1. Solar Array Deployment Monitoring System - Fields
This project is in cooperation and partnership under a gift with ATK Space Systems
ATK Space Systems in Goleta is one of the leading producers of deployable space systems. Products include deployable booms, solar arrays and stable structures. Rigorous testing in simulated space environments is a key element in maintaining 100% mission successes.
Project Description
A system for measuring solar array panel hinge-line angles versus time during deployment shall be designed, demonstrated and documented. The system shall be based on accelerometers mounted on the panels or other non-intrusive method. The system shall consist of sensors (most likely accelerometers), data acquisition and an analysis package that uses the measured acceleration and array geometry to determine the hinge-line angles and any desired point on the array as a function of time. The system shall be applicable to arrays between 1 and 10 panels. The instrumentation shall be very non-intrusive. Each individual sensor shall be easily mounted to a flat surface, extend no more than 0.5" from the surface, have a mass of less than 25 grams and leave no mark on the surface when removed. A detailed generic procedure for implementing the system shall also be delivered. A demonstration on a 3 panel solar array mock-up is required.
Students will have an opportunity to work with the company from design concept, prototyping, and testing.
Students may be required to sign a Confidentiality Agreement and Invention Agreement.
Students are required to be a United States citizen.
Website: www.atk.com
2. Composite Tube Bonded Joint Design - Kedward/Kiefer
This project is in cooperation with Northrop Grumman Space Technology located in Redondo Beach, California.
Northrop Grumman Corporation is a $30 billion global defense and technology company whose 120,000 employees provide innovative systems, products, and solutions in information and services, electronics, aerospace and shipbuilding to government and commercial customers worldwide.
Northrop Grumman is a premier developer, integrator, producer and supporter of manned and unmanned aircraft, spacecraft, high-energy laser systems, microelectronics and other systems and subsystems critical to maintaining the nation’s security and leadership in science and technology. These systems are used, primarily by government customers, in many different mission areas including intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance; communications; battle management; strike operations; electronic warfare; missile defense; earth observation; space science; and space exploration.
Northrop Grumman Space Technology develops a broad range of systems at the leading edge of space, defense and electronics technology. Building on a heritage of innovation, we create sophisticated products that contribute significantly to the nation's security and leadership in science and technology.
Project Description
Determine preferred design details of small diameter (2.5' to 5") cylindrical graphite tubes bonded to titanium fittings and subjected extreme cold temperatures. Develop analytical methods to predict joint behavior. Correlate test data and analytical methods.
The project requires US citizenship and a Confidential Disclosure Agreement.
This project may require travel to company facility and may require periodic teleconferences.
Website: http://www.st.northropgrumman.com/
3. Rotary Shaft Encoder Test Measurement System - Paden
This project is in cooperation and partnership under a gift with BEI Industrial Encoders located in Goleta.
BEI Industrial Encoders (IED) is an operation of Custom Sensors & Technologies (CST). IED supplies absolute encoders, incremental encoders, linear encoders, electromechanical motion control systems, and components for factory automation, speed and position control, automotive and medical equipment.
IED specializes in optical rotary shaft angle encoders specifically designed for harsh industrial environments. For more technical engineering information, see the Optical Encoder Design Guide and the BEI Optical Encoder Glossary.
Project Scope: Develop a device to measure and report accuracy of a rotary shaft encoder. An encoder is a device that outputs a number of pulses that are equally spaced in one turn of the shaft.
Description: The device will detect and use the output square wave signals of a rotary shaft encoder to determine the accuracy of the encoder. Accuracy, in this case, is how closely the actual output pulses are positioned when compared to the virtually perfect position. The device will have a means of measuring the accuracy of any given encoder and output some sort of display or printout or numerical value which represents the accuracy at each position or as a maximum deviation. The device should be rugged enough to perform the test several times per day. We recommend the use of a flywheel to provide inertia for steady rotation during the measurement phase. One test cycle should be less than 5 minutes including data processing time.
Students will have an opportunity to work with the company from design concept, prototyping, and testing.
Students may be required to sign a Confidentiality Agreement and Invention Agreement.
Website: www.beiied.com
4. Environmentally-friendly Energy Storage (Faculty TBD)
This project has been deleted for consideration this year.
5. Hydrocephalic Shunt Surgical Instrument - Laguette
This medical device project is in cooperation and partnership under a gift with Medtronic Neurosurgery.
Medtronic Neurosurgery is a local medical device company that is a leader in the field of neurosurgical implants and devices. Medtronic is the global leader in medical technology, alleviating pain, restoring health and extending life for millions of people around the world.
Hydrocephalus is a physiologic condition where the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) that is produced within the ventricles of the brain is not adequately absorbed by normal pathways. Typically, an implantable device known as a shunt is used to control the CSF. Current hydrocephalic shunts are designed to minimize overdrainage of CSF and maintain intraventricular pressure (IVP) within a normal physiologic range, regardless of patient position.
Project Description
A surgical instrument typically referred to as a Shunt Passer is used to tunnel subcutaneously and facilitate placement of the peritoneal drainage catheter. These instruments must be malleable yet stiff enough for tunneling. Significant improvements are desired in Shunt Passer design and use of new materials.
Students will have an opportunity to work with the company from design concept, prototyping, and testing.
Students may be required to sign a Confidentiality Agreement and Invention Agreement.
Website: http://www.medtronic.com/physician/neurosurgery.html
6. Flow Model of Endovascular System - Laguette
This medical device project is in cooperation and partnership under a gift with Boston Scientific Neurovascular located in Fremont, California.
Boston Scientific’s mission is to improve the quality of patient care and the productivity of health care delivery through the development and advocacy of less-invasive medical devices and procedures.
Boston Scientific’s Neurovascular business is a leading developer of medical technologies used to treat brain aneurysms and other types of cerebrovascular disease.
There are many types of cerebrovascular disease, stroke being the most common, which accounts for more than 150,000 deaths in the U.S. each year. Stroke is the third-leading cause of death nationwide, and the largest single cause of adult disability. Acute ischemic stroke, which is caused by the interruption or blockage of blood flow to the brain, accounts for 83 percent of all stroke cases annually. The remaining stroke cases are hemorrhagic (caused by the rupture of a blood vessel and characterized by bleeding within or surrounding the brain). Hemorrhagic stroke is often caused by the rupture of an intracranial aneurysm, which is an abnormal bulging of the wall of a blood vessel that forms when the vessel is weakened or damaged.
In less-invasive treatment of intracranial aneurysms (endovascular treatment), catheters, microcatheters, and guidewires are directed through the patient’s vascular system to access the aneurysm. Once the aneurysm has been accessed, detachable coils are used to occlude (fill) the aneurysm. Boston Scientific pioneered the development of coiling products for the treatment of intracranial aneurysms.
Project Description
We need a fully portable anatomically representative in-vitro vascular model of the main components of the neurovascular system including simulated aneurysms that could be used for endovascular training and demonstrations. The flow model would need to incorporate anatomical considerations, representative flows and pressures, viscosities, and provide excellent visibility. We have some first generation models available, but they lack portability and the complete functionality mentioned above.
Students may be required to sign a Confidentiality Agreement and Invention Agreement
This project may require travel to the company facility and may require periodic teleconferences.
Website: http://www.bostonscientific.com
7. Voice Prosthesis and Trachestoma Valve Simulator - Laguette
This medical device project is in cooperation and partnership under a gift with Helix Medical located in Carpinteria.
Since the 1970s, treatment of patents that have undergone surgery to remove the larynx has been changed significantly by the invention of the tracheossophageal voice prosthesis. Dr. Eric Blom (a speech pathologist) and Dr. Mark Singer (a surgeon) pioneered the method of tracheoesophageal puncture followed by the insertion of a silicone voice prosthesis. This treatment restored voice to the laryngectomy patient. Subsequent to that, an automatic trachostoma speaking valve (ATSV) was developed to allow the patient to speak without digitally occluding the stoma. This device also included a heat moisture exchanger to help precondition the inspired air to replace the function that was no longer being done by the nose.
Development of these devices for the laryngectomee attempted to accommodate many types of anatomical differences seen in the patient population. The performance of these devices was generally characterized independently in the laboratory setting. During the use of the ATSV and voice prosthesis, air is rapidly expelled from the lungs and closing the ATSV. At the same time, the voice prosthesis opens to allow air to flow into the pharyngoesophageal (PE) segment to provide the vibratory source for speech.
Project Description
This project requires the development of testing apparatus that will enable the study of the ATSV/Voice Prosthesis as a total system. The synergy between the two valves will be evaluated. The setting for the best operation will be defined and new valve designs are to be developed to meet the requirements of an optimally tuned system.
Students will be required to sign a Confidentiality Agreement and Invention Agreement
Website: www.helixmed.com
8. Automated Endoscope Cleaner - Laguette
This project is in cooperation and partnership under a gift with Conmed Linvatec.
Surgical endoscopes are increasingly used to perform medical procedures because they allow access to the operative site through very small incisions. For the patient this means faster and less painful recovery and so many procedures, especially orthopedic and abdominal, are performed predominately by this method
Project Description
Endoscopes are increasingly sterilized using a steam autoclave process rather than less effective chemical methods. An undesirable effect of the autoclave process is the buildup of mineral deposits on the surfaces of the instruments being sterilized. This is especially undesirable on optical surfaces such as endoscope distal end windows where the mineral accumulation scatters light and lessens image quality.
This project is to design an automated cleaner for endoscope distal end windows. Today a technician must apply a special paste cleaner and manually clean the endoscope end with a Q-tip then rinse with clean water. This method requires training, is very operator dependent, and usually overlooked. Hospitals complain that their video image quality has declined when the problem is actually failure to properly maintain their endoscopes.
In 1997, CONMED completed the acquisition of Linvatec, which made the company the number two worldwide producer of arthroscopy products and orthopedic powered surgical instruments. In 2004, CONMED acquired the majority of the Endoscopic Technologies business from C.R. Bard accelerating its penetration into the Gastroenterology and Pulmonology markets.
Today, CONMED presently manufacturers thousands of products in eight different areas: Arthroscopy, Electrosurgery, Endoscopy, Endoscopic Technologies, EndoSurgery, Integrated Systems, Patient Care and Powered Surgical Instruments. We offer innovation and value added customer service across all of our product lines while holding the number 1 or number 2-market share position in the majority of our product line areas.
Students will have an opportunity to work with the company from design concept, prototyping, and testing.
Students may be required to sign a Confidentiality Agreement and Invention Agreement
Website: http://www.conmed.com
9. Impact Test Fixture for Medical Device - Fields
This medical device project is in cooperation and partnership under a gift with Inogen.
Inogen was founded in 2001 to develop products that improve quality of life while increasing freedom and mobility for respiratory disease sufferers Inogen has assembled a team of experienced healthcare entrepreneurs, skilled technologists, well-known clinicians and home healthcare veterans to produce innovative solutions to respiratory healthcare challenges. The Inogen team is passionate about their mission and committed to serving the unique needs of respiratory patients and providers,
The Inogen One is used during the treatment of respiratory diseases requiring supplemental oxygen. Replacing traditional bulky stationary oxygen concentrators or cylinders, at less than 10 pounds, the Inogen One provides oxygen to its users at home, around their community, and even while traveling.
By 2012, over 2.5 million Americans will use oxygen therapy in their
daily lives. Increasingly, oxygen is delivered to these patients in
pulses delivered through a nasal cannula, a process that improves the
therapy and the independence of the patients, but results in distracting
pulsation noise.
Project Description
Medical devices must undergo rigorous testing during product development as well as quality control testing. This testing includes tests that are mandated by international standards and the US FDA.
The purpose of this project is to design and develop an impact tester to evaluate the finished device and device components. This test fixture would have to comply with an
FDA specified drop test to create a 100G impact over 6ms. Typically
these fixtures use a large metal sled and a tuned elastomer to achieve
the correct acceleration.
Students will have an opportunity to work with the company from design concept, prototyping, and testing.
Students may be required to sign a Confidentiality Agreement and Invention Agreement.
Website: http://www.inogen.net
10. 3D Mouse - Laguette
This project is in cooperation and partnership under a gift from TrueVision Systems, Inc.
TrueVision Systems’ mission is to be the leading provider of 3D vision systems for microscopes. TrueVision™ is the first product of its kind to make digital stereoscopic 3D imaging in such high quality and ease of use that it will become commonplace in all areas of technical imaging for surgery, industry, research, and education. The Microsurgical Teaching System is current deployed in about 10 leading hospitals, medical centers, and medical schools and is being used in neurological (cranial and spinal), ophthalmic, ENT, and vascular surgeries.
Project Description
For 3D stereoscopic visualization, as in virtual reality applications, there is a need to control the placement of objects in a three-dimensional space. In particular, TrueVision is developing the capability to make real-time measurements of scenes under the surgical microscope, such as the size of vessels and organs and the dimensions of critical incisions. While the placement of a 3D cursor on the 3D display is easy, the control of the cursor, under operating room conditions, is not. A handheld or foot-driven device is required that is comfortable, precise, and intuitive and has the functionality required by the imaging program.
Under the guidance of a Requirements Specification, the objectives of the project are to survey current technology (such as the Wii remote, the Gyration air mouse, and trackers from Polhemus and Intersense), determine the most ergonomic and cost-effective solution, provide an elegant industrial design, develop a suitable software interface for the measurement application, and deliver a prototype device. The student team will review progress with the company at each stage of the project: survey results, design concept, prototype development, and testing.
Students may be required to sign a Confidentiality Agreement and Invention Agreement.
This project will involve hardware and software. This project may involve an interdisciplinary student team.
Website: www.TrueVisionSys.com
12. Morphable Mirror Telescope - Lubin
This project will be under the direction of Prof. Philip Lubin of the Physics department.
The White Mountain Morphable Mirror Telescope (WMMT) project is to design and build a prototype of an actively adaptable multiple segment mirror telescope optimized for millimeter wavelength cosmology. We want to build a 7-10 meter diameter telescope at our observatory at White Mountain (13,000 feet altitude) and the only practical
designs use segmented mirrors. In order to be useable the telescopes structure must be stable at the level of a small fraction of the wavelength used for observation. We want to
use the telescope at wavelength down to 1 mm and typically one wants wavelength/30 (or better) stability. This is very difficult to achieve in large structures with wind loading,
gravitational deflection and thermal changes. Hence much of the cost of a telescope goes into designing massive and unique structures.
The goal is to develop the design and build critical sub systems for a new type of
telescope to study the early universe in the millimeter wave regime. The goal is to ultimately build a 10 meter class telescope and deploy it to the UC White Mountain Research Station at 13,000 elevation in the eastern Sierras. One of the most difficult problems with large telescopes is the need to segment the mirror as a single mirror of this size is too large to build in one piece. This necessitates a very stiff backing structure to keep the mirror panels aligned precisely which is very difficult and expensive to build. We plan to build a new type of telescope where the mirror surface will morph into
proper shape using servo controlled actuators and a real time laser interferometer tracking system. This approach promises to radically change the way such telescopes are made and could greatly reduce the cost and increase the performance.
This Capstone project will focus on the overall design including FEA analysis and the building a smaller but functional telescope.
13. Acrobatic Pendulum & Wireless Sensors - Bamieh
This project will develop components of a lab experiment to support the undergraduate ME curriculum.
It is desired to design and fabricate a multiple inverted pendulum apparatus for demonstration purposes in dynamics and systems control courses.
It is desired to sense and measure the deflection of the tip of multiple inverted pendulum sticks that stand on a platform that may be translated in the lateral x and y directions. The main components are the design and construction of the x-y moving platform, real-time interface of the wireless MEMS accelerometer sensors, and the simulation and design of various control strategies.
Professor Bamieh's research is centered around notions of uncertainty and robustness in control and dynamical systems. These notions are applied to the study of distributed systems and their control. These include the design of distributed localized controllers for large scale systems, and analysis of the role of uncertainty in shear flow turbulence and transition. His group carries out several research activities including Atomic Force Microscopy, design and control of multi-micro cantilevers, optical actuation via optical tweezers, and control and analysis of turbulent shear flows.
Students interested in dynamics and systems control with an aptitude in electronics and programming will find this project challenging.
An interdisciplinary team also involving EE and Computer Engineering students is desired.
14. Innovative Robotic Drive System - Bothman
The artist-in-residence at the Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics has proposed a robotic sculpture with formidable mechanical challenges. He would like a self-powered sphere (75 – 150 mm diameter) with an internal drive system that can propel the sphere in any direction on a rough surface. The entire mechanism including batteries, motor and computer must be housed inside of the sphere.
Mechanical Engineering Challenges:
• Develop a spherical drive system
• Understand the power and torque requirements to drive the sphere on a rough surface – this will require some preliminary testing.
• Develop methods to fabricate a sphere that can be opened for maintenance.
• Integrate the drive and sphere for testing and refinement.
This project would appeal to students interested in robotics – especially in mechanical drive systems. This project will require a fair amount of fabrication in the machine shop as well as careful mechanical design – there is a lot of equipment to integrate into a package about the size of a softball.
15. Wireless Connectivity Extension System - Bullo
OBJECTIVE:
To design and manufacture a robotic system to extend wireless connectivity for a mobile robot by periodic deployment of wireless nodes.
In simple terms, a robot with an 802.11 antenna is not able to maintain wireless connectivity when exploring parts of the building away from laboratory 2217. As in the tale of Hansel and Gretel, the idea is to leave white pebbles or breadcrumbs along the way; however, this time, the pebbles are wireless-enabled miniaturized computers.
APPLICATIONS:
Main applications are envisioned in the field of robotics and sensor networks. Typical situations where such a system might prove useful would be to extend communication from a base to a mobile unit in an indoor environment, tunnel or cave.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Because of the nature of the application, it is desirable that the system have the following desirable features:
1) 4 portable, inexpensive and light 802.11 capable ad-hoc wireless nodes.
2) A method for the existing Videre Erratic robot to transport and safely place the nodes on the ground.
3) A method for determining when to deploy the nodes such that 802.11 link capable of 11Mbps from the base to the mobile robot is maintained.
STATE OF THE ART:
The robot for which this system is intended is a Videre Erratic mobile robot (http://www.videredesign.com/robotics/index.htm). The code for navigating the robot through the indoor environment is a part of the Player Project (http://playerstage.sourceforge.net/) and will be provided.
The robot has an 802.11g wireless card, which is the most recent ratified 802.11 wireless standard. The 802.11n standard is nearing ratification and also to be considered. Other wireless standards could be explored, including the low power (and low throughput) 802.15 "Zigbee" standard (http://www.zigbee.org).
Example wireless nodes to be considered are produced by Crossbow, Inc; see http://www.xbow.com/Products/productdetails.aspx?sid=156
Some research has been done into the placement of communication nodes or landmarks for mobile robots, see the article by I. A. Wagner and M. Lindenbaum and A.M. Bruckstein entitled "MAC vs. PC: Determinism and randomness as complementary approaches to robotic exploration of continuous unknown domains" in the International Journal of Robotics Research, vol 20, pg 12-31, 2000.
WORK ENVISIONED:
1) Preliminary work will involve determining from the current state of wireless technology the most appropriate hardware for the nodes.
2) The second stage will involve designing the nodes based on existing technology with any needed adaptations for the application in conjunction with designing a deployment scheme for the nodes.
3) The third stage will involve implementing a method for the proper deployment of the nodes to maintain connectivity.
4) The final stage will involve the manufacture of the system and testing it in real-world indoor environments with the robot.
This project offers a good mix of design and hands-on work. Students will gain valuable experience in hardware design, software programming, and wireless communications. Students interested in dynamics and systems control with an aptitude in electronics and programming will find this project challenging. An appropriate budget for the problem will be provided by the advisor.
An interdisciplinary team also involving EE and Computer Engineering students is desired.
ABOUT PROF. BULLO:
Francesco Bullo joined the UCSB Mechanical Engineering faculty in 2004. His research focuses on geometric and dynamical systems methods in control theory, motion planning and coordination algorithms, and distributed and adaptive control. Application areas include (i) the design of autonomous, reliable, and agile vehicles and robots and (ii) the coordination of autonomous vehicle and sensor networks.
16. Integrated Oceanographic Sampling Bottle - Washburn
This project will be under the direction of Prof. Libe Washburn of the Geography and Marine Sciences Institute here at UCSB.
The Santa Barbara Coastal Long Term Ecological Research Project (SBC) is housed at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) and is part of the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) Network. The LTER Program was established by the NSF in 1980 to support research on long-term ecological phenomena. The SBC became the 24th site in the LTER network in April of 2000 (SBC-LTER 1999 Proposal). Washburn is an associate investigator in the SBC-LTER.
Giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera) forests are located at the land-ocean margin in temperate regions of both the northern and southern hemispheres, and represent one of the most productive ecosystems in the world.
The primary research objective of the SBC LTER is to investigate the relative importance of land and ocean processes in structuring giant kelp forest ecosystems.
Project Description
We need to develop a bottle which can be deployed in the ocean for sampling nitrate autonomously for about 1 month periods. The idea is to get a time integrated sample of seawater for determining its nitrate concentration.
About Prof. Washburn
• Department of Geography
• Interdisciplinary Oceanography Group
• Institute of Computational Earth System Science
• Marine Science Institute
• Interdepartmental Graduate Program in Marine Science
PhD, University of California, San Diego, Engineering Sciences (Fluid Mechanics)
MS, University of California, San Diego, Engineering Sciences
BS, University of Arizona, Mechanical Engineering
Research Interests
Physical-biological interactions, mesoscale ocean dynamics, turbulence and mixing processes, coastal circulation, buoyancy-driven flows, marine pollution and interdisciplinary oceanography.
Website: www.icess.ucsb.edu/~washburn/
17. Wave Measuring Pressure Sensor - Washburn
This project will be under the direction of Prof. Libe Washburn of the Geography and Marine Sciences Institute here at UCSB.
The Marine Science Institute (MSI), established at the University of California, Santa Barbara in 1969, is the focus for marine, coastal zone, and freshwater research; marine policy studies; and educational outreach in marine science. MSI administers and supports research projects involving faculty, professional researchers, technical staff, graduate students, and undergraduate students from 14 disciplines.
The Interdisciplinary Oceanography Group (IOG) is affiliated with the Institute for Computational Earth System Science (ICESS) based at the University of California (UCSB). The IOG deals with issues and questions that involve many different ocean sciences. Libe Washburn heads the group on projects that often involve collaboration with other research units or governmental agencies.
Project Description
We need to develop a programmable, low cost pressure instrument that can be deployed in remote ocean locations to burst sample pressure for determining wave statistics such as wave height and period. This instrument will deployed offshore at sites being studied by marine ecologists and oceanographers as part of the Partnership for Interdisciplinary Studies of Coastal Oceans (PISCO, see piscoweb.org for more information). Wave exposure is an important physical factor in structuring nearshore marine ecosystems.
Typically we observe waves by sampling bottom pressure at 1 to 4 Hz every 2 hours for periods of a few months. Currently commercial versions of these instruments cost thousands of dollars. We believe a much cheaper instrument could be designed and fabricated using modern components that are readily available.
This project may involve significant need for programming and use of instruments, students with an aptitude in electronics and programming may find this project challenging.
About Prof. Washburn
• Department of Geography
• Interdisciplinary Oceanography Group
• Institute of Computational Earth System Science
• Marine Science Institute
• Interdepartmental Graduate Program in Marine Science
PhD, University of California, San Diego, Engineering Sciences (Fluid Mechanics)
MS, University of California, San Diego, Engineering Sciences
BS, University of Arizona, Mechanical Engineering
Research Interests
Physical-biological interactions, mesoscale ocean dynamics, turbulence and mixing processes, coastal circulation, buoyancy-driven flows, marine pollution and interdisciplinary oceanography.
Website: www.icess.ucsb.edu/~washburn/
18. SAMPE Bridge Competition - Kedward
The Society for the Advancement of Material and Process Engineering (SAMPE®), an international professional member society, provides a student competition at the annual congress at the end of April or early May. There are several competition categories. Past universities that have competed include Stanford, University of Washington, the US Naval Academy and other prestigious universities. UCSB has competed very strongly with the support of Prof. Kedward and our carbon fiber materials technology. The contest rules should be available in December. (This year we will limit to 2 teams.)
Independent fund raising efforts may be necessary to support travel to the competition.
19. SAMPE Wing Competition - Kedward
The Society for the Advancement of Material and Process Engineering (SAMPE®), an international professional member society, provides a student competition at the annual congress at the end of April or early May. There are several competition categories. Past universities that have competed include Stanford, University of Washington, the US Naval Academy and other prestigious universities. UCSB has competed very strongly with the support of Prof. Kedward and our carbon fiber materials technology. The contest rules should be available in December. (This year we will limit to 2 teams.)
Independent fund raising efforts may be necessary to support travel to the competition.
20. Supermileage Vehicle Competition - Matthys
This project is a collegiate competition sponsored by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE). The Supermileage® competition provides engineering and technology students with a challenging design project that involves the development and construction of a single-person, fuel-efficient vehicle. Vehicles are powered by a small four-cycle engine. Students have the opportunity to set a world fuel economy record and increase public awareness of fuel economy. Engines are donated by Briggs & Stratton. Contest rules are available for review on the SAE website http://students.sae.org/competitions/supermileage/.
This project is a continuation of a project that was started last year. This year’s project will entail understanding the proposed design and improving the performance. It is desired to complete a functional vehicle capable of competition.
This project may include competition in Southern California supported by Shell Oil.
Independent fund raising efforts may be necessary to support travel to the competition.
21. Mini Baja Car Competition - Beltz
This project is a collegiate competition sponsored by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE).The object of the competition is to provide SAE student members with a challenging project that involves the planning and manufacturing tasks found when introducing a new product to the consumer industrial market. Teams compete against one another to have their design accepted for manufacture by a fictitious firm. Students must function as a team to not only design, build, test, promote, and race a vehicle within the limits of the rules, but also to generate financial support for their project and manage their educational priorities.
This project will require outside fund raising. Contest rules are available for review on the SAE website http://students.sae.org/competitions/minibaja/west/.
This project may be limited to a sub-system design in the context of course requirements.
This year’s project will entail understanding the proposed design and improving the performance. It is desired to complete a functional vehicle capable of competition.
Independent fund raising efforts will be necessary to fully support the project needs including travel for the competition.
(This year we will limit to 2 teams.)
22. Solar Powered Demonstration Equipment - EWB - Bothman
Engineers Without Borders - USA (EWB-USA) is a non-profit organization established to help developing areas worldwide with their engineering needs, while involving and training a new kind of internationally responsible engineering student. EWB - USA projects involve the design and construction of water, wastewater, sanitation, energy, and shelter systems.
Solar-electric power is an important part of many of Engineer Without Borders’ projects. Some time ago we developed a very crude solar-power demonstration display which has been very popular. Unfortunately it is very poorly made, so it is difficult to set up. EWB would like to challenge a team of ME189 students to design and build a solar power demonstration with the following features:
• Includes a solar panel, controller and battery that generates electricity during the demonstration.
• Includes an interesting and interactive display of the energy savings offered by fluorescent and LED lighting
• Incorporates a fun game that will attract children to the display
• Is easy to transport, store and set up.
Mechanical Engineering Challenges
• The structure of the demonstration must be light, strong and durable. Furthermore it must integrate several different components. The entire system should be transportable and deployable by one person.
• The structure supporting the solar panel will include a linkage for deployment. The team must decide whether the panel support structure should be part of, or separate from, the rest of the demonstration. The team may want to articulate the panel on the mount to demonstrate the merits of active alignment of solar panels with the sun.
• Engineering safety considerations are very important – the finished product must be kid-friendly. The team is expected to address all issues of mechanical safety and stability. Professional electricians will advise the team on issues related to electrical safety.
This project would be an excellent opportunity for students interested in solar power, and science and technology education. The team will be expected to have a working device ready for EWB’s booth at Earth Day in Santa Barbara during the spring.
23. Zeolite Refrigeration - Bradley
This project is a continuation of a project started last year that demonstrated the feasibility of the concept.
The purpose of this project is to create a refrigeration system in the form of a cooler for medical and perishable food transport in developing, rural areas. Using the energy created by the motor of the vehicle transporting the cooler (or hand power), we will use a vacuum pump to create a constant vacuum. The combination of vacuum pressure and zeolites creates ice and keeps the items at refrigeration temperatures for an extended period of time (several hours).
The system will consist of a cooler chamber with a well insulated outer layer. There will also be an electric or hand powered vacuum pump connected to the system. When using electric pumps, they will require a standard AC car adapter which can be easily found inexpensively at any electronics store.
Currently in Africa they are using a system referred to as the “cold chain” to transport medicine, vaccinations, blood samples and other temperature sensitive items fro rural areas to larger cities and back. This “cold chain” is a series of stops a driver would make to either store the items in a refrigerator temporarily or acquire bags of ice to inefficiently cool the temperature of the items for the amount of time it takes to get to the next link in the chain. Due to the inability to regulate and keep the cooler at a reasonable temperature many samples and necessary medications go bad before they even reach their destinations. This increases in the failure to treat life threatening diseases such as AID’s and the resent outbreak of the Chikungunya virus.
The cooler will need to keep low temperatures for an extended amount of time depending on how far the target areas are from larger cities. Due to the areas that are in need it will need to be well insulated so that heat does not go into the system easily and can maintain the near freezing temperature within the chamber. The cooler will also need to be easily transportable and the set up should be relatively simple.
24. Inexpensive Portable Incubator for Water Quality - Dinh
Summary: According to the World Health Organization, the lack of safe drinking water affects one-in-six people globally, mostly in rural developing communities, and water-related illnesses are the leading cause of human sickness and death. Assisting rural communities to obtain clean water is the objective of the majority of Engineers Without Borders projects. To assess bacteriological contamination in water, an incubator is required perform quantitative tests. Although portable field incubators are commercially available, they are expensive (approximately $1000) and require electricity which is often not available in rural communities. Thus, an inexpensive portable incubator that uses an energy source readily available in rural areas would be in high demand by EWB project teams as well as other organizations working on providing access to clean water. If the incubator is easy to operate, it could also be used by rural communities for routine monitoring of their water source.
Mechanical Engineering Challenge:
• Any energy source required to operate the incubator must be readily available in the field where the electric grid is not accessible.
• The unit must be easily transportable for international travel - robust, lightweight, airline/FAA-approved materials for luggage, and compact but large enough to run a few bacteriological tests at once.
• The incubator must be inexpensive.
• The operating temperature should be variable between 34 C and 41 C.
• During incubation, the temperature must be controlled to be within +/- 1 C of the operating temperature.
• The incubator should be easily operated by someone with little exposure to modern technology.
This project would be an excellent opportunity for students interested in thermosciences, controls, and engineering for developing communities. A successful design is easily marketable to the many EWB chapters and water quality experts working in the field.
25. Micro-fluidic Water Transportation Decontamination - Pennathur
With 1 in 6 people in the world not having access to clean drinking water our group will be developing ground-breaking methods for the purification of water. Specifically, we aim to create a device that will kill harmful microbes in ocean and river water using the photodynamic effect. In order to achieve our goal we will exploit inherent macro and micro phenomenon to determine the most efficient geometries, materials and fabrication techniques needed for the development of a successful device. We are currently exploring the use of micro-fabricated fluidic channels with a large surface area exposed to sunlight to create a useful and portable water purification device. One major consideration in our project includes the optimization of surface area to volume ratio in order to transport a large volume of water quickly while guaranteeing purity.
26. Pipette Tip Loading System - Doyle
This project is proposed by Soil Ecology Lab Manager – Allen Doyle.
The use of pipettes is a common means of controlled or metered fluid dispensing in a lab. Typically this is very repetitive and also requires sterile transfer.
A finished working lab tool or system is needed to load tips from bulk into organized multi-well trays for sterilization and fluid dispensing needs. Automation, correct orientation and placement are required to replace tedious placement by hand.
Students interested in machine design, mechanical systems, and fabricating a finished working system for lab use will find this project challenging.
Allen Doyle is a career scientist in marine chemistry and soil ecology and runs an analytical laboratory in the Department of Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology. While pursuing high quality research he develops methods to conserve time, energy, water, chemicals and plastics. He was trained in Natural Step sustainability workshops fall, 2005, and he was a member of the UCSB sustainability working group from 2004 to 2006, focusing on sustainable food service. He advised Residential and Dining Service's administrators on their produce contracts and low energy appliances. Concurrently he developed a framework for sustainable research. The LARS program and LabRATS network were outgrowths from this initial inspiration. Mr. Doyle supervises the laboratory assessments, providing technical expertise and practical context for conservation breakthroughs in the unique pressures and personalities of academic research.
27. Carbon Foam Thermal Insulation Tile - Yuen
It is desired to explore the development of a home insulation tile using carbon foam matrix saturated with phase change material (PCM).
Carbon foam matrix saturated with phase change material (PCM) has been demonstrated to have potential to be an effective thermal protection material in many applications such as cooling of electronic packages. The objective of this design project is to assess and demonstrate this technology for application to home insulation.
The project team will need to design and fabricate an insulation tile for a typical home insulation application (roof top, wall, etc.) using carbon foam matrix and PCM. The performance of the design, relative to insulation tiles currently available in the market, needs to be demonstrated.
Steve Laguette
Department of Mechanical Engineering
University of California, Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, CA 93106-5070
Tel: 805-893-2652
laguette@engineering.ucsb.edu
