Senior Design Showcase Recap 2023
On Friday, May 19, 2023, engineering seniors at the Daniel Felix Ritchie School of Engineering and Computer Science presented their year-long projects at the Senior Design Showcase. The Showcase is the final part of the Senior Design Project course, a requirement for all engineering seniors. For their projects, seniors work in groups of three-five students to create a real-life deliverable for their sponsors.
This year, 34 engineering seniors worked with seven unique sponsors to create a variety of innovative projects. See the seven project descriptions below!
Team Accessible Algebra—Sponsored by the Blind Institute of Technology, a non-profit organization aimed at advancing professional opportunities for blind/visually impaired people, the team created a tactile math display that aims to make mathematical problem-solving more approachable and accessible for blind/visually impaired students. Blind/Visually impaired students often begin to fall behind in mathematics in 7th and 8th grade because many math concepts are taught with visual methods. The tactile display uses an array of raised, mathematical operators, numbers, and letters that allows a blind/visually impaired student to feel the characters. The display then comes with two companion applications, one for teachers to send equations to the tactile display and another to give auditory feedback on the equations for students. The Team intends for the system to increase professional and educational opportunities for the blind/visually impaired.
Team In-Lab Alpine Simulator—Sponsored by BOA, an athletic performance company, the team created a system that can simulate the biomechanics of snow-sport’s gear within BOA’s Fit Lab. A two-year project, this year’s Team built off of the work of last year’s and assembled and installed the alpine simulator at BOA’s Fit Lab. The alpine simulator will allow BOA to test their snow products year-round and at half the cost of similar ski simulators on the market.
Team Adapted Guitar Chord Mechanism—Sponsored by Craig Hospital, a world-renowned hospital that specializes in neurorehabilitation, the team designed and fabricated a mechanical device that allows patients with spinal cord injuries that result in reduced motor function to play the guitar. Music therapy can facilitate the recovery of nonmusical functions that were lost due to injury and is a part of how Craig hospital addresses spinal rehabilitation. The device allows patients to play the guitar with a vertical lever interface that is accessible to patients experiencing motor loss, providing an emotional outlet for patients who previously would not have been able to use a guitar.
Team Drone Sensor Package for Remote Medical Triage—Sponsored by DeNOVO Solutions, a software and engineering services company that partners often with the Defense and Intelligence community, the team worked with DeNOVO to develop a health sensor package for drones that can measure vital signs and provide critical information to rescue teams before they arrive on the scene. The drone, equipped with the health sensor package, can locate victims, measure vitals, and guide them through basic self first-aid, all while the rescue team is en route. By providing critical information to rescue teams, the technology has the potential to save lives and make emergency response times faster and more efficient than ever before.
Team Non-Electric Negative Pressure Wound Therapy (NPWT) Device for Low Resource Contexts—Sponsored by Design Outreach, a non-profit organization dedicated to creating lasting solutions for marginalized communities across the globe, the team created a medical device that can survive difficult environmental conditions, like elevated temperatures, fluctuating humidity, and dust that can damage electrical components. The Negative Pressure Wound Therapy Device (NPWT), also known as a vacuum-assisted closure device, is designed to draw exudate and air from a wound site to aid fast and efficient healing. Built to withstand various environments, accessible regardless of medical training, and completely non-electric, the NPWT meets all the requirements to be a game-changing medical device in difficult environmental conditions.
Team Game Changin’ Controllers—Sponsored by ICEBOX, a company that designs and builds competitive game controllers, the team aimed to create a rendition of an ICEBOX controller that can be rapidly manufactured. The case was redesigned so that it may be 3D printed or injection-molded in a manufacturing process while still maintaining style, reliability, and ease of use.
Team Augmenting the Human Workforce with ATOM, an Autonomous Material Delivery System—Sponsored by Lockheed Martin, an aerospace corporation, the team was tasked with creating a robotic delivery system that can move payloads between two locations safely, reliably, and without human intervention. The hope is to reduce the use of gasoline trucks and vans for transportation that release air pollutants and disrupt workflow. The system that was designed allows Lockheed Martin to expand upon the device to continue improving workflow efficiency while supporting the company’s “Go-Green” initiative.
These projects were presented and demoed in the Senior Design Showcase at the Ritchie School last Friday, but for more information on the seniors, sponsors, and projects, you can visit the 2023 Senior Design Teams webpage.
Congratulations to our graduating engineering seniors who put in all this hard work!
