Ventana Medical Systems, a Roche Company, develops automated tissue
staining instruments to diagnose a variety of disease states, using an array
of technologies (Special Stains, H&E, In-Situ Hybridization, Immuno-Histo
Chemistry, …). Tissue staining instruments employ electromechanical
devices, and as such the staining reagents are in proximity to electronics.

A protective cover that meets an IP (Ingress Protection) rating for light
spray and drips, as well as is made from a material compatible with our fluids,
would provide modular protection and risk reduction to custom circuit
boards. By achieving the IPX4 rating, protection against ingress from
splashing chemical reagents from all directions is possible. It is tested by exposing
an item to an oscillating spray for a minimum of 10 minutes. Design passes when
there is limited ingress with no harmful effects. Currently our available
range of protection options are limited by two main factors.

Factor 1 is the serviceability of a protective cover to prevent fluids. Designs
containing rigid elements and added fasteners are not desirable nor
marketable. In order to design a solution for this, a flexible, self-sealing
housing and cover are envisioned. This closure would act much as a
waterproof cell phone case would, the soft plastic silicone type. employs a
“zipper” type or similar concept seal to allow the cover to close around the
PCB, with outlets for cable harness egress. In addition items will need to
pass through this encasement in order to mount and connect the PCB, so
a flexible material that can seal around the M5 mounting standoffs is
required.

Factor 2 is the material compatibility of soft silicone/elastomer type materials has not
been evaluated and as such reagent compatibility and best material(s) for purpose
are not known.

At any management level, to make decisions there is a need for real-time, reliable information. The available information should be crisp, unambiguous, facts driven, accountable and should allow drilldown. ​Management cannot solve the problem if the problem is not presented to them. The product is for Internal Process Improvement that will reduce waste in terms of resources & time. It will help in making timely decisions, which in turn will help in launching CAT products and services in a timely manner.

The Dashboard must be concept based and not product based.

The Dashboard must be designed to handle Quantitative and Qualitative data. All KPIs (key performance indices) are assumed to be 1. Quantitative – Number Based (Time Phased, ability to Roll Up and Fields that can be Mapped) or 2. Qualitative - Text Based (Time Stamped and Time Bound).

Some examples of quantitively data would be revenue, expenses, budget forecast values, actual values, sales, inventory, etc.

Some examples of qualitative data would be risks, issues, agenda items, accomplishments, lessons learned etc.

The database must be useable at any internal organization or project level. Users should be able to handle any type of data, define the fields and self-administer. Source data must be enterable at any level. Data must be manageable and editable at any level.

Use the latest tools for web application development.

Research, identify, design, develop, and test an app to track home chemotherapy administration and/or chemotherapy related symptoms.

Scope:
1. Work with BDPI engineers to understand the application, clinical benefits, and complications of chemotherapy administration through a port. BDPI will supply port engineering samples and background information to the students.
2. Evaluate current technology and identify robust user needs.
3. Build a solution that will collect the appropriate information and communicate data to BD.

What students could learn:
1. Medical device research and development process
2. Methods and requirements for medical device app development
3. FDA regulations and validation requirements needed for medical device development and usability testing

The coefficient of friction of the tread pattern will be the same or better than the Caterpillar high traction tread pattern. The coefficient of friction will be measured under the following three surface conditions: dry, oily, and muddy.

The cost to produce the tread pattern will be the same or less than the Caterpillar preferred tread pattern.

The manufacturing process required to produce the tread pattern must be a common process that is widely available in the global market (specifically in the US and Southeast Asia).

The tread pattern must be painted per Caterpillar standards.

The walkway that utilizes this tread pattern must meet all Caterpillar defined frequency and stress related design targets.

Carpal tunnel syndrome is a compression neuropathy in the wrist and commonly treated by surgical release of the transverse carpal ligament. The goal of the project is to design a hand device to apply force to the carpal tunnel using a balloon to provide the pressure application. The device should consist of a shell that encloses the hand and has a slot for the thumb to be secured in; two rubber bladders, one on each side of the wrist, attached to the shell that apply pressure to the proper locations on the wrist; and a controller box with an LED display for the user to interface to the unit. The shell should be a thin, rigid device made of a hard plastic or other suitable material that will contain the hand of the user and provide separate support for the thumb. The bladders are a rubber balloon that will be attached to the shell and connected to the controller via flexible tubing. The pressurization of the bladders will provide the prescribed pressure to both sides of the wrist. The controller will consist of a microcontroller; an LED display to allow the user to interface to the system; a pump that will pressurize the bladders; and a rechargeable battery to power the system. The system will be operated via the LED Display to initiate the treatment sequence which will automatically apply a pressurization of the bladders for a set period of time, then a release of pressure for a separate period of time in a cyclical manner. The amount of force applied to the wrist can be accurately controlled by the amount of pressure in the bladder. The time intervals can be altered by inputs to the microcontroller. The device will use rechargeable batteries for the powering of the operation allowing the unit to be portable.

**This sponsor will not be at Open House. If you would like to interview for this project, please schedule a time here - https://tinyurl.com/DrLi23OpenHouse**

Carpal tunnel release surgery is commonly performed to relieve the elevated pressure inside the tunnel. The goal of the project is to design a wearable biomechanical device for the wrist. This project covers the design, fabrication, assembly and testing of a wrist compression device to apply a controllable variable pressure to the patients’ wrist. The device will be initially made by utilizing a 3D scanner to scan a hand to generate a file so that a 3D model can be generated. The device will be a two-part construction with a finger tightener, torque limited rack and pinion mechanism with a release button. Provisions will be made to conform to the wrist without compressing on bones, including necessary padding to be added to a rigid split shell.

**This sponsor will not be at Open House. If you would like to interview for this project, please schedule a time here - https://tinyurl.com/DrLi23OpenHouse**

Design a battery charging system to ensure a sustainable power source for underground mining communications while traveling in a conveyance.
The Resolution Copper project is a proposed underground mine 60 miles east of Phoenix, Arizona, near the town of Superior. There are two active mine shafts for underground access: Shaft 9 and Shaft 10. When minors access the underground mine, they are hoisted down the shaft in a conveyance system. The conveyance system includes important battery-powered communications equipment. This battery drains throughout the day as the communications equipment is used prompting daily battery replacements. There is currently no charging system in place to keep the battery charged.
The project team will be invited to visit the Resolution Copper property for a meet-and-greet and tour to familiarize the project team with the unique characteristics of the project.

This project is designed to assist in improving the current ability to collect high density cellular recordings from the brains of awake, freely behaving animals. As such, the project envisions the team to innovate, design, and build a select set of robotic and other mechanical, electronic control, sensing and telemetry solutions to advance the study. These new attributes will be utilized within the mechanical, electronic, and telemetry systems that currently exist – the Instantaneous Cue Rotation (ICR) arena.

Objectives for this project in rank order of desirability/feasibility:

1. Define and develop a new robotic system for food dispensing and tracking the experimental animal (rat). This will include the mechanical, electrical, control and communication capability of the robot per the requirements of the overall ICR system. As this is a follow-on project to one conducted the previous year, there is significant research available for this year’s team to be assisted in the design and build process. While this robot has specific requirements, there are preliminary design features that will be available to the team at the outset of the project; and, as such, it is envisioned that a completely working robot with all software and hardware could be available by the end of first semester. It is a key requirement that a complete operating manual and design feature set of drawings, software documentation, parts lists, etc. will also be completed during this time frame.

2. The second goal of this project - to be worked concurrently with item 1 (robot) above - is to design and implement a boom arm system connected to a commutator that will assist in guiding a “tether system” to act as a data communication signal path as the rat traverses the circular track as well as the open arena. The design will need to:
- Connect the boom arm to the base plate of the commutator
- Be lightweight and counterbalanced to prevent asymmetrical weight distribution on the commutator cylinder
- Allow the rat to move freely within the entirety of the behavior arena
- Ensure minimal disruptions to camera field of view (AND/OR install a second camera, which would require additional coding to support a dual camera system).
- Avoid excessive slack in the tether (which the rat may chew on, become distracted by, or become entangled with the tether) while still allowing the animal to be comfortably “plugged-in” on two different arenas (the circular track and the open-field).
- This “tether system” must meet the requirements of transmitting all data - signal integrity and bandwidth - as well as meeting all software protocols of the existing system such that it is transparent to the user.
Because the open-field component of the ICR creates a completely closed environment, the use of the tethered recording system creates the additional task of how to place the “plugged-in” (tethered) rat into the arena. If the rat were able to move freely as the platform is raised to close the arena there is too high a potential for injury.
3. To address this, the third project goal is to design and implement a “rat elevator” that will allow a tethered rat to be placed in the closed open-field arena (see example video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJukBNvXXxM). The design will need to:
- Lift the rat into the open-field without the potential for extremities being pinched between any components/surfaces.
- Fit underneath the current arena structure.
- Ensure perfect alignment underneath a cut-out in the open-field arena.
- Allow the tether to reach the rat while in the elevator (the tether boom will need to alleviate any excess slack as the rat is raised into the arena).
4. A final goal for this project is to install an updated display system for the live camera feed. The current system operates on an outdated CRT TV. This would require rewiring of system components and likely adjustments to the code.

The system shall be able to measure tension on a conveyor belt within 0.25N
The system shall provide a visual aid displaying the tension present
The system shall not modify any current conveyance (this should be an add on)
The system shall be a stand alone system
The system shall be able to transmit data to a web based platform

The System shall work off the existing platform from last years project
The system shall create a virtual twin of an Ambaflex spiral conveyance
The virtual twin shall be created accurately, to scale, and move identically to the physical system
The system shall have all parts documented in the virtual system
The system shall walk a user through the 4 week PM task
The system should have a set up and start up document