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Full-Text Articles in Engineering

A Continous Rotary Actuation Mechanism For A Powered Hip Exoskeleton, Matthew C. Ryder Jul 2015

A Continous Rotary Actuation Mechanism For A Powered Hip Exoskeleton, Matthew C. Ryder

Masters Theses

This thesis presents a new mechanical design for an exoskeleton actuator to power the sagittal plane motion in the human hip. The device uses a DC motor to drive a Scotch yoke mechanism and series elasticity to take advantage of the cyclic nature of human gait and to reduce the maximum power and control requirements of the exoskeleton. The Scotch yoke actuator creates a position-dependent transmission that varies between 4:1 and infinity, with the peak transmission ratio aligned to the peak torque periods of the human gait cycle. Simulation results show that both the peak and average motor torque can …


Development And Evaluation Of A Cost Effective Plant Growth Media Moisture Sensor And Development Of An Aqueous Data Transmission System For Irrigation Purposes, Steven Michael Pickett May 2015

Development And Evaluation Of A Cost Effective Plant Growth Media Moisture Sensor And Development Of An Aqueous Data Transmission System For Irrigation Purposes, Steven Michael Pickett

Masters Theses

The ability to accurately monitor and transit the moisture content of soilless growing media in the rooting zone is critical for plant-based research, production of high value crops, and other agricultural production. The focus of this study is the development and evaluation of a cost effective moisture sensor designed to measure the plant-available moisture content of growing media and the development of a aqueous data transmission method for relaying this information back to a central location. While there are currently many commercially available soil moisture sensors on the market, the aim of this research is not to develop a more …