The Tonee Lift walker helps patients with spinal fusion and other low-mobility conditions lift objects from the floor, greatly increasing their independence. In addition to the lifting functionality, the walker has a sweeper arm for pushing objects from the floor onto the lifting plate.

This team was tasked with turning earlier prototypes and models of the Tonee Lift walker into a more durable, user-friendly and market-ready product. The design requirements presented several engineering challenges: improving walker center of gravity, overcoming friction in the lift with a 25-pound load, making the lifting plate foldable, and controlling the descending speed of the lift with a 25-pound load.

The students built the Tonee Lift II walker out of aluminum, including 1-inch tubing and sheet metal to meet a weight requirement of less than 40 pounds and designed a component that lifts a maximum 25-pound object from the floor to 3 feet. The team incorporated bearings and a gearbox with a clutch. To prevent beyond-range motion, the design includes switches at the minimum or maximum position to open the circuit and cut the power to the motor. A current limit circuit cuts motor power when the load on the lift is too heavy. And, an off-the-shelf product indicates battery charge.

Electronic Speed Controllers (ESCs) are used to control the operation of electric motors in Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UASs). Research institutions require ESCs that can collect operating telemetry from the controller and motor when developing UAS technologies. Readily available ESCs do not have these functionalities and are limited to operating a narrow range of motor sizes, making them unusable in research applications.

The team built a functional ESC that operates over a wide range of motors and collects the required data within 1% accuracy.

The ESC uses a Teensy 4.1 microcontroller as its main processing unit. Speed instructions are transmitted to the Teensy 4.1 from an external flight computer, which are then processed to control the motor’s RPM. The Teensy 4.1 also collects the temperature and motor’s RPMs, current draw and voltage. All telemetry data is transmitted to the flight computer using the CAN bus protocol. The ESC is packaged in an aluminum enclosure with active cooling to safely operate motors ranging from 10V to 50V, with a maximum continuous current draw of 120A.

The Hydraulic Smart Glove provides an interface for measuring the forces and work performed during everyday physical activities. Real-time data allows users to track the amount of weight lifted and work performed during physical activity. With this wearable device, fitness fanatics, construction workers and physical therapists alike can work safer and smarter.

This team created a system that uses hydraulic tubing, hydraulic fluid, and a manifold, all integrated into the smart glove with a pressure transducer measuring the pressure applied to the tubing.

The students developed software with calibrated curves to calculate the weight lifted and the work performed based on the pressure inside the tubing. Sensor data is collected by an Arduino Nano microcontroller. Key data is displayed using a graphical user interface (GUI) on an LED display. The user interacts with the system and GUI via buttons for calibration, setting the time, changing units and altering brightness.

Having the ability to measure and display the weight of lifted objects, along with work performed, provides valuable information to employees and companies. Workers can control how much work they are performing when carrying or lifting objects and use the data to limit excessive exertion, reducing the risk of repetitive stress injuries.

This team designed, developed, integrated and tested a novel flexible sensor array that measures weight lifted and work performed.

The Smart Glove uses an inductive sensor to measure the weight of an object held by the user, instantaneously and over time. This weight is measured at a frequency of 20 Hz and subsequently summed to display a total quantified weight in addition to the time under tension, to within 5% accuracy. The Smart Glove is intended for use in warehouses and gyms.

Two-phase immersion cooling is an efficient and cost-effective way to cool data centers. Additionally, this method is far less likely to negatively affect the environment because it uses significantly less water and electricity than conventional cooling. Electronics are submerged in a non-conductive fluid so there is no damage to components. The temperature of the fluid remains near its boiling point to create a saturated gas-liquid state in the tank. Microsoft Corp. has started to implement this technology but needs a small-scale tank in which to perform tests.

The students designed, developed, integrated and tested a novel tank design for system optimization.

The design consists of a quartz tank and acrylic lid, sealed with a laser-cut rubber gasket. Fluorinert, created by 3M, is the fluid in which the computer is submerged. As the computer heats up, the Flourinert begins to evaporate and increases the internal pressure of the tank. Sensors inside the tank monitor the temperature, pressure and level of Fluorinert. This data, along with the increased tank pressure helps control a cooling loop that condenses gaseous Fluorinert and maintains a temperature at or below boiling, which is highly efficient for the processor.

Project Goal: Develop an automated irrigation gate system for Bard Water District that adjusts irrigation flood gates remotely via a website and hardware components, providing the ability to cover more than 14,000 acres in crops and millions of dollars in product generation.

Bard Water District employees operate flood gates by hand on site using either an electric motor or by cranking the floodgate open with a lever. Manual floodgate operation creates extra workload. Furthermore, when irrigators close and open their turnout gates without notifying the Bard Water District, it can cause spillage into suburban areas and a lack of water for other irrigators.

In this design, an automated system adjusts floodgates and sends live data to Bard Water District. A group of encoder sensors delivers water-level and gate-position information via a tape, weight and float mechanism. The gate position is adjusted based on processor input with a DC electric motor wired through a series of motor starters. Remote terminal unit processors and VHF radio modems allow the control and transmission of system data.

All of the system’s components are powered with solar energy.

Project Goal: Automate the irrigation water distribution system used across 14,000 acres of agricultural land in Southern California.

To help prevent hazards and losses, this project developed an interactive website to depict and monitor the Yuma water area owned by Bard Water District.

After conducting trade studies of interactive exhibits, the team selected a remote terminal unit, or RTU, as the microprocessor. The configuration integrates simple, easy-to-use, RTU-compiling software. A position sensor and water-level sensor measure and predict gate position and cubic feet per second, or CFS, flow.

In real time, the microprocessor retrieves the output signal generated from the position and water level sensors at each of 10 gates and sends the information to a database. The resulting website enables designated Bard Water users to interact directly with the display. They can edit the amount of CFS at any gate as well as monitor gate position, on-off signal status, and open or closed gate status.

Project Goal: Produce a design concept report for improving Valencia Road from Old Vail Road to Nexus Road and at the Atterbury Wash.

The design concept improves the existing two-lane sections of Valencia Road to comply with modern standards for a four-lane, urban collector roadway with a center median and paved shoulders. The improvements also include intersection realignment, signalization, better drainage conveyance, vertical and horizontal geometry, and a new bridge over a major regional wash.

More transportation accessibility and options that increase public safety for the community are provided by adding ADA-compliant, bicycle-accessible paved shoulders and a continuous center turn lane for easier access and reduced traffic density. Topographic maps and hydraulic flows reveal the right design for the right lay of the land.

The team used roadway design, traffic analysis, geotechnical analysis and pavement design, structural design, utility coordination and relocation, while considering environmental and sustainability factors, cost estimation and scheduling. Balancing project cost, public needs and environmental protection results in a sustainable solution.

Project Goal: Create a design concept report for the Valencia Road corridor from Pantano Road to Nexus Road, including improvements at the Atterbury Wash structure.

This design concept proposes sustainable, solutions-oriented improvements to the two-lane Valencia Road. It calls for changing it to a fully functional, four-lane, urban collector roadway with a center median, paved shoulders and an ADA-accessible multiuse pathway.

Other improvements include horizontal and vertical roadway geometry, intersection realignments, traffic control elements, improved drainage along the entire corridor, and adjustments to the Atterbury Wash intersection structure. Engineering work includes roadway design, traffic analysis, hydrology and channel hydraulics, geotechnical analysis, pavement design, bridge and culvert design and analysis of alternative structures, utility relocation, environmental requirements, construction considerations, cost estimation and project scheduling. The team consulted more than 20 industry mentors to finalize the design concept report.

The increased capacity for this collector road benefits travel demand for the businesses along Valencia Road and for Mesquite Elementary School near Harrison Greenway.

Project Goal: Design improvements of Valencia Road from Pantano Road to Atterbury Wash.

The proposal will turn East Valencia Road in Tucson, Arizona, into a modern, four-lane, urban collector roadway with a center median. The plan includes the same improvements at the Atterbury Wash east of Houghton Road. These tie into improvements at the Pantano Road alignment and transition into existing conditions east of Nexus Road and at the signalized intersections at Old Vail Road and Nexus Road.

The plan includes enhancements to horizontal and vertical geometry, intersection realignments, traffic control elements, drainage conveyance, public safety improvements, reduced traffic congestions, bicycle accessible shoulders and ADA-accessible pedestrian pathways.

Concept recommendations adhere to the city’s standards for roadway design, traffic analysis, hydrology and channel hydraulics, geotechnical analysis, pavement design, culvert and bridge design, utility relocation, environmental requirements, cost estimating and scheduling. Also identified were potential project impacts to existing residential neighborhoods, businesses and other facilities. The project provided recommendations for additional improvements as needed.