The Fourth Industrial Revolution is the idea that efficiency will be revolutionized by mass-data analytics fueling decisions made by AI. Large-area industries, such as agriculture, are racing to design a versatile drone capable of gathering this information. In this effort, ground based, hexapodal platforms have advantages over both flying drones and tracked/wheeled designs. These include the ability to mount heavier and more robust sensor packages, easy modification, longer loitering times, movement below and around foliage, and low impact on soil.

The AMS design uses off-the-shelf electronics, 3D printed parts and open-source software for simplicity, modularity and ease of modification. It includes a Raspberry Pi running the robot operating system, which has an abundant range of packages allowing for the easy integration of additional sensors, missions and parts. This current iteration uses lidar, or Light Detection and Ranging,=4ew31nd supersonic ranging devices, which provide robust obstacle detection and path planning. In addition, a GPS is used to define a roaming area for the robot, so this platform is ready to be adapted to large-area data gathering, especially within the agricultural sector.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD), the leading cause of death globally, results in over 19 million deaths annually, according to the American Heart Association. High blood pressure is directly linked to increased risk for CVD. While an abbreviated daily IMST regimen has been shown to significantly reduce systolic blood pressure, the exercises are difficult to perform effectively using current devices, which offer limited user feedback.

Our respiratory training system, ReTrain, is comprised of an ergonomic, handheld device containing a one-way breathing valve, pressure transducer and ESP32 microcontroller. It senses and transmits the user’s breathing pressure over a Bluetooth Low Energy interface to a paired smartphone application. The accompanying smartphone application monitors breathing pressure and provides live feedback. The device requires minimal user interaction, and the intuitive framework of the app enhances user experience. For standard training and calibration, a real-time waveform of the user’s pressure and current target level are displayed with an accuracy of 3.5%. Additionally, data from each session is stored on the user’s device and transmitted to a clinical program via Amazon Web Service.

The defense industry typically uses software-based applications to test missiles and other types of flying projectiles. But as technology advances, the software requires numerous updates. By introducing a web-based frontend, the development, testing and release cycles of the system will be faster. The design provides the ability for multiple contributors to automate the integration of code and updates for new software.

By using a systems engineering approach, the team created a user-friendly interface prioritizing safety, performance and user satisfaction. A single client-side application receives data from the launch vehicle sensors and engineers, while simultaneously sending data packets back to the sponsor servers on any occasion of user interaction. With a graphical user interface paired with a backend, data forwarding allows the code to be maintainable and put in a single package. This design is a foundation for the transition to web-based applications for the launch vehicles.

Roche’s BenchMark ULTRA staining instrument has a variety of internal conditions, and it controls multiple chemical and physical parameters of the tissue staining process. The residual fluid volume on a microscope slide must be known and controlled. Currently, a technician measures the volume using a Kimwipe and an analytical balance. The team designed an optical approach to measure the volume of residual fluid on the microscope slide with less user interaction than the existing method.

The new system captures side-view images of fluid on a microscope slide and processes the images, measuring the height of the fluid at different points. A Raspberry Pi microcontroller directs the image processing, and a machine learning algorithm is trained to estimate and display the fluid volume onto an LCD screen.

The team designed and manufactured a plastic housing for the camera module that integrates directly onto the slide drawer of the staining instrument. They also manufactured an external housing for the Raspberry Pi and its associated components. Designed for simplicity, this system will greatly reduce the amount of time spent measuring residual fluid volumes.

The BenchMark ULTRA, an automated tissue staining instrument used in the detection of diseases such as cancer, requires several fluid reagents to perform its analyses. Detecting and maintaining adequate bulk reagent levels currently requires technicians to manually log usage, a process which is burdensome, time consuming and subject to error.

The team developed a cart-mounted, contactless vision system to automatically sense reagent fluid levels. The vision system includes a high-quality camera connected to a Raspberry Pi. An LED strip is used in conjunction with induced light blockers on the custom designed cart to stabilize the environmental conditions and improve measurement accuracy. The Raspberry Pi processes the camera image using gamma correction and performs fluid level estimation using pixel intensity comparisons, resulting in detection of fluid levels within 5% of the true volume. The analysis results are displayed on the system graphical user interface and saved for later use. A rechargeable power supply allows for 30 minutes of uninterrupted use.

During critical stages of flight, when turbo fan engines perform at their operating limits, unfavorable atmospheric conditions can cause the direction of airflow through the engine to reverse through gaps between the engine casing and compressor rotor blades. This reverse flow is called a surge, and it can allow high temperature gases in the combustion chamber to back-flow into the compressor. This may cause catastrophic failure of the engine, necessitating an emergency landing.

To address the issue, the team designed a system to prevent backflow and 3D printed a prototype portion of a compressor with rotor blades and engine casing. It was tested by injecting a stream of high-pressure air into the gap. The team used a wind tunnel to measure changes in pressure across the airfoil when controlled by the injected stream of air. The design improves aircraft safety and reduces man-hours and costs required to repair engines after an occurrence of engine surge.

The Slide Prep Utility for Roche (SPUR) is a new system that prepares slides for tissue staining from liquid-based cytology samples instead of tissue. Cytotechnicians manually stack hundreds of the slide and vial samples for processing, which presents the risks of damage and human error. The team developed a tray that allows cytotechnicans to keep the patient samples and slides safe and organized, resulting in a more efficient process.

The design includes a mechanical assembly and an electronic assembly. The mechanical portion consists of 12 holes designed for vial placement and 12 slide holders designed to fit two slides each. The electronic assembly includes an Arduino Nano, a temperature sensor and an E-Ink display, all powered by two 10Ah rechargeable batteries. The device temperature and sample storage age are monitored and presented on the display. If the temperature of the device moves outside a particular range, or if the sample storage exceeds six months, a visual alarm will be displayed, indicating the samples are no longer usable.

The boarding ladder attachment for Caterpillar’s D9 through D11 tractors enables operators to access the cab of the machine safely. However, the current actuator driven latching mechanism that secures the ladder in the stowed position fails at low operating hours, creating downtime of the machine and loss of production. This project presents a motor-driven redesign of the latching mechanism to improve reliability and ensure backward compatibility for machines already in the field.

In this design, the access ladder swings up from the ground to the side of the tractor and is secured by two pins that firmly hold the ladder to the latching assembly on the machine. These pins are engaged by custom linkages driven by a geared motor and keyed shaft. This motor removes the linear actuator, the key source of failure from the current design. The redesigned linkages consist of a pivot link that interfaces with a shaft and connecting rods that drive the pins. The new system adds holding pads which adjust to the optimum stopping location of the stowed ladder. It also integrates limit switches with the current system of relays to stop actuation of the latching pins. This, in turn, interfaces with the switches, proximity sensor and rotational actuator that controls ladder movement. The new latching mechanism shows higher natural frequencies and reduction of stresses, ultimately improving structural reliability.

In the event of an emergency, the WELS guides passengers to safety with luminescent signs and directions. To power this system, a WELS Battery Unit (WBU) must always be on board, fully charged, and safely operable. Currently, the Combined Ganged Battery Tester is used to verify the functionality of WBUs, but there is an issue with parts obsolescence. To keep up with the growing demand for WBUs, the WELS Battery Tester (WBT) has been designed with safety, reliability and manufacturability in mind.

The project centers around the electrical design which utilizes a custom circuit to interface with the WBU. This allows for charging, discharging, measuring battery temperature, reading internal memory and setting the WBU to a safe charge level for storage and shipping. These tests are implemented in the firmware of the microcontroller, which serves as the link from hardware to software. The packaged software application for the WBT confirms connection with a system, sends commands for which test is to be run and processes the data. The mechanical enclosure is lightweight, easily portable and ensures the WBU can make a secure connection with the device.

At Roche Tissue Diagnostics, the current method for tissue staining involves dispensing chemicals through a spigot, which regulates the flow of reagents from chemical storage containers known as carboys. This existing system has recently been beset with leaks and issues, which are rooted in a faulty spigot connected to the carboy. The problems arose from a combination of mechanical failure, chemical degradation and incorrect operation.

The team used CAD software, 3D fabrication techniques, chemical compatibility testing, and mechanical and fluid analyses to develop multiple design iterations. Each iteration was tested extensively to ensure that the design is ready for mass production. The improved spigot not only enhances safety by eliminating mechanical failures and chemical degradation, but it also promises better ease of use. Additionally, the modular design approach offers cost efficiency in the manufacturing process.