This project is multidisciplinary by nature and requires effective communication, creative solution, and alternatives by all members. Designing ergonomic biomedical devices, especially fall prevention systems, is a challenge that brings out the best of mechanical design, sensor technology, programming, image analysis, artificial intelligence, and human-machine interaction advancement.

Background:

SynCardia is the manufacturer of the only FDA-approved Total Artificial Heart (TAH), used as a therapeutic bridge to stabilize and sustain patients until heart transplantation. The TAH system is composed of a surgically implanted, pneumatically driven replacement heart, an external driver that provides the pulsatile pneumatic pressure required to pump the patient’s blood, and a pair of cannula tubes that pass through the patient’s abdomen to connect the driver to the heart.

Project Scope:

SynCardia is in the process of developing the new Liberty Portable Driver system. The Liberty Driver will include a novel connector system to improve the safety and performance of the system, and to make it more user friendly. To this end the current cannula design will need to be revised and updated. Cannulas connecting to the driver must be flexible and strong enough to endure the stress of long-term patient use, reliable enough to perform life-sustaining function, all while remaining biocompatible and avoiding adverse effects on patient physiology. This project will specifically focus on the interface of the cannula with this new connector. The interface will need to adjust to exceed the performance (reliability, strength, biocompatibility, safety, and usability) of the current interface. The project will entail the following:
(1) Work with SynCardia engineers to develop a new cannula system that will connect the artificial heart with the new Liberty Portable Driver system.
(2) Produce prototypes of the new cannula system that can be integrated into a testing apparatus.
(3) Perform verification of the new design to demonstrate that it will exceed the performance of the existing cannula solution.
(4) Work with SynCardia’s quality and regulatory compliance systems in order to document the improved cannula for regulatory submission and integration into the TAH system.

This is a one-of-a-kind opportunity. Depending on the quality of your work and the demonstration of its effectiveness to regulatory authorities, your design, or a future iteration of it could be included in future TAH systems and used to sustain and improve patient lives.

A solar sail spacecraft capable of dynamic maneuvering can be used for de-orbiting small debris (mostly defunct satellites) and asteroids in orbit around the Earth.
Solar sails rely on large, highly reflective, lightweight material that reflects sunlight to propel a spacecraft. By tilting the solar sail canopy, a desired maneuver can theoretically be achieved, including high-rate slingshot-type maneuvers. This space system development requires in-depth theoretical analysis and experimental testing on Earth.
Theoretical simulations are based on a dynamic analysis of pendulum motion on the Earth surface and in orbit. The project includes parametric studies of solar sail motion, conceptual and detailed design of the system. The analog prototype will be designed and built for application on Earth. The off-the-shelf RC paraglider will be selected and acquired. To achieve high-rate maneuvers, the canopy tilting mechanism will be designed and implemented into the paraglider. The associated ground station possesses sufficient radio range to communicate and to control the paraglider at its maximum altitude and range. Flight experiments will be conducted at TIMPA, Tucson.

This project will help to identify potential flight areas for UA dynamic soaring gliders. We propose to measure both horizontal and vertical winds, to determine characteristics of turbulence spectra at high altitudes up to at ~100K using balloons . The on-board equipment includes Pitot tubes, microbarographs, autopilot PX4, GPS, computers, video and radio links. Multiple-hole Pitot probes will be mounted on a boom (stationary or retractable) at some distance from the main payload cradle. The payload of ~3 kg will be packaged into a box per required specifications. Data interpretation will be conducted in collaboration with Planetary Systems Branch NASA Ames Research Center (Mr. Alex Kling).
NASA is planning to release the call for proposal for the HASP 2024 flight season later in 2023. If selected, the developed system will bee tested there in addition to flight testing planned locally in Tucson.

Background: The aviation industry has been increasingly exploring electrification as a means to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and operational costs. Electric aircraft represent a promising solution, offering lower carbon footprints and reduced noise pollution compared to conventional fossil fuel-powered aircraft. However, one of the significant challenges in the development of electric aircraft is the limited energy storage capacity and the overall weight of batteries required to power the aircraft. Traditional lithium-ion batteries used in electric aircraft are heavy and occupy valuable space, leading to reduced payload capacity and flight range. To overcome these limitations, researchers have been investigating the concept of integrating energy storage directly into the aircraft's structure. A "structural rechargeable battery" would serve the dual purpose of providing energy storage and acting as part of the aircraft's load-bearing structure, optimizing weight distribution and improving overall performance.
Problem Description: The capstone project focuses on developing a lightweight structural rechargeable battery specifically designed for electric aircraft applications. The primary objective is to integrate a battery system into an aircraft structure (e.g., wings, fuselage, etc.) that not only provides sufficient energy storage for extended flight range but also contributes to reducing the aircraft's overall weight and enhancing its aerodynamic efficiency. In addition, a possibility of harvesting a mechanical energy to re-charge a battery will be explored.

Design Requirements:
1. Energy Density: The battery must have a high energy density to store a significant amount of electrical energy while maintaining a low weight-to-energy ratio.
2. Structural Integration: The battery cells and components need to be seamlessly integrated into the aircraft's structure without compromising its mechanical properties and structural integrity.
3. Weight Optimization: The system should be designed with lightweight materials and efficient construction techniques to minimize the overall weight of the aircraft while maximizing energy storage capacity.
4. Safety and Reliability: Safety is paramount in aviation, and the battery design must meet stringent safety standards and demonstrate reliability during operation, charging, and discharging.
5. Thermal Management: Electric aircraft batteries generate heat during charging and discharging cycles, necessitating effective thermal management to prevent overheating and ensure optimal battery performance.
6. Fast Charging: The battery should be designed for fast charging capabilities to reduce turnaround times between flights and improve operational efficiency.
7. Certification and Compliance: The system design must comply with aviation regulations and standards, including airworthiness certification, to ensure its feasibility for commercial and private aircraft use.
The capstone project aims to address these challenges through advanced materials research, battery cell design optimization, thermal analysis, and structural simulations. By developing a high-performance, lightweight structural rechargeable battery for electric aircraft, the project seeks to contribute significantly to the advancement and widespread adoption of eco-friendly electric aviation technologies.

Teams are invited to participate in the 28th Design/Build/Fly competition. The mission for 2024 will be defined later, but traditionally it focuses on the design, build and test of an electric aircraft. The goal is a balanced design possessing good, demonstrated flight handling qualities and practical and affordable manufacturing requirements while providing a high vehicle performance.

In support of NASA’s Artemis mission which will involve humans returning to the Moon, there are ambitious plans to explore little-known regions of the Moon for unique features and resource prospects. There is an important need to develop a rover platform that is fully instrumented to explore Lunar south pole craters and analyze surface and near-subsurface geological formations to prospect for resources. High-priority resources include oxygen, water, aluminum, iron, titanium, silica, and platinum. The prospecting rover needs to have the capability to operate independently of other planned lunar assets. The rover will need to communicate back with Earth using NASA’s Deep Space Network (DSN). The rover must perform as much in-situ geological science to support prospecting. Where possible, the rover may cache obtained samples for pickup by a future sample return mission. The rover needs to operate for at least 90 Earth days and upload a detailed prospecting report that provides estimates of surface resource reserves. The student team will perform this rover design work as part of the NASA RASCAL 2023/2024 Competition. The work will begin with concept design and culminate with detailed design and prototype development in the second semester.

In support of NASA’s Artemis mission which will involve humans returning to the Moon, there are ambitious plans to explore little-known regions of the Moon for unique features and resource prospects. There is an important need to develop a rover platform that is fully instrumented to explore Lunar south pole craters and analyze surface and near-subsurface geological formations to prospect for resources. High-priority resources include oxygen, water, aluminum, iron, titanium, silica, and platinum. The prospecting rover needs to have the capability to operate independently of other planned lunar assets. The rover will need to communicate back with Earth using NASA’s Deep Space Network (DSN). The rover must perform as much in-situ geological science to support prospecting. Where possible, the rover may cache obtained samples for pickup by a future sample return mission. The rover needs to operate for at least 90 Earth days and upload a detailed prospecting report that provides estimates of surface resource reserves. The student team will perform this rover design work as part of the NASA RASCAL 2023/2024 Competition. The work will begin with concept design and culminate with prototype development in the second semester.

Human civilization faces several potential man-made and natural catastrophes that threaten to wipe out Earth’s rich biodiversity. The Svalbard Seed Vault in Norway was constructed to store plant seeds vital for world’s food supply. It, however, faces the dangers of flooding from rising sea levels/melting of the North Pole due to accelerated climate change. A proposed future alternative would be to store Earth’s rich biodiversity in the form of DNA, eggs, sperm, and specialized cells under cryogenic conditions in the Moon’s lava tubes. However, to practically unfreeze and prepare the biodiversity for reintroduction to Earth will likely require a series of space-based terrariums located between Earth and the Moon. The proposed project is to conceptualize, design and build a prototype space-based terrarium inside a 3U Centrifuge CubeSat with a total mass of 4 kg and a total volume of 3000 cm3. It is to operate in Low Earth Orbit for 1-2 years. A team of students will perform systems design, design of mechanical, electrical, thermal, GNC (Guidance Navigation, Control), and science-payload design. The prototype end-product is a working prototype with stand-in COTS components for the spacecraft hardware. The proposed prototype-space-based terrarium is intended to test technologies and operational capability in preparation for the design of a larger, more capable terrarium intended to be placed in the Earth-Moon-Sun L2 Lagrange point. This L2 terrarium is meant to be self-sustaining for 30-50 years.

The sensor board will need to be able to measure a) Electrical Potential, b) Impedance, c) Optical Transmission, d) Sound and e) Resistance. This will allow recording a three lead electro cardiogram, body fat and water composition, arterial blood oxygenation, heart sound, temperature and strain. The sensors should interface with the Raspberry Pi. The customer of the project will be educators and students. The design should be modular so that the user can decide to use one, multiple or all sensors. One approach could be to design a Hardware Attached Top (HAT) that includes a microcontroller to communicate with sensor modules. An other is to use an extension cable to avoid size limitations of a HAT. The team will receive existing tested designs for impedance and resistance measurements but will need to come up with a new design to measure sound and verify and test designs for pulse oximetry and electrocardiography (depending composition of the team). The team will need to focus on manufacturability and simplicity of software and integration of multiple sensors in an educational setting. Standards for safe operation of the sensors will need to be considered.