Design and Validation of a Lateral Flow Assay Device for Neonatal Bilirubin

Project number
25504
Organization
Picterus AS
Offering
ENGR498-S2025-F2025
Design and evaluation of a lateral flow test device for Point-of-Care neonatal bilirubin measurement in regions with limited access to lab testing. High levels of bilirubin in the bloodstream cause jaundice, and can lead to severe disability and sometimes death when timely treatment is not administered. This test will work with Picterus's smartphone app to allow rapid bilirubin measurement by caretakers for newborns in regions where lab testing of blood samples is not readily available.

Students will select appropriate test strip materials from several commercially available options and evaluate fabrication methods based on performance and cost considerations. Students will design a plastic clip that will be used to attach the lateral flow test strip to Picterus's calibration card for use with Picterus's mobile app. The mobile app allows a user to take photos of the lateral flow test strip and calibration card using a smartphone's camera and calculates the level of bilirubin in the blood. The plastic clip will be designed to accept a small blood sample and expose the lateral flow test strip to the blood in a controlled manner. The clip and test strip performance will then be tested together using the Picterus mobile app in a lab setting.

Racing the Sun – Autonomously

Project number
25503
Organization
UA Department of Systems and Industrial Engineering
Offering
ENGR498-S2025-F2025
The objective of this project is to develop reliable autonomous (automated) driving capabilities to the ‘Racing the Sun’ solar vehicles. Racing the Sun (https://sarsef.org/programs/competitions/racing-the-sun/) is a STEM event where regional high school teams convert gasoline-powered go karts into solar-powered race cars and then compete in an annual race event at Musselman Honda race track. Students assemble and test the vehicles before the big race day. At the race, student teams compete in different divisions to see who can run the longest and furthest. The goal of the Engineering Senior Design project is to develop an autonomous driving racing the sun go cart. At the end of the project the Engineering Senior Design team will demonstrate the reliable self-driving capability by having their vehicle complete one or more laps at the Musselman Honda racetrack.

The project will require the team to develop the mechanical steering and speed control systems, select and add sensors (video, lidar, radar, and/or GPS), and develop a self-driving stack (software) that can successfully control the vehicle around the Musselman Honda racetrack. GPS is not accurate enough for vehicle control, so other sensors are needed to sense the roadway and plan the driving path. For this project, there will not be any obstacles or other vehicles on the track when the vehicle is operating in autonomous mode.

Cat Cannon

Project number
25502
Organization
BATYL Industries
Offering
ENGR498-S2025-F2025
Background: The University of Arizona is home to one of the very best basketball teams in the country. The electricity at McKale Center is spectacular and something that all Wildcats should be proud of. Currently, during intermission breaks, they have t-shirt giveaways. In order to distribute the shirts, cheerleaders come out and throw them into the crowd; occasionally, they will use a t-shirt gun. The cheerleaders are unable to throw the shirts very far and the gun frequently jams, creating a very underwhelming experience for the fans. The Cat Cannon will solve this problem!

The Cat Cannon is a multi-barrel, multi-directional robotic cannon which will distribute a high quantity of shirts in rapid succession to ALL areas of the arena safely. This includes both lower, middle and upper sections of McKale Center. The Cat Cannon will autonomously deploy to center court and fire the arsenal of t-shirts to the crazed fans. Requirements are as follows:

- Cat Cannon will be able to be programmed or operate via remote to deploy to its position on the court.
- Cat Cannon shall have a minimum of 4 multi-directional barrels to accommodate t-shirts and can target specific areas of McKale Center simultaneously.
- There needs to be some kind of feeder system to reload each cannon in order to launch at least 50 shirts per deployment. This will likely be the most difficult piece of this project.
- T-shirts should be able to hit all levels of McKale Center safely.
- The Cat Cannon must be able to deploy to center court and position itself within 60 seconds, and all shirts must be launched within 2 min of reaching enter court.
- Cat Cannon must have court-friendly wheels so as not to damage the playing surface.
- The system must be accurate and repeatable, as well as user-friendly.
- Fit & Finish - Would like it to look good…if the team doesn’t have time to make it aesthetically pleasing, please build it so it can easily be wrapped or be able to paint or add decals without affecting the operation of the unit. Alternatively, can have a decorative shell that encloses the inner workings.
- As a stretch goal, there will be two super cannons which will shoot a basketball out each side to make a half-court shot at each rim as the grand finale.

Autonomous Garbage Can

Project number
25501
Organization
Craig M. Berge Dean's Fund
Offering
ENGR498-S2025-F2025
This project involves the design and development of an autonomous garbage can to simplify waste management for residential customers. Currently, residents must manually move their garbage cans to the street on collection day and retrieve them afterward. This task can be challenging and hazardous for elderly individuals and inconvenient for those who are away on collection day. An autonomous garbage can will address these challenges by automating the process.

Key Features and Requirements:
The autonomous garbage can will incorporate the following characteristics:
1. User-Friendly Operation: Easy to program and monitor via a mobile application.
2. Battery-Powered: Operates using a rechargeable battery system.
3. Solar Charging: Equipped with solar panels for sustainable recharging.
4. Obstacle Avoidance: Includes sensors to detect and avoid obstacles.
5. All-Terrain Capability: Designed to traverse various surfaces such as concrete, asphalt, dirt, grass, and gravel.
6. Range: Capable of completing a round trip of up to 600 feet.
7. Garbage Collection Detection: Identifies when the can has been emptied.
8. Compatibility: Functions seamlessly with existing garbage trucks without requiring modifications.
9. Cost-Effective Design: Production cost per unit should not exceed $1,000.
10. Manual Movement: Still able to be moved manually


Future Considerations:
1. Retrofit Kits: Explore the feasibility of a retrofit kit for existing garbage cans.
2. Access Control Integration: Include options to open garage doors or gates autonomously.

I will be holding the following Zoom meeting to answer questions about this project:
https://arizona.zoom.us/j/87364980838 Passcode: 49825
Friday January 17, 2025 @ 10 AM - 11AM
Tuesday January 21, 2025 @ 10 AM -11AM
Tuesday January 21, 2025 @ 1 PM - 2 PM
You may send me CV/Resume or why you should be on this project to swlarimore@gmail.com - I have the opportunity to select two team members.


Radio Network Optimization

Project number
25079
Organization
Bard Water District
Offering
ENGR498-F2024-S2025
Radio communications relay data from and to sensors and actuators in the irrigation water distribution system across the 18,000-acre BWD. The district is expanding status monitoring and distribution control automation across its geographic footprint. However, obstructions within the terrain and fields of palm trees reduce or even completely block radio signals and line of sight (LOS) between existing antennae, limiting automation expansion.

The team used the Radio Mobile software to simulate the existing radio network and identified multiple technically viable solutions. Through close coordination with the project sponsor to define stakeholder needs and priorities, the team developed comprehensive analysis and comparison criteria to determine the optimal solution.

Following the sponsor’s concurrence with the design team’s initial recommendations, the team ran additional Radio Mobile simulations to solve a secondary problem: extending connectivity to the area southwest of the office just outside of the town of Winterhaven. The team achieved this by extending the main tower to attain LOS with a greater part of the southwestern area and installing the subscriber radios on 16 ft poles mounted on concrete bases. The district can place these hardware mounts near any of the sensors or actuators in the area and relay the radio signal to other areas with obstructions. This ensures LOS and signal integrity throughout the BWD area of operation.

AZ Water Competition

Project number
25078
Organization
UA Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering
Offering
ENGR498-F2024-S2025
The Arizona Water Association (AWA) hosts a yearly student design competition that tasks students with an engineering analysis and design project related to a water treatment facility. Teams created innovative and cost-effective solutions to meet the competition’s design goals.

This year, the AWA asked teams to propose an expansion plan for the SPA 1 WRF in Surprise, Arizona. The goal was to increase the facility’s treatment capacity from 12.8 million gallons per day to 16.3 million, while maintaining operational efficiency and regulatory compliance. The team evaluated four secondary treatment alternatives for Plants 4 and 5: the modified Ludzack-Ettinger process, a membrane aerated biofilm reactor, a membrane bioreactor (MBR), and the Four-Stage Bardenpho process.

After analyzing these options, the team determined that MBR is the best solution due to its ability to provide superior effluent quality, minimize hydraulic impacts, and maximize treatment capacity within the existing footprint. The MBR system enhances operational reliability and process control while reducing the facility’s overall environmental impact. Additionally, the team’s design includes a recommended construction timeline and an assessment of operational and maintenance costs.

Inulin Production

Project number
25077
Organization
UA Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering
Offering
ENGR498-F2024-S2025
The pharmaceutical industry often looks to plants for effective treatments. Inulin is one of these plant-based potential therapies. It is a naturally occurring polysaccharide in plants such as dandelions, chicory root and Jerusalem artichokes. Inulin can be used as a prebiotic, a dietary fiber, an enhancement for vaccines, and in medicines targeting the colon and kidneys. Jerusalem artichokes contain a high inulin content and serve as a sustainable source for this biomaterial. However, the process for refining the inulin from Jerusalem artichokes is inefficient and expensive.

In this project, the team focused on improving this inulin refinement process. To reach pharmaceutical grade after extraction, the inulin undergoes an intensive purification process. This includes the use of reactors, desalination and moving bed chromatography units, a falling film evaporator, and a spray dryer. The team mathematically modeled each piece of equipment, comparing modeled values with prior research to determine the optimal conditions for purified inulin.

The result of this project is pieces of equipment that are optimized to improve yield and purity while still considering cost and environmental impact.

Hydro-Desulfurization Unit

Project number
25076
Organization
UA Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering
Offering
ENGR498-F2024-S2025
When gasoline and diesel hydrocarbon compounds are burned, naturally occurring sulfur forms compounds that damage respiratory health and contribute to toxic acid rain. For this reason, the government regulates the amount of sulfur allowed in fuel. In diesel, this limit is as low as 50 parts per million. To comply with these standards, oil refineries must remove sulfur before the diesel can be sold and used.

Hydrodesulfurization is the primary removal method. In this process, hydrocarbons from other parts in the refinery, e.g. straight-run gas oil and light cycle oil, are reacted with hydrogen in the presence of a catalyst at high temperatures and pressures to separate sulfur from the hydrocarbon chain and create hydrogen sulfide gas.

The team designed a reactor and a separation system to remove hydrogen sulfide and other gases from the diesel stream. An amine unit processes the gases to absorb hydrogen sulfide and recycle hydrogen back to the reactor. The diesel product is stabilized and separated from lighter hydrocarbons before being sold as a product.

The team simulated and optimized the hydrodesulfurization unit in Aspen HYSYS software. The goals were to reduce sulfur content in the final diesel product to a maximum of 50 parts per million to minimize energy usage, cost and the environmental impact of this process.

Hydrogen-Solar Residential Microgrid

Project number
25075
Organization
UA Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering
Offering
ENGR498-F2024-S2025
The energy production industry demonstrates a rising need for renewable infrastructure to replace aging equipment and increase system resilience. Microgrid technologies are an effective tool for combating these challenges. The combination of renewable resources and energy storage allows microgrids to provide energy to support demand despite the intermittency of solar and wind. However, energy storage remains a challenge. Hydrogen is an emerging energy storage solution that may offer higher efficiency and environmental sustainability than conventional batteries.

The team designed a neighborhood microgrid in Tucson that uses solar power from photovoltaic cells. To ensure reliability, the grid is backed up by hydrogen technology, which can supply further electricity when needed. Combining solar panels, an electrolyzer, hydrogen storage and a fuel cell allows the microgrid to provide energy to residents under any weather conditions. The team created a DERMS model to visualize energy flows and address challenges of widely fluctuating energy inputs and load requirements.

This design pioneers scalability and safe implementation of novel hydrogen technology. The team created tools and developed models that are designed for easy adaptation to diverse microgrid applications. Similar systems can be implemented in data centers, electric vehicle charging stations and universities.

Naptha Methaforming

Project number
25074
Organization
UA Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering
Offering
ENGR498-F2024-S2025
The demand for liquid fuel has risen in the last decade while environmental standards for greenhouse gas emissions have become stricter. In response, the fuel production industry developed an innovative alternative to conventional refinery methods known as methaforming. This process converts full range naphtha – a by-product of crude oil distillation – and ethanol into gasoline, blending stock to reduce costs and a lower environmental impact.

This project aims to help meet the growing demand for fuel by developing a methaforming unit within an existing refinery in Texas. The unit utilizes full range naphtha and ethanol to create the methaformate product, and the main byproducts are hydrogen rich gas and liquefied petroleum gas. The process uses a catalytic bed reactor to increase the gasoline blending stock’s research octane number to 90 with an output rate of 5,000 barrels per standard day.

The team used modeling software to simulate the reactions that take place in a methaforming unit: dehydration of alcohol, aromatization of olefins, alkylation of aromatics, aromatization of paraffins, and isomerization of paraffins. The team iterated the unit operation conditions to meet market specifications of liquefied petroleum gas and hydrogen-rich gas and adhere to product specifications for gasoline blending stock. Introducing expander/compressor pairs – for pressure integration and maximizing the heat flux values of heat exchangers – further optimized energy efficiency.

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