Mechanical Engineering and Mechanics

• MEM-01 Braille Training Device

  Daniella Jose, David Hanna, Lauren Lugones, Stephen Abbate, Rostam Kojouri, Angelo Meissler
  Advisor: Dr. Euisun Kim

  Across the United States today, there is a braille literacy crisis threatening the blind community. The National Federation for the Blind (NFB) reports that only 10% of the population in the blind community is braille literate. This issue is driven by deficiencies in braille education and a decrease in the engineering and creation of accessible and affordable braille technologies. The process of learning braille requires secondary personnel to assist learners in building connections between letters and their braille representation. This reliance on braille educators prevents students from practicing their reading skills independently. This project introduces the development of an interactive braille training device which uses voice commands to actuate braille characters on a single cell display. The solution utilizes a pen latch mechanism triggered using stationary solenoids. An array of six individual braille dots and solenoids are controlled though a pre-defined braille character library where the entire alphabet and single number values have been created. Using an open-source voice recognition engine, the team has allowed for single letter or numeric inputs to the device to be output across the six braille dots. Through a key partnership with VisionLink, a Philadelphia based organization for the blind, this innovative approach to braille learning will allow students to easily learn fundamental braille characters.

• MEM-02 Integrated ShimTM Assembler

  Xin Yue Jocelyn Liu, Maxwell Ralston, Eli Dellston, Luc Maloney
  Advisor: Dr. Andrei Jablokow

  Cancer patients often undergo radiotherapy, which often incorporates a certain thermoplastic face mold. At QFix, the EncompassTM SRS System is a patented patient positioning system, which incorporates the Integrated ShimTM pin assemblies, a crucial assembly component for thermoplastic face molds. This groundbreaking product has grown quickly and labor costs have grown with it. Qfix has been investigating ways to reduce the labor costs of manufacturing the pins. The current procedure at QFix involves assembling the Integrated Shim™ pins completely by hand. With high demand for these pins, the operation of assembly must be automated. The objective of the Integrated ShimTM Assembler is to make the mass production of Integrated ShimTM pins faster. The assembler will utilize both mechanical and Arduino components to semi-automate the production of fully assembled pins. Using two subsystems, the lever-driven push assembly and the rotational system, the assembler will be able to utilize custom-designed seatings for the Integrated ShimTM parts. It will also utilize arduino-controlled components to ensure repeatable construction patterns. The lever mechanism will be based on a slotted couple, integrated into a core shaft for the whole device. The lever subassembly utilizes an internal lever-spring contraption, in order to mechanically connect all Integrated ShimTM parts. The rotational subassembly uses an arduino-driven motor to screw the ferrule component into the number-boss component in the correct orientation for good alignment of all parts. The rotational subsystem operates in a 2-step process: it fully screws the ferrule in, then utilizes a backwards rotation to ensure proper alignment. Through experimentation, the required backwards rotation was found to be roughly 185 counts of the motor’s rotary encoder. After the rotational subassembly finishes aligning the ferrule, the lever-driven push subassembly pushes the pin through the other components to complete the assembly of the Integrated ShimTM pin.

• MEM-03 Escalating Wheelchair Device

  James R. Cox, Andy Wang, Meghan Wickersham, Ryan Won
  Advisor: Dr. Lutfi Agartan and Dr. Jonathan Awerbuch

  Wheelchair users are faced with several challenges every day. One of their biggest challenges is to climb up and down flights of stairs. The market has developed several solutions to this problem by retailing expensive wheelchairs, installing permanent lifts in the home, or creating products that require assistance to operate. These users need a product that is universal, easy to use, and provides a sense of independence. Unfortunately, there is no such product or device that exists on the market. The common issues for available products include the barrier for entry from high product cost and the need for an additional person for assistance in operating the device. However, the main problem for existing products is the large physical footprint of the and weight device in comparison to the size of the wheelchair. The proposed Escalating Wheelchair Device (EWD)’s objective is to expand the market by developing a device which is independent of the need for assistance, home improvements, and which is easy to operate. The EWD will be located under the user’s wheelchair and move the wheelchair up and down stairs using a tread system while keeping the user level to the ground. This product will be easy to assemble after being purchased off the shelf at a fraction of existing product prices. The main difference between the market today and the Escalating Wheelchair Device, is that the market tries to integrate the wheelchair into a device, whereas we aim to integrate the device into a wheelchair.

• MEM-04 Project Title: E-Motorcycle

  Khalil Alibhai, Connor Caizza, Peter Murzin, Jacob Segletes
  Advisor: Prof. Peter Clelland

  Electric Vehicles (EVs) are more sustainable than internal combustion engines (ICEs) because they produce no emissions while powered. Should the EV be charged using renewable energy sources, it would have almost no use phase emissions whatsoever. Similar to how a gas tank stores gas, an EV would have a higher capacity battery to retain electrical charge for a potentially longer drive range. The market for EV cars, trucks and motorcycles has exploded globally in recent years due to technological advances and changes in consumer preferences. Although ICEs have been dominant within the motorcycle community, an EV could offer enhanced performance and other abilities. This is considering the higher torque of electric motors compared to ICEs. Despite the advancement of the market and their potential, EV options remain relatively expensive. The widespread adoption of EVs could be quickened by more economical options and simply with more options available. It is more environmentally friendly to convert existing ICE powered vehicles to EVs. This would reduce the emissions of the gasoline engine, as well as eliminate the need to manufacture another vehicle for a motor, since this is even more pollutant. There are a variety of EV conversion kits or individual components available for sale online for similar prices to purchasing a new engine and associated accessories. For this project, a prototype will be assembled using an electric scooter motor, throttle potentiometer, and DC motor controller.

  MEM-05 Rocket-Glider Radiation Detection System

  Imran Ahmadzai, Austin Ogle, Anthony Truscello, Thomas Visconto, and Michael Woo
  Advisor: Dr. Divya Bhargava

  Even though power plants have been implementing strict protocols to minimize potential safety hazards, the growing need for nuclear energy poses a risk to safety. In case of a mishap, it is imperative to keep the first responders safe by informing them when it is safe to investigate the site. As a result, the need for aerial radiation detection has become increasingly important. Currently, the only way to remotely measure radiation levels at the site of a nuclear accident is to rely on incoming data from within the facility or deploy ground-based radiation rovers. These solutions involve expensive control systems and can take a long time to arrive at their target destination. The rocket glider radiation detection system seeks to address these issues by providing an inexpensive, easy-to-deploy device that can be quickly launched into the air whereupon reaching the desired height will glide down towards the irradiated area.

  Currently, the design team is finishing up the construction of the prototype and getting ready to launch the aircraft to perform test analysis. The physical prototype will be equipped with two wings, three stabilizers, two arm motors (control wing deployment & propulsion system ejection), Arduino boards, and a radiation sensor. To determine the success of the prototype, the goal is to perform several launches to observe the overall aerodynamic performance of the aircraft as well as how quickly the radiation data is uploaded to the central hub. The aircraft is designed to reach the desired altitude (400 ft) in under 15 seconds with a glider flight duration of over 2 minutes and a flight range of 3 kilometers.  The rocket glider will be outfitted with a Geiger counter, allowing the aircraft to begin detecting radiation once at the desired location. Our mission is to improve the detection of radiation levels so that first responders, in the case of a nuclear accident, can quickly and safely investigate the accident.

• MEM-06 Automated Adhesive Dispensing System Project

  Edward Jung, Benjamin Le, Dylan Romig
  Advisor: Dr. Andrei Jablokow

  In manufacturing, performing intricate tasks require time and strain on the operator. However, such tasks can become automated since the basic mechanism at work is advancing computer technology, which automates repetitive tasks. Automation can push people to learn, develop, and refine the uniquely human skills to move up the ladder. But, the replacement of all humans, in the pursuit of increasing productivity remains a dilemma that can result in extensive problems.

  Based on experience and observations, the manual operation of a glue syringe creates waste through overfilling, time, taking away from the productivity of a manufacturing cell. The continuation of this process in this current state will continue to cause the loss of value and time to Eaton.

  The needs and wants of Eaton are to increase the productivity of the human operator coupled with increasing the efficiency of the gluing process. To accomplish this, the gripper/dispenser head was changed to require only a small block of aluminum, as opposed to a larger bulkier aluminum plate. Furthermore, an additional approach involved incorporating a laser sensor to monitor the adhesive dispensing accurately. The syringe was attached to the aluminum block via a 3D-Printed clamping fixture and tested using the vacuum pump. Lastly, the final phase was to program the cobot while using its interface to integrate a collaborative aspect of automation.

  Working side by side, the process will see major improvements in output and productivity, while reducing the strain on the human operator.

• MEM-07 Pin-Tract Infection Device

  Matthew Acates, Brendan Holtzman, Muhammad Meajun, Briana Heintzelman, David Armbruster
  Advisor: Dr. Atchison

  Orthopedic implants have made it possible to rectify bone fractures and treat joint degenerative inflammatory problems in millions of patients. Pin-tract infections are a common complication associated with orthopedic temporary and definitive fixation implants. Bacterial infections in external orthopedic implants cause a myriad of issues for patients such as periostitis and osteomyelitis. Due to the difficulty of treating bacterial biofilm forming around the metal surface of the orthopedic fixture, medical professionals are often left overprescribing medication to treat the infection with little success. The Depuy research project aims to solve this issue by utilizing cathodic voltage-controlled electrical stimulations through an external electronic device using a controlled ultra-low DC voltage current to kill existing bacteria found around pin-tract skin tissue. This project will demonstrate the device’s capability of pushing electrons, produced by the circuity, into the pin tract site while also varying the current accordingly to account for changes in resistive impedance of the skin caused by bacterial infection. The implant component of the design will use stainless steel pins acting as the cathode for current delivery into the surrounding tissue. Electrons provided by the electronic device will inhibit bacterial infections by creating holes in the cell’s membrane allowing molecules to leave the cell killing off any bacteria found on or around the pin-tract site. The design of the electronic device serves as a good steppingstone using renewable circuit elements and little expenditure in energy use, which will help keep costs low in the healthcare field and reduce morbidity of patients. 

• MEM-08 Beverage Evaluation, Extraction, and Retrieval Robot (BEERbot)

  Joseph Aach, Brandon Kintish, Harvey Mei, Evan Thai
  Advisor: Dr. Jennifer Atchison and Dr. Matthew Maltese

  Consumer household robotics is a rapidly expanding market that is predicted to be valued at $8.5 billion by 2025. As this market continues to evolve, the demand for robots that can perform household activities with autonomy is exponentially increasing. Because of this growing market, more accessible robotics technology makes the development of robots for use in household tasks and delivery achievable while also reducing these robots’ price points.

  Primarily, non-industrial robotics have been implemented in commercial sectors, such as restaurants and warehouses, where it represents an avenue for efficiency. However, many areas in the household robotics market, such as beverage service and delivery, have only a few expensive technologies which present a strong market potential based on stakeholder surveys conducted. The BEERbot is a ground-up development of a robot consisting of a differential drive base and a four-joint arm manipulator with a gripper, controlled by microprocessors and microcontrollers. Servomotors move the arm with four degrees of freedom and actuate a gripper, which is used for beverage retrieval. Encoded DC motors are utilized to power and control the differential drive system in two degrees of freedom. This robot will use object detection and recognition software paired with a 360-degree LiDAR sensor for beverage detection, navigation, and mapping. The use of powerful, open-source software, such as Robot Operating System (ROS), TensorRT, and PyTorch, minimize consumer cost and situates the device as a domestic robot. BEERbot will serve as another steppingstone for the future of affordable and highly usable domestic robotics.

• MEM-09 Foldable and Expandable (F&E) Truck Camper

  Aaron Fitch, Althea Masuda, Hafsa Mohammed, Sung Pae
  Advisor: Dr. Dimitrios Fafalis

  More than 40 million people partake in camping activities each year, in the United States. As the popularity of recreational activity continues to grow, the diversity of camping types increases. RV and van camping allows both non-experienced and experienced campers to customize their trip to the fullest extent, along with increasing the capacity of items to take along on any duration of a trip. Truck campers currently on the market are bulky, reducing the user’s gas mileage and limiting the overall maneuverability of the vehicle. Designing a foldable and expandable camper for compact pickup trucks can rival modern truck campers in terms of price and accessibility, while simultaneously improving gas mileage and increasing adherence to standard vehicle height restrictions.

  The F&E truck camper will be designed to comfortably sleep two adults when fully expanded and easily fit in a standard garage-sized spot. The full-scale virtual model allows for structural stress analyses for the independent mechanisms. Aerodynamic analysis will also be conducted through the use of computational fluid dynamics by comparing flow simulation with and without the camper present. A scaled physical prototype models the three mechanisms used for the truck camper which includes a nested inner shell which expands backwards, an upper portion that lifts with two supports, and a pop up tent on the roof of the camper. The scaled prototype build is near completion with current project efforts focusing on the full-scale model testing.

• MEM-10 Sanitary Pad Manufacturing Machine

  Dawn Kroptavich, Jordan Irgang, Sandeep Sharma, Sanjog Karki
  Advisor: Dr. Jennifer Atchison and Dr. Mahabir Pun (National Innovation Center)

  Menstruation is a taboo subject in Nepal, and many women face ostracization during their periods. The majority of the sanitary pads used in Nepal are imported and undergo heavy taxation, while those that are domestically produced have limited availability due to the absence of automated manufacturing processes. These factors limit the availability of sanitary pads for women in remote areas of Nepal. Consequently, women resort to improvising with cloth pads and rags. Without reliable access to soap and clean water, this method dramatically increases the risk of skin irritation and life-threatening infections. The EasyPad team has designed and is prototyping a semi-automatic modular manufacturing machine with capacity to produce ten pads a minute. The knowledge and the technology are to be shared with the National Innovation Center in Nepal through a ‘Technology Transfer’ document to allow the Nepali team to re-create and mass produce the pad making machine for distribution across Nepal. The Easy Pad team has completed the procurement of about 85% of the materials required for the project and has completed about 40% of prototyping which includes building the frame and assembling electronic components.

• MEM-11 Hybrid Fluid Turbine Motor Network

  Michael Foster, Anthony Lombardo, Nicholas Dewey, Zachary Sinclair Riley McCarthy
  Advisor: Dr. Young Cho

  Energy production using turbine connected electrical generators has been the main driver of industrialization since the late 1800s, but also drives the largest sector of heat and pollution emissions driving climate change. Throughout this development, machines in use have seen various improvement in construction, impeller methodology, and maintenance of magnetic and electrical fields but overall have maintained the same typical methods for energy extraction reliant on maximizing the pressure loss at low velocity to minimize stress on impacting blades. In our designs we have used a method of impelling first developed by Nikola Tesla that fell into obscurity following the bankruptcy of his plans for a power radio station at Wharncliffe that allows for a low pressure loss instead getting its energy from velocity reduction due to viscous drag and combined the system with newly developed axial flux motor technology to attempt energy harvesting at high frequency which has routinely been shown to require less torque than low frequency machines for the same load current. With this method, it is our hope to implement these designs in locations which already maintain a pressure head for the driving of fluid motion to extract energy that would otherwise go unused in vehicles and other areas. The proof of functionality of the turbine-motor network through analytical work as well as can help us determine the tensile strength and percent elongation of the materials used. These calculations can help to determine the turbine’s interfacing capabilities with that of coils found in the motor network.

• MEM-12 Re-Live Shoes

  Sezgi Kocagoz, Morgan Peterson, Wayne Rodgers, Reilly Finegan, Huyen Nguyen
  Advisor: Dr. Dimitrios Fafalis

  CDC (Centers for Disease Control) statistics state approximately 36 million 65 and older adults fall each year and 67% of the falls are due to elderly tripping. This statistic leads to 32,000 deaths, and one in five will suffer from injuries such as broken bones and head trauma. Most footwear manufacturers mass-produce and deliver products to the public without comprehension of individual needs and deformities. Additionally, manufacturers most often limit customization to only one aspect of the shoe design. Re-Live Shoe’s intent is to introduce customizable sizing features through capturing a 3-D Foot scan to determine the precise measurements and distinctions of the client’s feet anatomy to construct a well-fitted pair to decrease the rate of injuries. The Re-Live shoe material will integrate a 3-D printed TPU (thermoplastic polyurethane) design that is assembled to support motion, impact, and promote sustainability. To ensure the customer’s safety and comfort, the 3-D shoe assembly will undergo FEA (Finite Element Analysis) to analyze prime specifications. Once the FEA guarantees an adequate safety factor then the 3-D model assembly will be 3-D printed and tested further. By this, the Re-Live shoe will differ from the market today by providing older adults a customizable safe design to reduce the risk of injuries and maximize comfort.

• MEM-13 Artificial Sunlight Window

  Khalil Wise, Nicholas Nyarko, Alex Tyagi, Michael Breeding, Ryan Schrier
  Advisor: Dr. Jennifer Atchison

  Circadian lighting systems are designed to mimic the behavior of the sun by changing the color temperature, intensity, and position of the light throughout the day. These systems involve a combination of natural light and controllable light fixtures hooked up to a building automation system. Research has proven that a healthy circadian rhythm improves mental and physical health, energy, and mood throughout the day. Unfortunately, most commercial buildings are equipped with white lights that work against your body’s naturally occurring circadian rhythm. Common office lights do not output the wavelengths needed for your eyes to send the signal to your brain that the time of day is changing. The Artificial Sunlight Window Project’s objective is to create a light fixture capable of outputting circadian lighting in spaces with no access to natural sunlight. The team’s solution takes inspiration from previous incarnations of sunlight windows but offers creative solutions such as color correction gel to change the temperature of the sun and color changing light strips to simulate the blue sky. To mimic the sun, a primary light will shine through the color correction gel towards the diffuser and out into the room. Testing showed that different thicknesses of color correction gel allowed for the lighting color temperature to be controlled to mimic the sun’s changing color temperature. The design will be scalable so that larger fixtures can be made once the prototype has been successfully built.

• MEM-14 Project: Virtual Reality Module of a Wind Tunnel Experiment

  Mitchell Eckrote, Enrique Feliciano, Julian Foley, James Nicholson, Malcolm Ximines
  Advisor: Dr. Lutfi Agartan

  Working in a lab, collecting data, and applying theory are crucial parts of STEM education in the 21st century. This in-person experience helps students better understand concepts taught in the classroom. Outside resources state that the incorporation of hands-on learning is essential to the learning experience. Drexel University’s College of Engineering currently offers in-person laboratories but has not yet replicated an experience within a virtual environment. During the Covid-19 pandemic, lab access has become nearly impossible due to various university restrictions. As a result, the lack of hands-on experience has stifled some students’ passion and understanding of fundamental engineering concepts. This created an opportunity to develop virtual labs to offer a hands-on experience to be integrated into Drexel’s engineering curriculum. This paper introduces the Unreal Engine-based virtual reality model of the MEM 311 wind tunnel experiment. Unreal Engine enables the user to interact with the virtual model, complete the lab procedure, and collect data as if they are in the physical lab environment. Using a large data set collected from this experiment under a wide range of conditions, mathematical models and neural networks are embedded within the Unreal Engine simulation to replicate in-person results. Two mathematical models utilize regression methods that emulate the system’s behaviors based on previously collected data. Another method utilizes neural networks to find complex relationships between the inputs and output. This virtual laboratory environment will serve as means to not only replicate hands-on lab experiences, but also refresh students’ enthusiasm for learning in a virtual space.

  MEM-15 Modular Hydroponics System

  Brett Flory, Jason Applegate, Joe Dimen, Wookun Jeon
  Advisor: Dr. Young Cho

  Hydroponics is a rapidly growing form of agriculture due to its highly efficient usage of water and space. Hydroponic systems also allow for the control of environmental factors which increase crop growth, and they can be utilized in areas where traditional agriculture is impossible. The most common issues that are holding back hydroponics from replacing traditional agricultural methods is power usage, maintenance issues, and plant health. Hydroponic systems are often prone to system failures, bacteria growth, and plant disease that lead to crop death. To prevent this frequent and rigorous inspections are needed. Our senior design project addresses these issues with a modular system that can easily be monitored remotely and taken apart for maintenance without disrupting the plants' nutrient cycles. The design consists of a main housing unit, a nutrient reservoir, and interchangeable planter boxes. The planter boxes can be quickly swapped out to replace defective parts or to offer different forms of hydroponics. Sensors are utilized to collect metrics such as feed pressures, light levels, and water pH to remotely detect errors and control the plants’ environment.

  The modular design also allows for the system to be scaled based on the needs of the customer. This could vary from a small unit used for residential use, to large units used for mass food production or research purposes. Our modular hydroponics design could be the answer to food production issues by allowing individuals to grow food more efficiently in confined spaces.

  MEM-16 Remote Weather Balloon

  Benjamin Conroy, Jessica Huber, Olaf Nelson, Jonathan Rios
  Advisor: Dr. Divya Bhargava

  Alaskan bush pilots, who operate in remote areas and harsh environments, are often forced to use incomplete or unreliable weather data to decide whether it is safe to take off. According to the CDC, aircraft crashes due to severe weather were the second leading cause of occupational death in the state. In 2010, the Alaskan aviation community came together and identified access to weather information as one of six vital safety concerns requiring improvement. Given the data collected by the CDC, and feedback from the aviation community, we were highly motivated to address this issue.

  This project aims to allay the community’s concerns with a weather balloon device for pilots to deploy into the sky and gather key weather data. This weather balloon will ascend to 5,000 feet of elevation and record atmospheric weather data such as pressure, temperature, humidity, and wind speed to inform pilots’ take off decisions. Lightweight and highly portable, our system will improve the safety of flight for Alaskan pilots.

  We plan to perform field tests with our remote weather balloon system in the coming days. Our team is currently in the process of assembling our ordered components, and we have prepared our tank with the helium needed to fill our balloon. We hope to decide upon and finalize the ideal test location this week, and begin trail runs to record our performance data.

• MEM-17 Design & Manufacturing of a Precision-Agricultural Drone

  Anthony Schrayer, Austin Squillace, Blake Cleland, Brian McKitish
  Advisor: Dr. Antonios Kontsos

  The purpose of MEM17’s project is to create the layout and design of a precision- agricultural drone. Similar drones in the market aim to satisfy larger corporate sized farms and do not provide the option for customizable design to meet a range of agricultural needs. Overall, the precision-agriculture drone industry is rapidly expanding as part of the developing trend of automating and digitalizing this important market sector. While precision drones provide a cheaper alternative, for example to overhead crop dusters, there are related design needs that could drive further developments. Our market analysis has shown a need to support small farming which is typically dedicated to targeted crops of higher economic output. To meet this goal, the project aims to design and manufacture a prototype of a scalable and customizable precision- agriculture drone which can address some of the current market needs. The features that will differentiate us from other competitors include customizable spraying capabilities, and design suited for optimized use in small farms. The manufactured prototype will be tested for its effectiveness while a product life management plan will provide the roadmap to achieve scalability and customizability. The product is currently being manufactured with on-the-market components as well as 3D printed parts for structural support, and results are expected to be reported after construction concludes.

• MEM-18 Sensorized Football Helmet

  Anthony Casterioto, Laurynn Boissonniere, Ethan Mawhinney, Douglas Yim, Xiaokai Zhong and Dr.
  Advisor: Dr. Bor-Chin Chang

  Football helmets are one of the most essential pieces of equipment when playing football since they reduce the risk of a player experiencing a brain injury. Although physical injuries can still be serious, brain injuries are significantly more dangerous considering they can jeopardize an athlete’s long-term health. As the years progress, helmet companies are continually improving the quality of their helmets and football leagues are implementing new rules to minimize the chances of a player experiencing a head injury. Despite this, the actual diagnosis of a concussion on a player is unreliable, especially considering the severity of the injury. Other than the player self-reporting their symptoms, the only other method to spot a concussion is through those observing on the sidelines, which is very questionable and can be overlooked at times. The Sensorized Football Helmet’s goal is to provide an extra layer of protection to the player by monitoring the magnitude of the g-forces exerted on the helmet. This will be done by utilizing several Flexiforce A401 FSR sensors and LilyPad Arduinos. Additionally, the helmet will provide the ability to pinpoint which area of the head was impacted along with the direction of the force. Depending on the location, when the magnitude of the g-force reaches a threshold for a concussion, the player will be flagged to be taken out of the game and will be given a concussion test. These Sensorized Football Helmets will be the next step in improving player safety.

• MEM-19 Single Point Rifle Sling Mount

  Michael Bonto, Samuel Cressman, Brandon Ronquillo
  Advisor: Dr. Dimitrios Fafalis

  Rifle slings are an important piece of gear when it comes to improving combat functionality and user comfort for soldiers in the Army. Slings are attached to a standard military rifle via a sling mount and allow the user to conveniently carry the rifle hands free. A single point sling is attached to one mount on the rifle. The typical single point sling mount requires the disassembly of the buffer tube, which is held in place via a castle nut. Unfortunately, the Army specifications for the standard military rifle – the M4 carbine, require the castle nut to be staked. Due to this restriction, the castle nut cannot be removed. Therefore, it also prevents the attachment of a standard single point sling mount. This project focuses on working around the military restriction of a staked castle nut. The sling mount is designed to be attached and detached while the castle nut is still staked. This feature will allow it to be compatible with the military M4 rifle platform as well as the civilian AR15 rifle platform. The single point sling mount design was 3D modeled through SOLIDWORKS. Following this, Ansys was used to test the limits of the design. It was used for finite element analysis, thermal stress testing, and material selection. The final prototype was then machined out of 6061 Aluminum.

• MEM-20 Collapsible Rescue Operations Chassis (C.R.O.C.)

  Thomas Austin, Emily Morlock, Eric Radloff, Ryan Schmidt
  Advisor: Prof. Peter Clelland

  Storage of small aquatic vessels on land has necessitated the design of devices that allow these vessels to be transported over land. The most common existing solutions to this problem are trailers and vessels with built-in drivetrains (amphibious boats). While effective, both solutions have limitations that prevent them from working in all applications. Trailers must be towed by a truck, meaning that the land being traversed must be easily accessible, and amphibious boats are an entire system, making them cost prohibitively expensive for anyone who already owns a boat. One such owner of an aquatic vessel is the Montgomery Township Volunteer Fire Company (MTVFC). As part of their responsibilities, MTVFC performs water rescues that require them to be able to traverse sections of land surrounded by flood waters. The MTVFC needs a rapidly deployable system to help transport the boat over land with minimal equipment and assistance. The objective of the CROC project is to build a lightweight, collapsible frame used to transport their rescue boat over land in a rescue situation. The system design is now complete and is in the early stages of the build process. The device will be able to support the weight of the boat, motor, equipment, and one person. To ensure a prompt rescue, the CROC will be capable of being assembled in under two minutes and collapsed down to fit within the boat. A hollow aluminum frame is being used to keep weight as low as possible, as excess weight will prove more laborious for personnel. A successful build will reduce response time, cause little to no effect on the boat, and ease rescue personnel’s responsibilities.

• MEM-21 Can Extractor for Ball Metalpack

  Inal Aslanukov, Ali Elzahri, Rhys Kawaguchi, Pavlo Mrdjenovic, Tenzin Wangdak
  Advisor: Dr. Andrei Jablokow and Johnathan Bejuki (Ball Metalpack)

  Ball Metalpack one of the leading suppliers of sustainable metal packaging for food and household products and the largest aerosol manufacturer in North America. Quality assurance checks are essential for can production, one of which occurs after attaching the base and head to the body of the can. Currently, cans are extracted from the production line manually which requires interruption of the high-speed process. Unfortunately, production numbers are partly limited by the current quality assurance check method as the production line speed must be significant reduced or even halted in order to manually extract the cans for quality assurance. Can productivity could be improved if the process of diverting the cans for inspection was able to be performed without halting the line. The Can Extractor Project’s objective is to increase the can production numbers by reducing downtime while the production line is at a standstill. This project will allow Ball Metalpack’s can manufacturing plant to maximize their production numbers and consequently increase company revenue by developing an electromagnetic device to divert cans seamlessly from the production line. The practicality of an electromagnetic can diversion process from the high-speed production line has been verified in practice since a similar device is used in a different stage of the manufacturing process. The electromagnetic can diverter will improve production, increase revenue, and decrease labor costs.

• MEM-22 Drexel’s FSAE EV 21’ Car Suspension Design, Manufacturing, and Testing

  Jason Abraham, Dominic Bosco, Joshua Foland, Tracy Liu, Aidan Rovinsky
  Advisor: Dr. Antonios Kontsos

  Drexel’s Formula Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) electric team competes in a yearly competition where collegiate student teams design, manufacture, and race a single-seater formula-style race car. A major component of the car is the suspension system. The suspension system controls the movement of the four tires in such a way that the lateral and longitudinal grip of those tires is maximized. This system was determined to be insufficiently developed due to COVID-19 related campus shut downs as compared to the corresponding system used in the 2019 competition. Consequently, the team has no validated design on which to base current and future needs. To create such a design, the objective of our senior project is to design, manufacture, and test the suspension system for the 2021 car. We will accomplish this by learning the fundamentals of suspension design, designing our solution according to challenge requirements, manufacturing our suspension system, and then testing it on the 2021 car. Our group will use digital design software for designing the suspension components while also modeling the suspension system dynamics with a comprehensive and a simplified control model. The DREV 21 car suspension system and its documentation will allow future teams to iterate and improve on its design to maximize the grip of the car.

• MEM-23 Drexel Robotic Optical Positioning System (DROPS)

  Jared Bunch, James Heinzman, Liam Heisler, Connor Silvia, Ryan Zegarski
  Advisor: Dr. Ajmal Yousuff, Zakiya Tomlinson (NExIS), Justin Cassidy (NExIS)

  NASA’s Exploration and In-Space Services (NExIS) located at the Goddard Spaceflight Center in Maryland specializes in the development of various in-orbit platforms that support in-space assembly and maintenance of equipment. NExIS has a need to develop a visual alignment aid for their On-Orbit, Assembly and Manufacturing - 1 (OSAM-1) mission servicer with the objective of assembling a solar panel array in low earth orbit (LEO). The current system in place utilizes a human robot operator who orients the servicer using visual inspection of surroundings and makes adjustments manually as pieces are assembled. A system that has not yet been utilized in the series of OSAM missions is automatic position and orientation measuring. The ability to obtain the location of the robotic arm during the mission would greatly reduce the overall mission time thus elevating system efficiency, by yielding coordinates that may be used to complete the assembly process. The Drexel Robotic Optical Positioning System (DROPS) team addressed this issue by constructing a multi-faced deployable object coupled with a visual recognition algorithm capable of taking field of view from the camera as inputs and computing spatial and angular orientation with respect to the center panel, which was treated as the origin. The vision alignment problem was addressed via two side-by-side approaches: analytical (utilizing homography theory in computations) and physical test. Design validation for this project is on the basis that these two solution avenues agree and each successfully compute positional and angular relations of the servicer’s robot arm.

• MEM-24 PV Plus Storage for Increased Resilience - Department of Energy - Solar District Cup

  August Pendergast, Kieran Van Sant, Cassandra Pezza, Salvatore Anderson
  Advisor: Prof. Peter Clelland

  Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is globally recognized as a leading research center for chemistry, data analytics and earth sciences. Research of this caliber often requires continuous experimental procedures. However, the vital data collected by these experiments require intensive equipment which can be disrupted by utility outages. The campus has a goal of reaching more resilient, energy-independence from the grid as part of its sustainability plan. Providing a source of power outside of the grid will provide continuous energy during outages. PNNL can also use data collection from this system as a research asset, measuring progress towards emission reduction and energy resilience for the Department of Energy Fortunately, this issue can be solved with the implementation of a stable photovoltaic (PV) system with battery storage to help sustain PNNL’s vital research operations during critical moments without power. Storing zero-emission solar energy by battery charging provides the laboratory continuous energy overnight and through grid outages. The battery systems were designed to meet 25% of the peak threshold for the ride-through duration requirements for each building. PNNL can maintain vital operations by installing PV systems in two key areas of their campus. In the north section of campus, two buildings will connect to a battery system with at least 900 usable kWh capacity. In the south section, three buildings will be connected to a battery system with 3,200 usable kWh capacity. These sized systems will ensure that the critical loads are powered for ride through durations of up to six hours.

• MEM-25 Oil Detection Device

  Isabel Bonilla, Nelli Khalatyan
  Advisor: Dr. Andrei Jablokow

  Water pollution due to contaminants is an underlying issue within the United States. Oil is composed of benzene rings, the simplest form of aromatic compounds. They are carcinogens with strict controls and regulations on them due to their toxicity to humans and the surrounding ecosystem.

  Fluorescent technology is one effective form of detecting oil. Fluorescence is a type of luminescence caused by photons exciting a molecule, raising its electrons to an excited state.

  Currently, there are many different applications of fluorescent technology such as polarized imaging and biosensors. Many individuals are not exposed to such technology until having to use it in the field. This creates a disconnect between understanding the technology, and how it works, and simply following instructions to collect data.

  The purpose of this project is to allow for the individuals to be exposed to this information before field work. The team will create a class that introduces fluorescent technology, specifically Fluorescence Spectroscopy, in both theoretical and mathematical explanations. The class will be focused on how and why Fluorescent Spectroscopy can detect oil while also introducing students to existing technology currently in the field.

• MEM-26 Sustainable Lunar Surveillance Rover (S.L.S.R)

  Eunsung Han, Jimmy Huang, Ian Lawton, Nicholas Lombardo, Andy Wang
  Advisor: Dr. Ajmal Yousuff

  Transporting materials from Earth to the Moon is expensive, takes a lot of time, and burns tons of fuel. Inhabitants of the Moon will instead have to implement methods for collecting, processing, and storing local materials. This process is referred to as in-situ resource utilization (ISRU). The lunar regolith is abundant with metals that can be processed and later used to manufacture products.

  The collection of local materials has been studied extensively, but information on processing and then manufacturing has only gone as far as creating habitats on the Moon. Excavation and surveillance of the lunar surface will require rovers sent from Earth. What if people could build rovers out of materials on the lunar surface?

  The SLSR project’s objective is to design a 3D-printed surveillance rover manufactured using local lunar materials. The structural components of the rover will be comprised of aluminum extracted from regolith through the process of powder metallurgy and manufactured using direct metal laser sintering 3D printers. The SLSR will be the steppingstone to the creation of a workshop that can create rovers with different purposes out of local resources. The physical prototype of the SLSR will be 86% 3D printable by mass. MEM26 is currently programming and assembling parts to begin testing the capabilities of the rover. The team plans to simulate situations that the SLSR will be disposed to on the Moon over this last term. The simulation will involve testing traversal and surveillance capabilities, as well as obstruction avoidance/perseverance.

• MEM-27 Hydrothermal Vent Metal Collector

  Connor Carvin, Andrew Li, Abhi Patel, Ivan Yu, Vicki Zhuo
  Advisor: Dr. Antonios Kontsos

  Hydrothermal Vents (HVs) are openings in the ocean floor at depths of 2000 meters or greater that output heated mineral-rich fluids which often contain rare-earth metals (REMs). REMs are critical components in most electronic devices and renewable energy applications and therefore they are currently a high demand commodity, as also demonstrated by the recent rise of demand during the COVID pandemic. Currently, some common methods of mining REMS include open- pit and seabed mining. Unfortunately, these methods of mining disrupt and destroy natural habitats and ecosystems. In this context, HVs could be leveraged to supplement or even completely replace current destructive mining techniques, allowing to tap into mostly underutilized resources. The main objective of our Senior Design project is to design and manufacture a scaled-down prototype of a HV collector. The proposed prototype will be designed with a filtration system capable of collecting particles larger than 0.5 μm while being designed to sustain the harsh environment near actual ocean floors. Collected particles will be filtered into an appropriate container. This collected mass will then be needed to be transferred via a slurry pump to another carrier, similar to marine vessels on the ocean’s surface in the envisioned real-life implementation of our prototype. Feasibility of the prototype development has been partially tested through submarines and related instruments, however a system like the one proposed has not been reported yet. The team has proceeded with fabrication of the prototype. Preliminary tests of the filter and water-tight seals proves design concepts.

• MEM-28 Bio-Inspired Lunar Rover

  Helena Carlos, Sihah Joonhigh, Kristopher Lopez, Kaley Nhu, Darius Olega
  Advisor: Dr. Ajmal Yousuff

  Rovers play an essential role in space exploration by providing valuable information to scientists on the environments of celestial bodies. These teleoperated vehicles grant researchers the opportunity to explore the unknown without enduring its harsh environments. However, traditional wheeled rovers have limited capabilities in navigating complex terrain on the moon, including slopes greater than 30 degrees, icy and rocky areas, and smaller confined spaces.

  Other forms of locomotion, such as articulated leg movement and compliant end-effectors, can provide capability to traverse extreme environments. The Bio-Inspired Lunar Rover is an omnidirectional six-legged robot with three degrees of freedom on each leg to test the functionality and effectiveness of three types of end-effector designs to counter extreme lunar terrains; the hexapod leg arrangement increases maneuverability navigating slopes. The alternative locomotive mechanisms demonstrate compliant characteristics from animals known for being excellent climbers, including arthropods and mammals. The first end-effector features a 3D-printed umbrella mechanism that deploys a canopy to increase the footprint and provide greater weight distribution and traction. Another incorporates non-slip paw-like structure, using neoprene to brace the rocky lunar environment through shape adaptation by increasing grasp surface area while ensuring stability by dampening impact forces. The final mechanism mimics mountain-goat hooves by transforming vertical forces into horizontal using a system of springs as the body climbs steep slopes and icy terrains. Further testing will be conducted to verify whether end-effectors that provide greater surface area will demonstrate a more stable walking gait as well as higher slip resistance throughout harsh environments.

• MEM-29 Floating System Concept for Flooded Cars

  An Nguyen, Yuanzhe Zhu, William Zhang, Khoi Hoang
  Advisor: Dr. Ahmad Najafi

  Car safety has been one of the most important fields in automobile designs, from simple innovations like seatbelts to more complex designs like crumple zones. One of the less common, yet recognizable threats to any car owners is car flooding, either due to natural (heavy storms) or human causes (drunk driving, poor bridges, etc.). With the growth of self-driving cars and climate change, a solution may be more needed than ever. Unfortunately, there have not been effective solutions with the most common being escaping techniques from a sinking car instead of a safety mechanism. There have been researches into assisting escape attempts that still relies much on the passengers or preventing the vehicle from sinking which complicates automation mechanisms. Our goal is to combine the detection system of the former and the airbags-raft system of the latter and evaluate the feasibility of the merged system with the idea of complementing the issues of both. The design generally includes electronic sensors and a pneumatic airbags system. A water sensor ensures the flooding condition is met, while a gyroscope ensures the vehicle is correctly oriented for the passenger’s safety. A 5-panel section airbags system is used to provide buoyancy. Using a small-scale prototype, it shows that the system works in theory with a high success rate, provided the everything behaves within expectation. However, there are still many problems that could appear when applying to real-life including vehicle behaviors, balance shifts, material costs, etc. that would hinder the practicality of the design.

• MEM-30 Adjustable Barbell

  Evan Lineman, Daniel Khademi, Jack Ehrich, Marcelo Ozuna
  Advisor: Dr. Jennifer Atchison

  Barbells are common exercise equipment utilized in gym environments. A barbell consists of an elongated shaft that supports weight plates on both ends. Exercises focus on working multiple muscle groups on both sides of the body. Barbells require the use of loading and unloading heavy plates so users can exercise with the appropriate resistance. Currently, there is no design approach to reduce the amount of unnecessary stress and strain caused by loading weight onto a barbell prior to a workout. A barbell’s ease of use could be improved by introducing an adjustable system for loading and unloading weight plates to the shaft. Similar mechanisms are already utilized in smaller exercise equipment such as dumbbells. The Adjustable Barbell’s objective is to increase the user-friendliness of the barbell by implementing an adjustable weight system that reduces loading time and unnecessary stress and strain that could result in injury. The project will focus on the design and build of a prototype barbell system that when implemented with adjustable components, will allow users to easily load and unload weight onto the barbell shaft, as compared to a barbell utilizing fixed weights loaded onto the ends of the barbell shaft. The Adjustable Barbell will use a slotted weight and key design to secure weights on the shaft. This project is committed to enhancing the exercise experience so that all gym-goers of varying skill levels will be comfortable utilizing the design to improve their health.

• MEM-31 Autonomous Mecanum Wheel Open-Source Robot (A.M.W.O.S.R.)

  Daniel Belote, Tom Huang, Thomas Juhas, Chad Ross
  Advisor: Dr. Bor-Chin Chang

  Autonomous robots have allowed companies to run more efficient operations by automating repetitive tasks, such as moving products within warehouses. After purchasing an autonomous robot, the buyer can use it for any number of purposes, such as in cleaning and logistics environments. The autonomous robot senses the environment using cameras and other sensors and then performs tasks through programs like Arduino and Python. However, current autonomous robots are limited by high costs and limited maneuverability. These two drawbacks can be addressed by making the robot open source and by using a different steering system. The robot’s objective is to expand upon the ability to maneuver in tight spaces while being able to map out an environment that will roam around efficiently. This project will demonstrate the ability of Mecanum wheels to improve the maneuverability of the robot in tight spaces. The robot itself features time of flight sensors to avoid obstacles and measure distance while the robot drives around. The robot’s autonomous nature will allow for efficient scalability as it can avoid other variants of itself throughout a region.

• MEM-32 Electric Motor Attachment for Manual Wheelchairs

  Frank Tiesi, Alex Zingani, Bryant Le, Anthony Sordini
  Advisor: Dr. Lutfi Agartan

  A wheelchair is an essential piece of equipment for those with disabilities, as it supplies mobility and ensures a better quality of life. It is also essential for healthcare workers who use them to move immobilized patients in the hospital. Wheelchairs often come in two forms – manual and electric. Both options supply value, but there has been a rise in demand for electric wheelchairs in recent years, as manual wheelchairs can be physically taxing on the user. Unfortunately, electric wheelchairs present their own problems as well. Given their bulky size and weight, transporting an electric wheelchair is an arduous process, and maneuvering in tight spaces is exceedingly difficult. They also come with a hefty price tag. The lives of those with disabilities can be improved if there was a way to reap the benefits of an electric wheelchair without the negative consequences. This project aims to create an electric motor attachment for manual wheelchairs, which would allow people to easily convert any manual wheelchair into an electric powered wheelchair at a low cost. The design will feature a substructure that includes a battery pack, two brushed DC motors, and two wheels to move the wheelchair. This substructure is attached beneath the wheelchair within the original dimensions of the chair, adding no extra bulk. The user will be able to control the speed and direction of the wheelchair via a joystick. With this design, users will be able to reap the benefits of an electric wheelchair on their own manual wheelchair.

• MEM-33 Automated Pharmaceutical Prescription Systems (A.P.P.S.)

  Gwyn Godin, Adam Nork, Jonah Roberts, Michael Webster
  Advisor: Dr. Bor-Chin Chang

  Medication prescriptions are essential to continuing treatment of an ailment outside the supervision of medical professionals. Pharmacists currently fulfill these prescriptions by hand, with a total of 4.69 billion prescriptions filled in the last year, which is projected to increase every year. Unfortunately, since prescriptions are all fulfilled by hand, human-caused errors in the fulfillment process may occur, leading to approximately 15% of patients receiving the incorrect dosage. This can be deadly as stronger and more potent medications are prescribed. Large, corporate run pharmacies fulfill up to 93% of all prescriptions with a limit on the time pharmacists have to fulfill the order, leading to fatigue and more human errors. The APPS project aims to merge this basic fulfillment process with automation to minimize the potential for human related errors. This project shows proof of concept of automation within the pharmacy setting with scalable technology by expanding on similar technology currently focused on individual, at-home medication dispensing systems. Within the housing of the APPS, three Solid System Designs (SSD) custom made pill gears work to dispense a precise amount of medication. Originally, the APPS project intended to incorporate a three-geared Liquid System Designs (LSD), but decided to forgo this option and focus on the solid system design. Arduino-based controllers work as the central brain for the APPS, operating the motors for their respective systems allowing for independent operation of each. An integrated mobile device app works as a user-friendly interface to allow for prescription fulfillment from anywhere in the pharmacy.

• MEM-34 Electric Mini-Truck

  Ethan Selvaggio, Michael Pirylis, William Rosen, Ian Beach
  Advisor: Dr. Dimitrios Fafalis

  Nowadays, the working class all around the world, most commonly in Asia, use gasoline powered Kei trucks and cars to transport materials, supplies, and people around major cities and farmlands. First introduced after World War II, these vehicles quickly became abundantly used for their affordability, versatility, and practicality, and have been sold and used by many companies.

  However, these vehicles produce significant noise pollution and emissions in areas that are already hindered by such issues. These combustion vehicles burden the owner with significant operation costs and the surrounding population with poor air quality. Due to their affordability and manufacturability, they are easily replaced, leaving older models in junkyards, and producing general material waste.

  To address these issues, an easily installed and relatively affordable electric drivetrain kit was designed to retrofit existing vehicles, allowing for quiet, emission-free operation. This is achieved by integrating a simple electric motor, a fully custom recycled battery system, and aftermarket controller in conjunction with a reinforced vehicle chassis and novel mounting system. This kit is more affordable than the purchase of a new combustion vehicle, with the elimination of vehicle waste. The design of this EV kit involves simple user interfaces and packs higher performance metrics with torque and horsepower, all while retaining the vehicle’s original functionality, such as storage and drivability. The significantly higher torque output greatly benefits vehicles used to transport goods, resulting in faster delivery of more products. Electric drivetrains are already being implemented across many major automotive manufacturers for consumer and commercial use.

• MEM-35 Limb Difference Heating Sleeve

  Andrew Hamilton, Cole Barone, David Mathai, Thomas Evers
  Advisor: Dr. Moses Noh

  Amputees, as well as people will circulation issues often suffer from poor thermal comfort with regards to their affected limb. This results in an uncomfortable and painful cold sensation, which worsens depending on the ambient temperature and humidity. Current items on the market do not deal with this problem as they are not geared for amputees, nor do they have the required power supply for prolonged use. Additionally, current items are also unable to assist people with circulation issues as they do not target specific areas. Limb Difference Heating Sleeve aims to provide a cheap solution to these problems by creating a heated silicone sleeve that can maintain a desired temperature for an extended period. The Limb Difference Heating Sleeve will use thermally efficient materials to maximize performance and maintain a long-lasting battery life.

  The sleeve will use silicone for even heat distribution as well as comfort, and Kanthal 20-gauge wire as a malleable, yet energy efficient heating element. The Limb Difference Heating Sleeve will be able to operate at a wide range of temperatures in order to accommodate different environments. In addition to heating and energy efficiency, the Heating Sleeve will be both simple to operate and maintain. Because of its energy efficiency, common batteries can be used for a power supply, thus allowing the user to simply change the batteries when required. The Limb Difference Heating Sleeve will serve as a steppingstone for providing affordable comfort to those in need of it.

  MEM-36 Multi-band Ultraviolet Post-Processing Curing Oven (MBUVPPCV) for Liquid-based 3D Printing

  Brandon Burg, Jacob Hall, Alex Mount, Christopher Reed, Robert Vanleer
  Advisor: Dr. Antonios Kontsos

  Stereolithography (SLA) is a 3D printing process in which photopolymers are selectively cured by an ultraviolet (UV) laser. SLA printers are known for their ability to create concept models, prototypes, and complex parts with intricate geometries while producing reputable surface finishes through high resolution. Once a part has been printed on an SLA printer, it must be post-processed through a heating chamber and UV curing apparatus known as a post-cure oven. This process allows parts to achieve their optimal mechanical properties and maintain part integrity. Unfortunately, available options for current resin curing methods in the industry are very limited. Most SLA 3D printer manufacturers supply a proprietary curing oven as a complimentary resource to their own 3D printer; this forces corporations and small business owners to purchase multiple post-cure ovens to meet all their manufacturing needs. By introducing the proposed solution, consumers will not be limited to the proprietary post-cure apparatuses and instead have more flexibility over accessibility to temperature regulation, wavelength and frequency concentration, and intensity properties. The proposed solution is to create a versatile curing oven that is compatible with many types of resins available that require specific property combinations. The design will consist of a controller, rotating turntable, multiple wavelength ultraviolet light emitters, and a heating element. The controller will allow users to create custom recipes with various wavelengths, temperature, and time combinations. These recipes will allow consumers to properly cure parts printed using any SLA resin under the sun.

• MEM-37 Project Kinetik

  Daniel Gerus, Will Messick, Erica Palandro, Anton Turpault, Tyler Wolf
  Advisor: Mr. Joshua Geating and Dr. Li-Hsin Han

  Hands-free, close-distance transportation is commonly seen in skateboards, scooters, and bicycles, each of which can be strenuous to manually operate. Motorized options include booster boards, hoverboards, etcetera. These options, however, have large turning radii, making them difficult to maneuver in urban areas where higher agility and sharper turns are necessary. Altering movement abilities will allow for more possibilities in this sector, permitting more use in urban environments, sports, and other hobbyist activities. Project Kinetic is the modification of an existing transportation robot. The intent of this project is to alter the mode of operation from a remote control. This will be the first robot developed for hands-free human transportation with more degrees of freedom than other options on the market, which will close the gap of mobility currently lacking in personal transporters. Design goals are hardware delivery and implementation, output signal generation, and components that support and transport human body weight. Developers are currently sourcing COTS parts and stock material, as well as communicating with the Drexel machine shop to manufacture custom parts. One component is being outsourced since it is outside the scope of the group and Drexel machinist. Once all parts are completed and assembled, the encoders will be programmed, and electrical and mechanical testing of the robot will begin.

• MEM-38 Sparrow Single-Seat Golf Cart

  Ryan Boyd, Lewis D’Ippolito, Thai Hua, Daniel Johnson
  Advisor: Dr. David Miller

  The game of golf has been around for centuries and has grown a lot over that time, but over the last two decades there has been a steady decline in the number of people that golf. The main reason for this is that a full round takes about 5 hours to complete, which is too long for most people. Research has been done looking into ways to speed up the game and discovered that transportation is the main issue for the pace of play. Standard two-seat golf carts have been around since the late 1950’s and are used nearly everywhere, but their use accounts for most of the wasted time in a round of golf. Many courses only allow groups of four to play. This causes delays because there are 4 people shooting 4 balls but only 2 carts, so group members must wait until their partner shoots before looking for their own ball. This nearly doubles the pace-of-play. So, despite the widespread use of two-seat carts, evidence suggests that a change in transportation would be economically and logistically beneficial to the game. We believe that the best way to speed up the game is to allow each golfer to have their own cart. Research has shown that when using single-seat carts the pace-of-play dramatically increases. Our design allows for easy integration into existing infrastructure and boosts course revenue as well. After assembling the electronics, wheels, and steering assembly, it is clear that this design will meet all our expectations and perform well on a golf course. The remainder of this paper will be dedicated to backing up these statements and proving the benefits of this cart.

• MEM-39 Autonomous Line Climbing Datalogger (ALCK)

  Dane Barrick, Jeff Zeng, Patrick Mulderig, Tommy Zheng, Vince Nguyen
  Advisor: Dr. Richard Cairncross

  The planetary boundary layer is Earth's lowest atmospheric layer. It contains most of the weather and the largest exchange of the Earth's energy budget occurs. Data such as air density, temperature changes, and humidity can be used to help predict such phenomena. Current alternative aerial dataloggers include drones, crewed aircraft, and weather balloons. However, all the listed options are much more expensive to manufacture, much more expensive to operate, and cannot be flown in hostile conditions without the risk of damaging the equipment. Kites provide the ability to collect data t different altitudes for extended periods in turbulent conditions. The objective is to create an autonomous line climbing kite (ALCK) datalogger to record data using several sensors at varying altitudes in the planetary boundary layer. The sensors include a humidity sensor, temperature sensor, barometric pressure sensor, among additional sensors that will record the data. The sensors are attached to the ALCK system which is capable of autonomously climbing and descending the line of a pre-existing kite using solely aerodynamic forces for up to 12 hours at a time. Numerical analysis has assisted in understanding line climber movement and will be used for the creation of PIO loops for the control system. The prototype will be tested up to 500ft above sea level and in the future be used as a guide for newer iterations to reach higher ranges of the planetary boundary layer and beyond.

• MEM-40 Electric Aeromedical Plane Design

  Simon Kaschock-Marenda, Ryan Herdler, Brandon Smoot, Masen Kasper
  Advisor: Dr. Divya Bhargava

  Many locations both in America and abroad have remote areas or are not within driving distance of higher-level trauma centers. Air medical services such as air ambulances have been crucial in transporting injured and sick people for more complex care. These services have also been advantageous in emergency situations where an air ambulance can transport patients faster than ground ambulances due to terrain issues. Many aeromedical companies that fly these patients currently have helicopters and fixed wing aircraft in their fleet. These current vehicles are mechanically complex and incur significant costs to the company and patients. The Electric Aeromedical Plane’s goal is to minimize these costs and design an electric motor-powered plane that will transport these patients safely to the care they need at considerably less cost. By using batteries and an electric motor, the plane will be significantly less mechanically complex than its competitors, making its maintenance costs a fraction of what helicopters incur. Additionally, electricity costing much less than jet fuel and providing a sustainable source of propulsion, provides an even bigger incentive to the industry to use an electric plane. A small body size fitted with a NACA 4412 airfoil and a bush plane landing gear will significantly reduce the takeoff and landing distances. Thus, making the plane competitive with helicopters, and enabling the plane to save patients in most terrain. With developments in battery technology only increasing their capabilities, the viability of an electric aeromedical transport plane becomes more and more feasible every day.

• MEM-41 Solar Dragons

  Christopher Jones, Osama Elhassan, Michael Monaghan, Fady Sadek
  Advisor: Dr. Kevin Scoles

  There is no path to protecting the climate without dramatically changing how we produce and use electricity: nearly 40% of US CO2 pollution comes from power plants burning fossil fuels. But we can turn things around. Renewable energy minimizes carbon pollution and has a much lower impact on our environment. In 2015, Ohio State University promulgated a set of Sustainability Goals, which include carbon neutrality and other targets to demonstrate environmental and energy leadership in the United States and abroad. By Ohio State University, we are tasked to produce a complete conceptual design and techno-economic analysis of a proposed interconnected solar PV plus battery electric storage system. This system will maximize energy offset and savings over the system’s contracted or useful lifetime for the Ohio State Medical Campus and nearby agricultural plot of land, and to decrease the pollution contribution to the area. The key feature of the desired solution is a project proposal that encapsulates and summarizes:

  The conceptual system design that describes the layout and specifications for the PV system including the battery electric storage system

  The distribution system impact analysis and how the PV system will interact with the already existing distribution network

  The financial model that demonstrates the savings of the customer as a result of the PV system installation and whether it would be a positive return of investment (ROI)

  The developmental plan that shows the construction and installation process of the design considering how this is going to fit within the overall developing plan of the Ohio University.

• MEM-42 Design and Testing of an Artificial Sunlight Window

  Ali Raza, Jacob Eyer, Robert Lignowski,
  Advisor: Dr. Jennifer Atchison

  Exposure to sunlight is an important part of a healthy lifestyle for humans. Sunlight helps stimulate the production of vitamin D and maintain the Circadian rhythm, the natural process that helps the human body adjust to the passage of time and ensure we know when we need to sleep. It also helps produce serotonin, a hormone that boosts a person’s mood and helps them feel calm and focused. Unfortunately, at this moment in time the average American spends more than 90% of their time indoors, according to the EPA. This is particularly prevalent in office workers, many of whom do not have access to window space in their workplace. This leads to Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), a form of depression characterized by insomnia, fatigue, and a lack of motivation. A lack of sunlight helps contribute to a stressful workplace and hampers productivity. With our project, we intend to give every worker a chance to experience a substitute for sunlight that can help fulfill their needs. This project will focus on the building and testing of an artificial sunlight window, which will be capable of following the sun’s path across the sky over the course of the day and ensuring the light is as close as possible to real sunlight via Rayleigh scattering. If utilized in an office setting, workers will be able to reap the benefits of the sun without having to sacrifice office space. This will be a major contribution to many American workplaces on a budget.