Medicine has advanced to the point where life-saving surgery can be performed on a fetus either inside, or temporarily removed from, then returned to the uterus to complete development. Surgical planning is currently performed based on ultrasound and MRI images of the pregnant mother, which may lack sufficient resolution for detailed assessment and planning. Optical endoscopes have become small enough that they could be placed through an amniocentesis needle into the uterus, and steered to visualize the fetus in much better detail.
The goal of this project is to develop miniature endoscopes based on "chip on tip" technology and optical fiber bundles, that are steerable and which include image stitching to improve resolution and enlarge image field of view. A team of Biomedical Engineering and Obstetrics/Gynecology faculty will guide the students in creating, building, and testing (on simulators) the endoscopes.

Project Scope: The scope of this effort includes fundamental research and testing into measuring the intrinsic electromagnetic properties of materials at radio frequencies (RF) at high temperature conditions. The objective is to design and build a heating apparatus that can be paired with an electromagnetic test system so we can test materials complex permittivity and complex permeability in RF Bands between 2 and 40 GHz at temperatures between 100°C and 500 °C. The intent is for the student team to fabricate and test an apparatus capable of these measurements and achieve as much of the temperature and RF ranges as possible.
Additional Resources: Corral Lab will supply the materials for measurement, machine shop, lab space and furnace equipment. Because of the remote company location, video conference room would be good for the university team to present weekly updates the final report or interim progress reports to the sponsor.
Skills Requested: optical engineering, materials science & engineering, and electrical engineering data analysis and visualization. Bonus knowledge: mechanical engineering.

Students will also become inaugural student co-hort of the "UA-RTX: Hypersonics Heros Undergraduate Program," which will involve additional benefits for student preparation to enter the department of war industrial/government complex.

Camera systems with automated detection algorithms are utilized in many technical disciplines, from fulfilment services to self-driving cars to space telescopes. Focal planes are the photosensitive component used to convert photons into electrical signals. Selecting the correct focal plane for the specific application is imperative; that selection process starts with understanding the way these focal planes respond to different types of radiation, temporal and spatial frequency content, operating temperatures, and varying light levels. Variations in quantum efficiency, noise characteristics, focal plane MTF, and other factors can critically impact the performance of an optical system.
Rocket Lab Optical Systems specializes in space based optical payloads for scientific and defense applications. The payloads developed by Rocket Lab use well characterized, well understood focal planes to optimize the performance of imaging and detection algorithms. Future space missions require the ability to quickly and accurately characterize focal planes in a repeatable, affordable, and modular way. Student engineers will work alongside Rocket Lab scientists and engineers to develop the next generation, modular, versatile, and accurate focal plane characterization platform.
Scope: (1) Work with students to understand current characterization method utilized by Rocket Lab Optical Systems. Students will be provided with synthetic datasets representing a typical focal plane characterization campaign and what additional information may be useful for optical scientists and algorithmists. (2) Evaluate techniques utilized by the industry and perform a trade study comparing the different approaches based on cost, schedule feasibility, quality of test data, and technical execution difficulty. (3) Down select to a platform and design the electronics, optics, mechanics, and software required to satisfy the focal place characterization platform requirements. The system designed by the team will evaluate focal plane linearity, different gain states of the focal plane, quantum efficiency, noise characteristics, and MTF, with the ability for the focal plane assembly to be tested at different operational temperatures. (4) Build data simulators and representative models of the optical test stations and focal planes to be tested to give representative data that can be evaluated using the test algorithms. (5) Build a production prototype system, complete with optical, mechanical, and electrical diagrams, as clearly documented databasing architecture for the output data. This platform may consist of multiple stations incorporated into the prototype assembly (think linearity station versus MTF station). (6) Collect complete datasets on several real sensors. Implement automatic report writing, dataset error detector with error identification. Compare real data to simulated data. (7) Create plans to refine the prototype into a scalable platform for higher volume production. (8) Deliver and set up station at Rocket Lab Optical Systems.

Holto LLC seeks to develop a working prototype of an active thermoelectric heating-and-cooling garment for short-duration athletic recovery sessions. The company has an existing production-ready passive product that uses gel packs that must be frozen or microwaved before use. This project develops a powered successor that requires no pre-conditioning and delivers on-demand heating and cooling under user control.

The team will design, build, and validate a wearable garment with three to four independently controlled thermal zones targeting high heat-transfer areas of the body. Each zone uses a Peltier (thermoelectric) module capable of both heating and cooling, with closed-loop temperature control. The system is powered by a removable, commercially available USB-C Power Delivery battery pack carried in a garment pocket, and is controlled over Bluetooth Low Energy from a companion smartphone application.

The central engineering challenge is thermal management: identifying and validating a method of rejecting waste heat from the hot side of each thermoelectric module within the constraints of a wearable garment, with no external tether and minimal added bulk. The team will evaluate multiple heat-rejection approaches, select one based on measured performance, and characterize the resulting system.

Requested deliverables:
- A functional wearable prototype with three to four controllable thermal zones
- A thermal characterization report documenting achievable temperature differential, time to target temperature, sustainable session duration, and heat rejection performance for each approach evaluated
- Control electronics with per-zone temperature sensing and an independent hardware over-temperature and under-temperature safety cutoff
- A companion mobile application providing zone selection, target temperature setting, live temperature and battery display, and an emergency stop
- Design documentation sufficient for the sponsor to continue development, including schematics, firmware source, bill of materials, and test data

In scope: thermal design and validation, power electronics, embedded firmware, mobile application, safety systems, and integration into a wearable form factor.

Out of scope: custom lithium battery pack design, production tooling, textile manufacturing at scale, regulatory submissions, and any clinical or medical validation. All temperature control and application features are to be designed as general wellness functions and must not include diagnostic outputs, disease references, or clinical recommendations.

***FYI - this sponsor will not be present at open house, nor will they have remote interviews***

This capstone project will develop a visible-range imaging module using a non-rotationally symmetric optical design, such as cylindrical, anamorphic, tilted, off-axis, or freeform elements, for applications where conventional rotationally symmetric optics cannot meet field of view, image quality, magnification, or packaging needs. The team will define optical requirements, create a Zemax or equivalent optical model, develop a photon budget, assess tolerances and alignment sensitivity, design the optomechanical packaging, integrate detector and illumination electronics, and build a working prototype or breadboard using off-the-shelf and/or quick-turn components. Success will be measured by demonstrating the intended asymmetric imaging behavior and verifying key performance metrics such as resolution, distortion, field coverage, modulation transfer function, signal-to-noise ratio, repeatability, alignment stability, and packaging feasibility.
Key Deliverables
• Clever, descriptive project name with an acronym that is easy to remember
• Optical requirements document
• Non-rotationally symmetric optical concept trade study
• Zemax or equivalent optical design model
• Photon budget
• Detector, illumination, and optical component selection
• Electrical interface and signal chain design
• Tolerance and alignment sensitivity analysis
• Optomechanical packaging design
• Working prototype or breadboard demonstration
• Prototype verification test data
• Stray-light and image artifact assessment
• Final technical report and presentation

***This project is conducting remote interviews. Please see remote interview sheet on BrightSpace (D2L) to schedule a time to speak to the sponsor.***

Background and Purpose
The Deep Ultra-Violet autoCollimator & Alignment Telescope System (DUVCATS) project aims to solve a critical alignment
and metrology challenge for deep ultra-violet (DUV) optical systems. While commercially available autocollimators and
alignment telescopes operate exceptionally well in the visible, near-infrared, and standard UV spectrums, they fail to
provide adequate feedback for DUV beamlines. This is due to poor signal throughput from standard substrate materials
and optical coatings, as well as focal shifts induced by powered transmissive optics. To support the precise alignment
and in-situ characterization of multi-element DUV optical systems—such as those used in Xcimer’s inertial confinement
fusion (ICF) architecture—the team will design, build, and validate a highly specialized DUV-compatible autocollimator
and alignment telescope.

Optical and Functional Capabilities
DUVCATS must function similarly to high-end commercial digital autocollimators, but optimized exclusively for the DUV
spectrum. The system requires a continuous zoom focus range from 30 cm out to infinity, allowing it to image both
nearby optical surfaces and distant targets, as well as project reticle crosshairs across this entire focal range. The
optical engine will utilize a DUV source, likely a broadband LED, heavily filtered to a 240–270 nm range, with
interchangeable narrow-band filters specifically targeting 248 nm (±5 nm) and 266 nm (±5 nm). Feedback will be
captured by a specialized DUV sensor (e.g., Basler UV camera), supplemented by a secondary coaxial LED illumination
source to clearly illuminate targets and surfaces along the optical axis.

Opto-Mechanical and Pointing Requirements
A major mechanical focus of this project is the development of a highly stable, adjustable base. The mounting system
must feature locking capabilities and provide high-resolution micro-adjustments across multiple degrees of freedom
(x/y decenter, x/y tip/tilt, and clocking). Uniquely, the system must also feature macro-pointing capabilities,
allowing the operator to index the entire optical head by ±90 degrees and 180 degrees. Once indexed into these
orthogonal or retro-reflective positions, the mount must still allow for the same high-resolution micro-adjustments to
establish precise optical axes in complex, multi-directional beamline setups.

Software Integration and Multidisciplinary Execution
The hardware must be paired with a custom software suite and graphical user interface (GUI) to display real-time
sensor readout, calculate calibrated angle offsets, and provide precise digital metrology metrics. This generalized,
non-IP project requires a highly multidisciplinary approach. The team will handle the full engineering lifecycle:
establishing baseline requirements with Xcimer, selecting commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) DUV optics and sensors,
performing rigorous opto-mechanical design and tolerancing, developing the readout software, and ultimately
calibrating and assembling the final physical units.

Hardware Funding
Xcimer Energy will supply sufficient hardware funding in addition to the $4.5K initially allotted to the project. Xcimer Energy will either procure as-needed hardware internally have it delivered to the senior design group, or work with the student team and university to establish an efficient means to obtain hardware. Total hardware budget is expect to be on the order of $20k-30k

Modern missile defense threats that penetrate the upper layer of defenses require short timeline intercepts by armed projectiles maneuvering at hypersonic flight conditions (M = 5 - 7) during low altitude (<15km) operations. The interceptor itself is a low cost projectile that is the separable second stage of a missile that will be ground launched using a booster capable of attaining hypersonic speeds within 1-2 seconds. To provide a low cost system (< $$250k/unit) the projectile will not have an on-board seeker and will be command guided to the target by a ground-based tracking radar. This ground launch hypersonic booster approach introduces many design challenges, such as high heat flux and large mechanical loads and high G shock during system launch. Through modern simulation and design tools, it may be possible to design highly maneuverable hypersonic systems for low altitude operation that can be economically manufactured using modern fabrication technologies, such as additive manufacturing. The goal of this project is to explore the design space, identify an optimal set of system specifications that optimize an unpowered system for maximum range and affordable manufacturability - and then design a concept that optimally achieves the specifications. The project will entail geometry/configuration definition using a CAD system, discipline analysis such as aerodynamics, aerothermal, structural sizing, mass properties, stability & control, and conclude with vehicle sizing to meet mission requirements. Hence, on board propulsion is not required. Also, it can be assumed that flight control can be achieved through aerodynamic surfaces, reaction control jets, or a combination thereof. The requirements for the design include:

o Mach: 5 - 7
o Aerodynamically Stable and Thermally and Shock Survivable
o Optimized for Maximum Range and Affordable Manufacturing (Minimum Cost) using DTUPC guidelines
o Max length: TBD
o Max Diameter: < 0.1 m (including fins)
o Max mass: TBD
o Minimum Maneuverability: TBD g's
o RF & Antenna Specs: Provided by Sponsor

To validate the design, students will use lower order aerodynamics and CFD analysis to assess aerodynamic forces and moments predicted using engineering methods and will verify mission performance using flight trajectory analysis and optimization with inputs derived from discipline analyses. The team will perform wind tunnel tests at the university with a 3D printed prototype.

Design, build, and experimentally validate a complete micro-optics solution for next-generation co-packaged optics, enabling efficient vertical coupling of light from a dense one-dimensional photonic integrated circuit (PIC) waveguide array to a far-field photodetector array. Students will tackle real-world engineering challenges spanning optical design, tolerance analysis, component selection, prototype assembly, and performance characterization, with goals of achieving high transmission, low crosstalk, and effective polarization separation.

***This project is conducting remote interviews. Please see remote interview sheet on BrightSpace (D2L) to schedule a time to speak to the sponsor.***

The Promoting Electric Propulsion (PEP) program is a national workforce development initiative sponsored by the Office of Naval Research and administered by the American Society of Naval Engineers. Student teams design, analyze, fabricate, integrate, test, and race an electric-powered crewed or uncrewed surface craft while applying mechanical, electrical, manufacturing, controls, naval architecture, and systems engineering principles. The project follows a complete engineering lifecycle, including concept development, computer modeling, component selection, fabrication, systems integration, validation testing, technical documentation, and public demonstration at a national competition. UIUC is building off of many years of successful iteration and improvement.
Students also interact with Navy engineers and industry mentors while presenting their engineering decisions through white papers and technical discussions. The program is specifically designed to prepare graduates for careers supporting the maritime and defense industrial base.
Students will design, build, and race a boat for a competition in or near Bremerton, Washington in April 2027.

***This project is conducting remote interviews. Please see remote interview sheet on BrightSpace (D2L) to schedule a time to speak to the sponsor.***

ASML uses barcode scanners that use transmissive line scanning to read 1D barcodes on a 6mm thick quartz photomask. Mask has a coating that determines % light transmission. Dark regions in barcode made of this coating, Light region is simply plain quartz. Scanners perform well with ‘high-contrast’ coating : coating is optically dense which allows for clear contrast between dark and light.
Problem : Scanners cannot deal with ‘low contrast’ coating that is semi transparent (transmission > 35%). SNR is degraded
Deliverables :
- Define optical scheme (lens, diffusers, aperture stop, etc.) to collimate the source and achieve at least 50% contrast (defined as high – low / high + low) for low contrast targets
- Device should be passive (static lens)
- Subject to constraints in the table (see PDF attachment). Full design freedom otherwise
- Validate the solution in simulation and experiment. Experiment will need a test barcode sample (thickness 6mm with barcode engraved on absorber material that has transmission > 55% @ 470nm)
- Document findings in investigative report

***This project is conducting remote interviews. Please see remote interview sheet on BrightSpace (D2L) to schedule a time to speak to the sponsor.***