The 2024 Senior Capstone course in mechanical engineering was taught by Daichi Fujioka. To learn more about the mechanical engineering projects, please email Daichi Fujioka.
If it moves, a mechanical engineer probably had something to do with it. From automobiles, airplanes and space shuttles to robots, artificial limbs and biochips – all moving and transforming our future. Visit the Department of Mechanical Engineering.
Industry Advisor: Joe Emery, Encompass Technology
Students: Molly Allen, William Bannister, Connor Cunningham, Ethan Ferguson, Amber Robinson
Encompass Technologies is seeking to improve the function and efficiency of its cardiovascular filters. This project will help determine, through background research and various design assessments, how to best solve the current issue with these filters. We will perform market and patent research to compare competitor devices and refine our design criteria. We also will use the HoQ (house of quality) concept to display customer and designer requirements. Using this information, we will be able to make a more informed decision regarding the design of our project.
Students: Christian Bernat, Jaybon Image, Aaron Rapp, Cade Schiller, Marcos Winters
The Garbage Collection Robot is a robot that is able to pick up trash through remote connection combined with modern mechatronics. The goal of this device is to help clean up outdoor environments such as parks, college campuses and parking lots.
Students: Connor Cook, Trent Dieleman, Jason Kaplan, Colin Metz, Will Noack
In today’s modern and technological world, people have been fishing the same way for years. One problem with trolling for fish is that you constantly have to be aware of your surroundings, driving the boat and/or being distracted by nature’s beauty. Losing what could be the biggest fish of your life is one of the worst things that could happen. Making a catch is the entire point of fishing in the first place. The solution to this is to make a modular/alert fishing rod holder so that, no matter what you may be doing, when the fish bites, you will always be alert. A modular/alert fishing rod holder will be adaptive to any boat, easy to use, quick to remove/set, durable, cost-effective and alert you with a visual/acoustic warning that lets you know that the bite is on!
Students: Malachi Colestock, John Crosby, Morgan Dayes, Jaden DeBoer, Ryan Mora
Different fruiting plants require very different environmental and nutritional parameters to survive and thrive, which can pose a great challenge to the amateur gardener. It is therefore proposed that the computer-aided agricultural plant system for integrated climate, utility and maintenance (CAPSICUM) will solve this problem by developing a modular greenhouse for use indoors by amateur urban gardeners. This greenhouse will be complete with a temperature and humidity control system; automated irrigation and fertilization system; and a photosynthetically active light source. Profiles for common fruiting plants will be available to control all these parameters easily, resulting in a greenhouse that allows amateur gardeners to quickly select yield-maximizing parameters for their plant of choice. The result will be a modular greenhouse that saves amateur gardeners hours of research and years of trial-and-error by minimizing plant stress and maximizing fruiting yield through precise control of climate and nutrition parameters.
Students: Tyler Brandes, Brayden Fontanilla, Nolan Hagen, Robert Purdy, Alex Vujasinovic
The project’s purpose is to find the most efficient way to achieve solar sail deployment.
Students: John Clauson, Parker Holt, Daniel Leary, Christopher Pacheco, Austin Vallaster
Ratchet straps are critical for hauling cargo and securing vehicles. They are easy to use, work consistently and can withstand and exert large forces on the straps. There are some limitations to the current design, however. Each strap must be tightened individually, which can lead to inconsistent loading on individual straps. Additionally, the straps stretch over time and must be re-tensioned at regular intervals. Improper tensioning or retightening can lead to damaged, loose or lost cargo, and subsequent damages to property, roads or people. Additionally, loose cargo on highways can lead to increased congestion and accidents. To improve the current design of a ratchet strap, the new design must be able to tighten synchronously with other power ratchets, must measure and display the tension on the strap and must prevent the need for re-tightening.
Students: Alexander Contreras, Chase Jackson, Brady Rodina, Teegan Valenzula, Levi Williams
The pivotal motivation behind our project emerges from the urgent need to enhance emergency response mechanisms, particularly in scenarios involving natural disasters and wildland fires. In situations where rapid response and precise coordination are crucial, the absence of robust tracking technology for individuals becomes a glaring gap. Our aim is to develop a GPS tracker encased within a durable box or module, specifically engineered to withstand harsh environments. This tracker is designed to provide not only the location but also vital environmental data, a feature currently missing for rescue teams and firefighters. The challenges we anticipate include the programming required for the tracker and sensors, and ensuring the device remains lightweight and rugged without interfering with the personnel’s existing equipment.
Students: Matthew Bouchard, Jacob Denton, Stephanie Harkness, Nicholas Nelson, Chase Owens
Riding a motorcycle in the dark can be hazardous for those who rely on two wheels for daily travel. Ideally, the headlight of the motorcycle would illuminate the entire possibility of the paths available for the motorcycle. In reality, The U.S. Department of Transportation limits the beam shape of motorcycle headlights, and common sense dictates that blinding oncoming motorists when in a two-lane curving road is not safe. This lack of visibility can cause accidents in multiple ways: either blinding oncoming vehicles into causing them to leave their lane of travel or obscuring debris in the road causing the motorcycle to lose traction. In the absence of a flood light for a headlight, we propose the development of a headlight that follows the direction and angle of the motorcycle to better illuminate the road.
Students: Hayden Coen, Juan Pena Garcia, Thiha Naing, Jason Vong, Thiha Naing, Jason Vong, William Walker
Our team will be making a renewable, energy-based water turbine system that will use a solar-powered pump to pump water up to a reservoir and have it flow down in a loop to a water turbine to collect power. Our goal is to have this system power a garden light for display purposes. Most of the controls will be based off of an Arduino and will have important parameters shown in a display.
Students: Daniel Cerrillo, Marshall Eaton, Joshua Kamuka, Amber Phillips, Bettine Trippler
Transporting groceries without a vehicle is problematic. Consequences of consumers carrying groceries for long periods of time can include damaged or lost groceries and bodily strain for the individual. This team proposes a new alternative to shopping that provides the consumer with an all-in-one method for easily transporting their groceries through an urban environment. Safety holds the utmost consideration when bringing such a design to fruition. It is important to ensure the design is strong enough to support the users’ desired work load throughout its entire use. The cost associated with said design proves most challenging as it must be affordable while also meeting the design specifications (by ensuring it is strong enough for the user). Marketed as a new approach to shopping, the design will be targeted towards populations in urban cities without a car.
Students: Jarod Duffy, Kai Frudden, Chris Rowe, Josh Rudfelt
Green Circle aims to improve on the current spring-loaded camming device used in rock climbing for protection by making it easier to place in a rock, making the sport safer and more accessible.
Students: Casey Baldwin, Kate Ellis, Jacob Kusper, Blake Spence, Daniel Williams, Sloan Woods,
Our team aims to design an attachment that can adapt to any existing wheelchair to make it more stable in outdoor terrain. The goal of our design is to be low-cost, making it accessible to as many people as possible with a low barrier to entry.
Students: Joey Palacios, Logan Randall, Raymond Reyes, Brandon Roberts, Nick Rusche
The project goal is to create a tool that is significantly more compact than a standard set of hex keys. The tool will be easily adjustable so that the user can select whatever size is needed for the task at hand.
Students: Ammar Alomran, Kaitlin Leong, Favian Paniagua Soto, Bryan Vega, Grace Zhang
Among various modes of personal transportation, the longboard has become a popular choice among many young individuals due to its convenience. However, safety concerns arising from the inability to easily control its stopping have remained a persistent issue during the learning and usage of longboards. Presently, most longboards available in the market lack a braking mechanism, relying instead on the user’s maneuvers for deceleration or braking. Consequently, during the initial learning phases, it proves challenging, potentially unsafe and may even cause damage to footwear. Beginners or those with insufficient reaction time might encounter accidents or be discouraged from using longboards due to the inability to brake promptly. To address this issue, we propose the integration of a brake system into longboards that aligns with design objectives. Ideally, this brake system should be user-installable, ensuring safety, ease of use, simplicity in fabrication, cost-effectiveness and reliability, thereby enhancing the subjective safety of stopping maneuvers.
