often cited as one of the largest of its kind.^{1 2} The point is not rarity but presence: wheels large and small, solitary and in corridors, woven into everyday life.

William & Mary gives every student a liberal-arts education for good reasons: we cannot learn only STEM. Humanities, philosophy, and the arts are not extras; they shape how we see and what we make. That spirit was on full display when the Dalai Lama visited campus in 2012 to speak on compassion ³  (see Figure below), a theme rooted in Tibetan Vajrayāna’s devotion to Guanyin (Avalokiteśvara), the Bodhisattva of Compassion.

A brief cultural note from the heart of high-energy physics: in front of CERN stands a bronze statue of Shiva as Nataraja, the cosmic dancer. It is not there as theology, but as a symbol of rhythm, creation, and dissolution—themes that many physicists find resonant with the cycles we model in nature.⁴ For our class, it is simply another reminder that science does not float above culture; it moves through it.

Whatever your path—industry, research, medicine, startups, teaching—your skills should travel widely. It would be narrow to imagine engineering only as another rocket or another robot. Those are wonderful, but your tools can also support calmer classrooms, steadier hands, and kinder homes. Technology can serve ordinary needs with the same rigor we bring to laboratories.

The teachings that inspire Zhuǎn Jīng Lún resonate with modern psychology and neuroscience around mindfulness, attention, and mental wellness. Repetition organizes noisy systems. Breath pacing and gentle focus can shift autonomic balance and stress markers. A short, well-timed message can interrupt a ruminative loop. None of this requires belief in an outside agency; it asks only that we test what helps a mind settle and a body soften. In that way, the old practice and contemporary science meet on common ground.

And so we will build a Mindfulness Wheel—a secular, dual-rotor instrument that listens for a human cue and answers with balanced motion—so that users can come back to their own heart to find peace, kindness, compassion, and a more durable happiness. It will be made from off-the-shelf materials, guided by careful electronics and clear firmware, and finished with a user experience that is gentle and honest. What turns here is not a plea; it is attention itself, returning to where it begins.

Deliverables & Evaluation

We grade in two layers: Passing Core (60%) and Design Depth (40%).

Minimum Requirements (the 60%)

A. Motion & Control

1. Dual concentric rotors (inner & outer), coaxial and mechanically safe.

2. Bidirectional capability on each rotor (CW & CCW).

3. Commanded cycle: a single user action triggers both rotors to complete $\geq 2$ full rotations each, in opposite directions; support direction swap by command.

4. Usability window: one command cycle normally completes within $\leq 60$–$90$ s (coast allowed).

5. Counting accuracy: instrumented rotation counting with logging ($\leq 1\%$ error over 100 rev in bench test).

B. Input & Mapping

6. Creative input channel (e.g., voice phrase, clap cadence, light pattern, gesture, capacitive touch). Users do not type a number; instead, features are deterministically mapped to counts/speeds and used to seed a pseudo-random routine (same input $\rightarrow$ same outcome).

7. Evidence: log input features $\rightarrow$ seed $\rightarrow$ resulting rotations/speeds to CSV/serial for verification.

C. Interface & Experience

8. UI minimum: command-line/serial menu plus Start/Stop and a physical E-stop; clear status indicators (LEDs/audio) while spinning.

9. Affirmation on stop: present one of $\geq 6$ positive, mindfulness-aligned messages (display/audio/light). Tone must be supportive (no sarcasm).

10. Target user: define a specific primary user group (not “everyone”) and tailor input, timing, messages, and presentation to that group.

D. Build & Materials

11. Off-the-shelf structure (PVC/wood/acrylic/cardboard/metal stock) with tidy wiring, strain relief, labels; minimal 3D printing only if essential.

12. Approved vendors: Amazon, Mouser, Digi-Key, Adafruit, SparkFun, Home Depot, Lowe’s (others require approval).

13. Safety: guarded moving parts, proper power regulation/decoupling, fusing as appropriate.

Documentation (required)

14. User’s Manual $+$ Technical Appendix are required deliverables. Beyond completeness, we will assess clarity, accessibility for your chosen user, and creative engagement (visuals, data storytelling, a welcoming quick-start).

Design Depth (the 40%)

• Creative mapping & engagement: originality and reliability of input $\to$ motion mapping; how engaging/fun the experience feels for the declared user group.

• Control quality & smoothness: starts/stops, overshoot, noise/quiet, robustness under light perturbation.

• UX polish: state clarity, indicator design, optional GUI with presets/summaries; thoughtful affirmation set.

• Craft & finish: safe, neat build; labels; professional appearance with off-the-shelf materials.

• Data communication: concise logs, plots, or visuals that make behavior understandable to non-experts; documentation that is not only correct but inviting for your user.

Teams & Roles

Teams consist of exactly three students. Everyone wears more than one hats; define roles in your proposal. Below are my recommendations and you may add more.

• Project Lead & BOM Manager: schedules, orders, risk log, weekly reports (also serves as PR/Documentarian).

• Electronics Lead: schematics, power tree, motor/driver sizing, safety/E-stop.

• Firmware Lead: drivers, state machine, control loop, data logging, repository hygiene.

• Test & UX Lead: acceptance tests, calibration, UI/UX flow, affirmation set (often combined with Electronics or Firmware).

• PR/Documentarian: weekly short video, photos, captions, YouTube uploads (often combined with Lead/BOM).

Timeline & Submissions (Fall 2025)

Project window: Mon, Oct 27 $\rightarrow$ Wed, Dec 10 (Demo Day / final exam block, 3 hours).
Weekly in-person build: All teams must be in Small 230 for project work.
Labs: Wednesday/Thursday labs as usual. For extra time, coordinate with a TA so the lab can be opened.

Milestones & What To Submit

Weekly Report (Mondays, 2:00 PM) — submitted by the Team Lead to Gradescope: progress, risks, updated task list, photos, short clip link, commit snapshot, order status. We will release a template soon.

Mon, Nov 3 — Proposal + Initial BOM due
Proposal: team title; what you will build; key specs; block diagram; role assignments; risk list (top 3); GitHub repo link; team YouTube channel link; initial test plan.
BOM: vendor, part # / link, qty, unit cost, subtotal, lead time/ETA. Email BOM to Kate and cc Jasmine (TAs). Non-standard vendors require a short justification.

Demo Day — Wed, Dec 10
Live demo, 8-minute talk + 4-minute Q&A. Slide template and exact format will be released separately.

Final Documentation — Mon, Dec 15, 11:59 PM
User’s Manual (for non-expert operator) $+$ Technical Appendix (final BOM, wiring/power diagrams, control loop design & tuning, calibration, test results, limitations, future work) $+$ repo tag v1.0.

Build Notes (Quick)

Favor off-the-shelf structure; keep prints minimal and justified. Order early; consolidate shipments; track ETAs. Keep wiring short, labeled, and strain-relieved; fuse as appropriate. Separate power and signal; add decoupling. Provide Start/Stop and E-stop; label everything. Practice the operator script before Demo Day.

Project Proposal and BOM Due (submit to Gradescope): November 3, 2025, 5:00 PM
Final Project Demo (in person presentation): December 10, 2025, during final exam period
Final Documentation Due (submit to Gradescope): December 15, 2025, 2:00 PM