The 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group (AMARG) at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base oversees a “boneyard” of decommissioned military aircraft. These aircraft sit on large wooden modules in storage. The modules are effective but outdated. In this multifaceted project, the team conducted a life cycle study on the current modules, developed a novel additive-manufactured replacement for the block, and reported on the feasibility of replacing the current modules with the
new design.

The team first explored the cost of materials, production and implementation of the current modules. One of the key findings was that the current wooden module was designed under the limitations of additive manufacturing at the time. Conducting a trade study comparing cost, strength and environmental resistance of the current module and new materials, the team determined that acrylonitrile styrene acrylate, a thermoplastic polymer, is an optimal replacement material.

The team then carried out finite element analysis and topology studies to optimize material mass and mechanical strength. Finally, the team tested the new design and completed a feasibility study to determine whether the replacement is fiscally responsible. AMARG can use these results to inform their decision about which module design is better suited for their goals.

Plastic waste is a major problem in academic makerspaces such as the Engineering Design Center at U of A. Novice users often employ incorrect material settings. This leads to failed prints, wasted material, excess material for recycling and additional time spent on cleanup and reprinting. This project aims to reduce plastic waste by developing a filament verification system for 3D printers.

The team designed a spectroscopy system to identify common filament materials used in 3D printing like PLA, ASA and PETG. Once it determines what material is loaded into the printer, the system checks for mismatches between the filament and the user’s selected print settings. These settings include material, nozzle temperature, bed temperature and print speed.

If the system detects a mismatch, it will automatically adjust the printer settings and notify the user. Ensuring the loaded material matches the print settings will improve print success rates and reduce waste. Additionally, since the primary focus of this project is makerspaces, the team will share the project as an open-source resource for the maker community as a cost-effective, efficient and sustainable solution for makers to replicate.

Weed overgrowth on golf courses presents a significant challenge to turf management. It requires frequent maintenance that is both labor-intensive and costly. Traditional methods rely on manual labor or widespread herbicide application. Both of these methods can be inefficient and environmentally harmful. To address these challenges, the team developed SPIDER, an autonomous, data-driven agriculture robot. SPIDER can streamline turfgrass maintenance with precise weed detection and
elimination, particularly for environments like golf courses.

SPIDER’s system uses both software and hardware to enable autonomous movement, object avoidance and weed detection. Its mechanical assembly includes a main body that houses all electronic components and four legs on each side of the main body for mobility. A mechanical arm mounted on a rotational surface atop the main frame operates within a 90-degree arc between the front legs for precise weed removal. The weed detection software uses machine learning technology with PyTorch’s ResNet18 model. It is integrated with the mechanical elimination system by the repository running on an NVIDIA Jetson Nano AI platform to ensure seamless communication between software and hardware components.

Coral conservation research depends on the ability to reliably and accurately control lighting. This project aimed to develop a personalized website that gives users the ability to send color and intensity commands to a series of Maxspect 500W LED commercial floodlights at Biosphere 2’s coral research space.

The team’s design works by sending light settings from the main system to individual controllers on the lights via controller area network bus communication protocol. The design includes one Raspberry Pi 5 and three Raspberry Pi Picos that serve as the main and individual controllers, respectively. Each light is equipped with a Raspberry Pi Pico integrated with two digital potentiometers that allow operators to precisely adjust lighting parameters based on given commands.

Users can also apply 24-hour lighting schedules and receive real-time feedback from a photosynthetic active radiation sensor. This allows them to monitor and detect out-of-range intensity values. Additionally, the team gave each microcontroller a housing unit to protect it from the environment and the capability to dissipate heat produced from the electronics. This system enables enhanced lighting control and data collection to support coral conservation research at the U of A Biosphere 2 facility.

Law enforcement professionals must be prepared to rapidly and effectively respond to active shooter events. This includes breaching any barriers that may stand in the way. In schools and hospitals, many doors are of high-security, reinforced metal types that render traditional breaching tools – such as the Halligan and battering ram – ineffective and inefficient. When every second counts, these tools require multiple officers and valuable minutes to gain entry.

To address this limitation, the team created a new tool that can breach these reinforced doors quickly and can be operated by a single officer. The design uses a common hydraulic actuator with a maximum column load of 2.5 tons. It is encased in an aluminum shell and equipped with steel teeth to breach both inward- and outward-opening doors by warping the door’s hinges and breaking the door frame.

The team used CAD software analysis to ensure the device can withstand the expected forces, and prototype testing results were promising. It is also lightweight and portable, featuring a backpack so the user can carry the hydraulic pump and 12V battery during use. This device provides an effective, durable and low-weight door breaching capability for first responders. These features make it a successful tool for breaching any security door an officer might encounter.

Bone health metrics, such as bone strain and gait patterns, provide critical insights into conditions like osteoporosis and spaceflight-induced bone loss. This project presents a specialized treadmill system with a soft ambulatory surface designed to advance this research by simulating diverse terrains and reduced-gravity environments. By studying rat gait under conditions that mimic lunar or Martian gravity, researchers can analyze how different gravitational forces impact bone density and strength. The treadmill also allows for controlled experiments on the effects of walking on various aggregates to provide insights into bone strain and potential rehabilitation strategies.

The project involved extensive mechanical, electrical and software engineering. The team designed mechanical components using OnShape software and fabricated them with 3D printing, machining and laser cutting. The students integrated electrical systems into a custom printed circuit board. Software development focused on creating an intuitive user interface and ensuring precise control of treadmill speed and harness height.

Verification testing confirmed the system’s performance including treadmill velocity accuracy, harness weight capacity and aggregate recirculation efficiency. The final prototype is compact, fits inside a fume hood, and is powered by a standard 120V wall adapter, making it suitable for laboratory use. Additionally, it can connect to implanted devices for data collection via an antenna.

In aircraft with multiple fuel tanks, pilots must regularly switch between tanks to maintain balance and prevent fuel starvation. However, pilots with disabilities are often unable to operate the fuel selector handle in its current design. The team worked with Jessica Cox, an armless pilot, to create a custom redesign that accommodates her needs. Additionally, the team integrated additional automated systems that allow her to focus on other critical flight tasks while ensuring proper fuel control.

The redesigned system consists of four primary functions: an automated fuel selection, an electronic override, a redesigned fuel selector handle, and a means of error detection. The pilot can enable automatic fuel switching as desired. When activated, the system automatically switches between tanks every 30 minutes. An electronic override allows the pilot to manually change the valve’s position with the push of a button. Cox can use the redesigned handle to move the valve without electronics. It is ergonomically optimized for Cox while remaining accessible to a nondisabled copilot. Finally, error detection alerts the pilot or copilot of any system issues using a display and light-emitting diodes that offer constant visual feedback. This project was specific to Cox, but the results enhance flight safety, reduce pilot workload, and ensure accessibility for all pilots regardless of physical ability.

Supersonic missile nose cones are designed to minimize aerodynamic drag at ultra-fast speeds while protecting sensitive electronics. These nosecones, or radomes, are often made of advanced materials that are transparent to the missile’s radar so it can track targets but are sensitive to impacts. Current testing methods for evaluating high-speed rain impacts on these radomes require very expensive and time-consuming methods. Furthermore, simulating a water droplet impact at supersonic speeds is challenging due to the complexities of deformable liquids.

The team’s solution is the Radome Impingement Test Apparatus (RITA) which uses pressurized gas to propel a nylon bead down a barrel at high speeds into a sample radome. This system affordably and accurately simulates the damage water droplets inflict on radomes. RITA uses an articulating mount to precisely adjust the angle and location of the testing sample to create varied impacts. It can evaluate the resulting damage to the radome and convert it into a damage score. This score becomes a metric to evaluate which radome materials perform better under high-speed rain impacts. Verification test results show promise for RITA as a rapid-turn and inexpensive evaluation solution.

As algae-based industries – including biofuels, agriculture, and pollution management – continue to grow, precise and scalable monitoring of algal growth is becoming increasingly vital. However, existing assessment methods are energy-intensive, time-consuming, and limited to laboratories. This project addresses these challenges by improving a benchtop sensor designed to take real-time, in-field measurements and develop it into an in situ sensor for continuous deployment in raceways, which are
cultivation environments.

The team focused on key improvements, including extending the sensor’s temperature range, boosting durability, and improving user-friendliness. Using spectrophotometry at 650 and 780 nanometers, the team’s system applies Beer’s Law to measure algae concentration and turbidity.

Data from the device is transmitted via ethernet to an external acquisition device. Once there, a digital-to-analog conversion stage ensures seamless integration with standard data collection systems. To mitigate temperature-induced fluctuations in laser output, the system includes a double-beam design that calibrates all measurements with simultaneous sample and reference readings. The team applied all these design improvements to both the original benchtop sensor and to the new in situ sensor. In addition, the team created a compact, hydrodynamic housing for the in situ version.

Drones often struggle in applications where visibility is limited. This project provides a lightweight, cost-effective, and highly reliable solution for enhancing drone performance in challenging environments. The team developed a simplified drone DVEPS-Lite system that enables autonomous drone navigation in these DVEs. By integrating lidar, or light detection and ranging, and video camera sensors, the system maps the drone’s surroundings in real time and allows the drone to navigate safely while avoiding obstacles, even in low-visibility conditions.

The team’s solution was to design and build a custom mirror mounting system that reflects the lidar laser. This creates a crosshair pattern, which allows more precise object detection at distances of up to 20m. The team also included an actuator system that stabilized this mount by counteracting drone tilts and vibrations. This stabilization was necessary to ensure accurate environmental mapping and obstacle detection. The drone operates autonomously while transmitting telemetry and visual data back to a ground control station, providing operators with critical situational awareness. Additionally, the system features manual override capabilities so the operators can stop or land the drone when necessary.