Capstone: Engineering Design Project
PROJECT 1237-14 | Perielectric: Exoflex
People in remote or disaster-stricken regions often experience emergency situations during long expeditions or natural disasters in which they lose electricity access. Their safety, health, and/or quality of life may depend on electricity to recharge small portable devices. For instance, they might need a phone to call for help or monitor their health levels. Current solutions, such as power banks and solar power devices, are heavy, require time to charge in advance, are finite in stored energy, or depend on the user’s surrounding environment.
Our device, Exoflex, aims to provide self-sustaining access to electricity by allowing the user to harvest kinetic energy through their legs’ movement and convert it into electrical power. The user does not need forethought to use Exoflex and can depend on it to charge their device after sufficient movement. The reusability feature of our device allows users to harvest, store, and use electrical energy for as many charge-discharge cycles as they desire. Additionally, our product design does not hinder the user’s natural movement. With Exoflex, people going on excursions in remote areas or finding themselves in disaster-stricken regions can more practically charge their small portable devices without reliance on external environmental factors, and rather with the work they are already doing: walking, running, climbing, or biking.
PROJECT 1237-13 | Chairable: Powered Spherical Wheel Attachment for Office Chairs
Individuals with joint or back pain, disabilities, or a preference for uninterrupted work often face discomfort from frequent interruptions that require them to stand and sit down repeatedly. Furthermore, desk-bound work can become monotonous at extended periods. As a result, people are continuously in search of inventive and stimulating enhancements for their desk setups to infuse excitement to their work experience.
Chairable is an autonomous spherical wheel attachment that seamlessly attaches to any existing office chairs through a clamp mechanism, providing increased maneuverability. The intuitive joystick interface enables users to effortlessly navigate their surroundings without the need to leave their seated position. Additionally, the device is developed with a modular and compact design, allowing for seamless attachment to the standard five-legged office chair. Chairable not only adds an element of fun into the often repetitious office setting but also alleviates the physical strains associated with repeated standing and sitting. Furthermore, it serves as a potential cost saving alternative to traditional, space-demanding mobility devices like wheelchairs and powerchairs, thereby enhancing accessibility within the office environment.
PROJECT 1237-12 | TravelBuddy - Autonomously Navigating Luggage Carrying Attachment
The rising number of travelers has heightened the challenges faced by large groups with multiple children when navigating airports. Significant focus and effort are required to ensure the proximity and safety of children, leaving little capacity to manage luggage effectively. Additionally, the shortage of airport staff and high congestion results in prolonged wait times for elderly and disabled individuals seeking assistance with their baggage, leading to exhaustion.
Introducing TravelBuddy, the cutting-edge solution set to transform the airport experience for travelers and airports alike. TravelBuddy's innovation centers on LiDAR sensor technology and seamless integration with the Robot Operating System (ROS), enabling autonomous navigation that effortlessly follows users through crowded terminals, eliminating luggage-handling challenges. TravelBuddy's versatility and user-friendly design allow it to easily attach to standard luggage, removing the need for costly specialized baggage. Its compact size maximizes storage efficiency, and multiple units can be stacked for airport rental services, enhancing traveler convenience. Airports are our primary target market, where bulk purchases of TravelBuddy can enhance customer satisfaction and streamline operations, ensuring smoother and more efficient travel experiences for all.
PROJECT 1237-15 | IFOBS: Integrated Fire-Control Optic and Ballistic Solution
On today's dynamic battlefield, soldiers often encounter targets at unknown distances and positions which require impeccable shooting fundamentals to achieve effective hits. Current rifle optic systems typically display an accurate point of impact for only a fixed distance, limiting its adaptability. To compensate, some optics rely on estimating human size at distance for bullet drop compensation, which is imprecise and hampers speed and accuracy in real-world combat scenarios.
AeroTrack aims to solve this problem by developing a solution that allows shooters to accurately calculate bullet drop at various distances, significantly enhancing their effectiveness in dynamic and challenging battlefield environments. Through the use of a laser rangefinder, inertial measurement units, and a complex on-board ballistics calculator, IFOBS eliminates the need for mental calculations so the shooter can focus on aiming the rifle. The device is compatible with rifles with a pre-existing, zeroed red dot optic and greatly enhances the capability of the rifle system at unknown target distances. In all, reducing the complexity and stresses of shooting allows soldiers to become more effective assets on the battlefield.
PROJECT 1237-11 | TruShuffle
Shuffling and dealing are parts of many card games, taking up the time of board or card gamers that could be spent on other activities. Card shufflers currently on the market are inadequate in several respects. They tend to mash cards into each other to shuffle. This causes damage to the cards, which is a nuisance for gameplay and card integrity. Existing card shufflers also tend to not have an option for sorting or dealing in games. Furthermore, higher end devices, like those used in casinos, are too expensive for average card game players in their homes. Existing affordable card shuffle also require multiple passes (as high as seven) to complete an acceptable shuffle, which takes effort when done by hand.
The TruShuffle CS01 automatic card shuffler does not mash the cards into each other. Instead, it uses a novel design to complete a high-quality shuffle in an entertaining, impressive-looking, and non-intrusive manner. TruShuffle CS01 utilizes digital randomization algorithm to achieve this shuffle and is more affordable for the card game enthusiast community. TruShuffle CS01 will have the capability of outputting pre-customized number of cards at a time, which assists in the dealing process.