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Mechatronic Systems Engineering Undergraduates

Mechatronic Systems Engineering students integrates cyber and physical realms, turning theory into practice with hands-on experiences to create technology for social good.

Capstone Projects

All MSE students conclude their degree with a team-based Capstone Project that brings together all the technical skills and hands-on experience they have acquired during their program. This practical and innovative project is a highlight for many students, providing them with a forum to tackle an open-ended engineering problem of their choosing.

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HOW DOES IT WORK?

During the course of two fourth-year classes (MSE 410 and MSE 411), small groups of students address a design problem based on the requirements of the Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board (CEAB). Spring term’s MSE 410 is your initial Capstone Design project class while MSE 411 – offered in the summer term – is its continuation.

Together these courses provide groups of four-to-five with an opportunity to integrate and practicalize the technical skills they have learned on a pioneering eight-month design project.

Your team will be responsible for proposing, conceptualizing, designing, building and demonstrating a significant engineering project. Skills deployed during this project include: creative thinking, collaborative writing, group oral presentations, project documentation, engineering design processes, engineering standards and entrepreneurship.

By the end of these two courses, you will have mastered the design process as well as the documentation, communication and teamwork that enables the creation of successful engineering solutions.

If for any reason, a student did not successfully complete MSE 411,  he/she will repeat MSE 411 in the next offering of the course.  In such an instance, the student inevitably has to join another group and another project.

Important Dates

MSE 410 - 411 IMPORTANT DATES PRIOR TO PROJECT START 

Note:  If you are on co-op then you cannot take any capstone courses.

Who What Action Deadline  
Faculty Research faculty-sponsored capstone project 1.  Submit a one-page proposal outlining your unique capstone project, including clear deliverables for eight months. Use the provided template and send your proposal to mseupa@sfu.ca. Once approved by the course instructor, your project will be featured on the MSE website. 15-Oct
       
Industry Industry-sponsored capstone project 1.  Submit a one-page proposal outlining your unique capstone project, including clear deliverables for eight months. Use the provided template and send your proposal to mseupa@sfu.ca. Once approved by the course instructor, your project will be featured on the MSE website. 15-Oct
Note:  A facuty advisor will be identified.  
       
Co-op Employer or Company Coop/Company-sponsored capstone project Submit a one-page proposal detailing your project, including specific deliverables for eight months, to mseupa@sfu.ca using the provided template. For certain co-op-related projects, smaller group sizes may be considered, provided it is clearly stated in the proposal that the project is a collaborative effort with the company. Both the company and its university liaison must receive approval from the instructor. 15-Oct
       
MSE students working on a self-proposed project Student-proposed capstone project 1.  Assemble a team of four members (including student number and email) and submit a one-page proposal outlining your project, including specific deliverables for the next eight months, to mseupa@sfu.ca using the provided template. Please ensure that a faculty supervisor is identified. 15-Oct
2.  Once your proposal is approved by the course instructor, register your team through the online form titled "Registration Form: Self-Funded Capstone Team" at the following URL: https://coursys.sfu.ca/forms/mse-registration-form-self-funded-capstone-team/. 31-Jan
       
All MSE 410 students MSE 410 registration 1. Assemble a team of four students to work on the capstone project. Submit the names, student number, and email of your selected team members to mseupa@sfu.ca. 15-Oct
2. Upon acceptance from the project sponsor/supervisor,  register for  MSE 410. 30-Nov

Available Projects

FILLED

 

View some of our past Capstone Projects here:

Past Projects

Support to Capstone Teams

POLICY AND PROCEDURES

  1. Required Registration: Self-funded teams register using the  Registration Form:  Self-funded Capstone Team form on or before January 31 in order to be counted (no exception).
  2. Prior to making any project-related purchases,  please ensure you have an agreement in place with your supervisor and understand the reimbursement rules.
  3. Each team shall receive up to a maximum of $50 for poster printing costs by way of reimbursement.
  4.  For self-funded teams,  the School will grant up to $500 by way of reimbursement (the amount may vary depending on the funding allocation and on the number of claims).  

Claim process for self-funded teams:  

  • Submit one claim only per team (as much as possible).
  • Complete the SFU Travel and Business Expense claim form (signed by the claimant and by the project supervisor) and  gather all supporting documents (receipts or e-receipts with proof of payment).
  • Using Coursys submission portal, submit your claim (claim form + supporting documents) between August 1 and August 15 (Spring-Summer capstone). Late submissions will be returned.

Claim process for faculty-sponsored projects:

  • Complete the SFU Travel and Business Expense claim form (signed by the claimant and by the project supervisor) and  gather all supporting documents (receipts or e-receipts with proof of payment).
  • Using Coursys submission portal, submit your claim (claim form + supporting documents) no later than August 15.  Late submissions will be returned.

Questions? Contact mse-rs@sfu.ca

IMPORTANT NOTES:

  • Groups participating in the entrepreneurship program may be eligible for additional funding through the entrepreneurship@sfu program (Contact Dr. Ramtin Rakhsha).

Sample Project & Success Stories

Project 2021:  Green Waterways Ltd. – All Electric Sailboat

  • Team 1: Shri Sai Teja Duddella, Armaan Lageri, Mohammed Arif, Cao Tan, Selikem Kwadzovia, Seyed Sepehr Rezvanifard
  • Team 2: Syed Salman Haider Abdi, Duncan Wangombe Gichuru, Junayed A Nowshad, Chad Graham, Michael Doull
  • Sponsor(s): Green Waterways Ltd. and Dr. Patrick Palmer,  Professor,  School of Mechatronic Systems Engineering
  • Supervisor(s): Patrick Palmer,  PhD, P.Eng, Professor, Mechatronic Systems Engineering Gheorghe Coman, Green Waterways Ltd.

Project 2021: Building an Autonomous Vehicle Using Artificial Intelligence and Computer Vision

  • Team 1: Alzaib Karovalia, Syed imad azeem Rizvi, Uzair Bawany, Abdullah Tariq, Afnan Hassan
  • Supervisor(s): Ahmad Rad, PhD, PEng, Professor, Mechatronic Systems Engineering

Project 2021: 6-axis Robot 3D-printing Control

  • Team: Shawn Liu, Joshua Fritsch, Ahmed Maqsood, Tomas Bourassa, Ron Calara
  • Supervisor(s): Dr. Woo Soo Kim, PhD, P.Eng. Associate Professor, Mechatronic Systems Engineering

Success Story: Moment Energy - Forbes list of 30 under 30 North America

"Moment Energy, cofounded in 2020 by Edward Chiang, Gabriel Soares, Sumreen Rattan and Gurmesh Sidhu (2019 MSE capstone students), recycles electric vehicle batteries when the cars stop being used and repurposes them for off-grid energy generation projects. Used battery packs are significantly cheaper, and with 80% of their capacity remaining are sufficient for stationary load management systems. The company has raised $9.2 million in funding." - Forbes.com

Industry-Sponsored Capstones

Submit a one-page proposal with clear eight-month deliverables. Once accepted, the company and its university liaison will be approved by the instructor. The student-led teams will then select from the projects available. Once a formal agreement is established, the company representative works collaboratively with the group through regular communications and project progress meetings. 

Email your one-page proposal, indicating a clear eight-month timeline plus defined tasks and objectives to: mseupa@sfu.ca.

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