Project goal: To design a perfusion system for the dynamic culture of retinal pigment epithelial tissue that allows protein quantification. Age-related macular degeneration is the leading cause of blindness among older adults in the United States. The designed system will contribute to a better understanding of cell behavior and function,and could lead to preventative treatment. The system built allows liquid media to feed retinal pigment epithelial cells growing inside a customer-furnished perfusion chamber. The design uses a flow-rate model to determine optimal pumping rate based on tubing specifications, and incorporates an automated collection carousel to gather hourly samples of proteins emitted from the perfusion chamber. Proteins are sampled using a microcontroller to rotate a collection plate mounted upon a stepper motor shaft. The user can control how often protein samples are collected by modifying the software read by the microcontroller. The proteins can later be quantified from the liquid samples to provide more in-depth information about tissue-substrate interaction.

Project goal: To integrate high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging scans into a virtual reality platform. Visualizing high-resolution MRI scans of white matter tracts in the brain via a virtual reality platform allows students and researchers to learn about and interact with 3-D imaging data. The virtual reality platform provides an immersive visualization of fiber tract maps acquired by diffusion tensor imaging, and provides interactive tools for education and research to develop a better understanding of brain regions. The educational modules feature a dynamic menu that displays information on the brain regions as the user moves through the simulation. This platform comes with a Python-based file-conversion tool that allows users to load new MRI scans. The design uses the Unity game engine, which allows the platform to run the full version using the Oculus Rift headset, and a smaller streamlined version as an Android mobile application.

Project goal: To design and build a cylindrical modular payload bay for a generic unmanned aircraft system. The payload bay accommodates three different but interchangeable payload modules that each use a different communication protocol and have individual functions. This modular system allows the operator to quickly change the configuration to match mission requirements. The design required trading material selection and design concepts to create a payload structure that can survive the shock of a hard landing while being as light as possible. Use of finite element analysis optimized the weight and strength of the structure. The software written allows the payload bay computer to recognize which slots in the payload bay have modules and which communication protocol each module is using. The payload bay computer communicates with each module individually or with all three simultaneously. A prototype bay was built and tested.

Project goal: To design a bench-top tool that consolidates the functions of several different pieces of lab equipment. Testing electronic equipment requires multiple instruments and a lot of bench space, so the team designed a bench-top tool that eliminates the need for so many instruments by consolidating the functions of several different types of common lab equipment into one bench-top enclosure. The bench-top tool consists of a microcontroller and five submodules. The submodules operate as static and variable power supplies, a digital multimeter, a function generator, and a digital logic analyzer. A printed circuit board was designed for the circuitry of the individual submodules and microcontroller so that individual components of the submodules were electrically connected to each other. The bench-top tool connects to a computer, which allows the user to interact with the bench-top tool via a graphical user interface created using LabVIEW.

Project goal: To design a tabletop laser fountain to show additive color mixing in real time by using red, green and blue laser sources routed through a laminar flow water fountain. The laser light travels through the water streams as though they are optical fibers and combines in a 3-D printed bowl that demonstrates the additive color-mixing properties of light. The design uses laser diodes that are modulated using electronic driver boards to alter the amount of electrical current supplied to each laser diode. By altering the amount of electrical current, the perceived brightness of each laser changes and allows selective color mixing according to the color gamut created by the wavelengths of each laser source. Control of the color in the fountain is managed by manual slider switches that control the brightness of each laser, and via an Android app with digital sliders that send signals to a microcontroller running on an Arduino microprocessor.

Project goal: To design an automated system for placing slides in staining equipment. Currently, microscope slides are removed from their containers and placed into staining equipment manually. This repetitive motion decreases efficiency overtime and increases possibility of contamination and improper slide placement. The design of this system focuses on integration and communication between the sensor system and the mechanical transfer system. Off-the-shelf components were used to build a sensor system to detect slide containers and microscope slides, and to read the barcode on each slide. Microscope slides within the working range are picked up by a gripper mechanism on a Cartesian-gantry robot system. Because the system is handling delicate objects, the gripper system is designed so that it does not damage the microscope slides or the tissue samples.

Project goal: To design, build and test a single-dose reagent package and corresponding table-sized dispensing equipment. The package design requirements included ensuring proper volume for each dispense and maintaining material compatibility with the company’s proprietary chemical reagents. Pressure sensors in the dispenser confirm the presence of the reagent package and send a notification to the touch screen on the front of the product. The user can then start running the equipment. The dispensing system consists of a roller on a conveyor that applies force to the top of the inserted reagent package. When the reagent package has been emptied onto the tissue slide, the graphical interface displays a status update and a green LED light to indicate that the system has finished. The dispenser, coupled with a simple reagent package, will help the sponsor evaluate the benefits and restrictions of using a single-dose package versus rather than its current bulk packaging.

Project goal: To develop a cybersecurity risk-modeling tool that combines national standards to frame an original mathematical algorithm. Cybersecurity risk can be difficult to anticipate and plan for, which is driving demand for more quantitative, repeatable and comprehensive methods of cybersecurity risk estimation. The team developed a cybersecurity risk-modeling tool that combines the principles of National Institute of Standards and Technology Risk Management Framework and the Open Group Standard Risk Taxonomy to frame an original mathematical algorithm. The tool uses empirical data and a Monte Carlo simulation that runs more than 10,000 iterations to quantify the cybersecurity risk based on user-defined threat sources. It also defines predisposing conditions and countermeasures for a given system, a time frame for evaluation, and a potential monetary impact of exposure. The tool combines Python scripting and an SQL database to store data, run the simulation, and interface with the user. The report produced gives data on realistic impacts and likelihoods of risk and vulnerabilities, as well as risk-mitigation recommendations, in a format suitable for non-technical users.

The goal: To expedite cleaning of maritime distress signals without manual filtering. Maritime distress transmissions received by the U.S. Coast Guard are subject to environmental noise and communication channel distortion, and must be filtered manually using current Rescue 21 software, which can be time consuming and imprecise. This project uses deep learning to improve signal filtration. The core of the software is a de-noising recurrent auto-encoder, a machine learning model that recognizes and removes distortion from input audio files. Noisy distress signals are input into the team’s software and automatically filtered by the auto-encoder, which generates a coherent, noiseless version of the input signal.Testing required the software to process a 5-minute audio segment in under a minute while using less than 2 GB of local memory. The software is compatible with all operating systems used by the Coast Guard, including the existing Rescue 21 software.

Project goal: To create a system of wireless transceivers that communicate with a fast, consistent stream to transmit acceptable quality audio. The designed system consists of a microphone, computer and two speakers,each with its own wireless transceiver. The transmission is secured by use of an Advanced Encryption Standard protocol compatible with the transceivers. The intended system application is simplification of a dispatch center setup by reducing the wiring used for audio equipment. With this system’s integrated encryption, sensitive information can be transmitted securely. To secure the transmission the design requires insertion of a physical encryption key to begin transmission. Using a physical rather than digital key eliminates wireless exchange of keys, reducing the likelihood of any transmission being compromised. Off-the-shelf components were modified to fit the requirements of the design. Testing of the system verified data transmission speeds and encryption methods. Additional testing quantified wireless transmission range and audio quality.