Mechanical Engineering Commons^™

Hierarchical Based Classifcation Method Based On Fusion Ofgaussian Map Descriptors Foralzheimer Diagnosis Using T1‑Weighted Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Nourhan Zayed, Shereen E. Morsy, Inas A. Yassine

Mechanical Engineering

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is considered one of the most spouting elderly diseases. In 2015, AD is reported the US’s sixth cause of death. Substantially, non-invasive imaging is widely employed to provide biomarkers supporting AD screening, diagnosis, and progression. In this study, Gaussian descriptors-based features are proposed to be efcient new biomarkers using Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) T1-weighted images to diferentiate between Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), and Normal controls (NC). Several Gaussian map-based features are extracted such as Gaussian shape operator, Gaussian curvature, and mean curvature. The aforementioned features are then introduced to the Support Vector Machine (SVM). …

Biomechanical Knee Joint For Exoskeleton, Gabriel Ireton Ahern, Calloway Miller, Christianna Altamura, Eric Mailes

Mechanical Engineering

Our senior design project consisted of designing and manufacturing a biomechanically accurate, actuated knee joint to be integrated into an exoskeleton being developed by the Lower Limb Exoskeleton Assist Project (LLEAP), a part of the EMPOWER student association at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. As the human knee flexes and extends throughout gait motion, the center of rotation changes. Currently marketed exoskeletons have one point of rotation, which over constrains the knee and causes misalignment between the user and the suit [1]. Our goal was to mimic natural knee joint motion by changing the center or rotation, thus reducing misalignment …

Bespoke Bicycle Enclosure, Thomas Link, Kyle Mcafee, Marc Monier, Hunter Walden

Mechanical Engineering

Brian Higgins is an American veteran with retinitis pigmentosa who relies on cycling for transportation. The motivation for this project is to design and manufacture a refined prototype bicycle attachment to support him while biking in the rain and cold. The attachment will serve to enclose him for optimal protection from inclement weather, while maintaining sufficient mobility for daily cycling. Mr. Higgins’ bicycle is equipped with an attached sensor system which assists his visual impairment by using an ultrasonic sensor. Therefore, the attachment cannot adversely affect the function of the sensor system. The project timeline is set at approximately 7 …

Mechanical Horse Project, Hernan Ramirez Resendiz, Ben Apt

Mechanical Engineering

This document outlines our senior design project for the Cal Poly Mechanical Engineering Department on behalf of Jack’s Helping Hand. As a team of two Mechanical Engineering students, we developed a structure that can support a rider and can move in three degrees of freedom to model the gait patterns of a horse. This senior project will be continued by another group that will focus on electronics and implement the motors that will induce motion on the structure that our team has built. We collected baseline data by attaching an iPhone to a horse and used that motion to compare …

Adaptive Vehicle Control, Brian L. Finger, Maria Vargas, Jacob T. Larson, Christopher J. Villa

Mechanical Engineering

This report presents the final design for our device made for Mrs. Laura Jagels. Mrs. Jagels, who has an above the knee amputation, needed a device that would allow her to operate a manual car in a safe and reliable way that still gives her the traditional driving experience. This report takes into consideration the shortcomings of current market devices that enable amputees to operate vehicles. From this research and through interviews with Mrs. Jagels, we were able to decide on our device specifications, giving us a basis to objectively evaluate designs. Ideation and concept prototype building was performed for …

Composite Pegboard, Asa J. Cusick, Luis Corrales, Joelle Hylton, Wyatt Pauley

Mechanical Engineering

Many of those with mobility limitations who are told they will need a wheelchair for the rest of their lives can actually begin to stand and walk again given the proper tools and support. The current design for a wheelchair seeking to support this process is overly complex, heavy, and exhibits some features that could potentially pose a serious health hazard to those using it. The scope of this project is to aid in the design of an adaptable composite wheelchair frame that can be both lightweight and strong, while still allowing for physical diversity of potential users. Through research …

F34 Beekeeper Assist, Kyle Ladtkow, Javier Guerra, Jose Velazquez, Ryan Heryford

Mechanical Engineering

Alejandro Jauregui is a veteran who now works as a commercial beekeeper. He lost both of his legs during his service. While his current prostheses allow him to fully complete his work, he has found that inspection of the bee boxes causes him severe hip and back pain. Bee box inspection is a critical task for beekeeping, especially since he maintains about 200 hives every day. Our senior project team was tasked with designing and building a device that would help him move the top bee box out of the way to allow for inspection. We performed preliminary research into …

Final Design Review Report: The Underdogs, Parker Johnson, Jack Montgomery, Katherine Thomas

Mechanical Engineering

Aspen is a three-legged dog with mobility issues from Berkeley, California. She was hit by a car and her rear left leg was amputated at the hip. Robin Swanson, Aspen's owner, and her friend, Audrey Beil, are the sponsors for this project. Jack Montgomery, Katherine Thomas, and Parker Johnson, “The Underdogs”, are tasked with helping Aspen regain some of her mobility and the ability to go on walks. Research was done into the problem by talking with the sponsors and looking into existing products, designs, and patents. This document, the Final Design Review Report, outlines the background information, problem specification, …

Deep-Sea Water Collector, Chandler Jones, Jenny Verheul, Michael Di Giorgio

Mechanical Engineering

Properties such as nutrients, DNA, pH levels, and primary productivity are difficult to measure onboard an Underwater Remotely Operated Vehicle (UROV) as mobile submarine sensors are highly expensive and conventional water capture devices are too large to be equipped. However, these properties provide an integral view into our oceans, the species that inhabit them, and our influence on the environment. Collected samples of seawater taken back to labs allow researchers to see a clearer picture of ecosystems’ inhabitants and lifecycle with the analysis of Environmental DNA (eDNA) among many other properties. The scope of this project is to design a …

Elevate Dental, Connor Merrick, Everett Johnson, Jonah Holbrook

Mechanical Engineering

During a dental procedure, patients are often required to have a bite block placed in their mouths to keep them open for the duration of their procedure. These can be very uncomfortable for patients due to lack of properly-fitting sizes. This project presents an alternative fully adjustable bite block that is affordable, comfortable, and easy to use for dental personnel.The bite block is a two piece side loading design that uses interlocking teeth to supply a range of five sizes.

Adaptive Exercise Equipment, Jake Ryan Walejko, Spencer Goodman, Kalina Burns, Journey Martinson

Mechanical Engineering

This document outlines the senior design project carried out by a team of mechanical engineering students at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. The task is to design adapted exercise equipment for the non-profit organization, Achievement House. The objective of this Final Design Review is to document the final design, manufacturing plan, design verification plan, and project management plan. In addition, this document includes previously presented information on the project background, objectives, and concept design. The background and objective sections document various forms of customer research and include the project goals developed by the athletes and fitness instructors of …

Katie's Jogger, Megan Guillermo, Erin Wint, Abdullah Sulaiman, Kathryn Mangiaracina

Mechanical Engineering

Edward Robinson is an avid runner who would like to take his daughter on runs. His daughter, Katie, is 100% wheelchair bound and currently does not fit in any commercial joggers on the market. The project team was expected to design, build, and test a custom working prototype of a jogger that the sponsor can use to take his daughter on runs. This entire project was performed over a span of three quarters.

Adapted Trailer Hitching System, Joseph Neil Hearn, Maxwell M. Selna, Maximilian D. Cossalter, Eric B. Ringsrud

Mechanical Engineering

This report highlights the entire design process of an adapted trailer hitching system for Taylor Morris: a navy veteran and quadruple amputee. This begins with problem definition through customer and product research. Objectives are generated after the problem is defined and the boundary of the project is set. This outcome of the project focuses on modifications/improvements to the vehicle side of the problem and leaves the trailers untouched. Engineering specifications are developed to constrain the concept design direction, which ultimately dictates the outcome of the final design. The final design is used as a basis to manufacture a structural prototype …

Danny’S Recumbent Bike Accessibility Device Final Design Report, Joseph J. Lee, Huy Nguyen, Jack Mcatee, John Kulick

Mechanical Engineering

The purpose of this document is to fully define our design solution and explain our manufacturing and testing results. Our project’s goal is to find a way to allow Danny Knutson, a retired Navy pilot and incomplete quadriplegic with limited use of his arms and an impaired sense of balance, to enter and exit his recumbent tricycle without any discomfort for him or his aide. We completed multiple interviews with Danny, patent research, existing product research, and other technical literature research in order to fully understand the problem. We synthesized this information to create a concrete list of customer wants …

Surf Leg, Samantha Campbell, Oyundari Altansukh, Caroline Swanson, Kurtis Barth

Mechanical Engineering

The Surf Leg Prosthetic project team in conjunction with QL+ and Operation Surf designed a transtibial prosthetic to be used for surfing. The senior project team focused on the missions of QL+ and Operation Surf as they went through the design process during the 2018-2019 academic year. The problem solved was that a standard prosthetic for a transtibial amputee does not provide the flexibility in enough degrees of freedom for a user to squat and balance on a surfboard. The goal of this project was to create a device specifically designed to improve the user’s balance and control while surfing. …

Wheelie King Trainer And Controller, Michael C. Uytingco, Paul E. Hubner, Dmitriy Petrovykh

Mechanical Engineering

The ``wheelie'' is a popular, classic bicycle trick which novice bicyclists often attempt as an introduction to advanced bike tricks. However, many are hesitant to try due to the risks and safety hazards associated with performing one. The purpose of this project is to create an on-board system which will assist a user in maintaining a wheelie after achieving the required position while incorporating safety mechanisms to prevent the user from injuring themselves or others. Additional requirements of the system are non-obstructive features and seamless transitioning between wheelie conditions.

Upon researching the state of wheelie technology, existing products, such as …

Single Arm Recumbent Bicycle, Alexander Borsotti, Ryan Westermann, Sean Liston

Mechanical Engineering

The goal of this report is to outline and cover the scope of work for the Single Arm Recumbent Bicycle Senior Project. The report will give an introduction of the problem, a background of the existing research or products relating to our project, the objectives of our project, our project management plan, our final design, manufacturing, testing, our project management, and final recommendations for improving the final design. The team is being supported by the Quality of Life Program, a non-profit organization that works to improve the lives of those injured in duty while serving our nation.

Up until now, …

Curb Navigation, Cole A. Tudor, Kaitlyn R. Adams, Robbie Huerta

Mechanical Engineering

The Curb Navigation senior project, proposed by the QL+ organization, was presented to find a solution to an issue a former veteran, Velette, is having. Velette has a difficult time maneuvering curbs when out doing day-to-day errands and activities. The goal of this project is to develop a solution that will give Velette the ability to traverse curbs without the assistance of others or the need to do a wheelie that can lead to an injury. The team has found that adapting and optimizing an anti-tipper design may be the best way to solve the proposed challenge. The team decided …

Team Joseph's Bike Trailer, Keely Thompson, Curtis Wathne, Ryan Meinhardt

Mechanical Engineering

This final design report shows the results of this senior project’s design process of creating a custom bike trailer for Team Joseph. As done in the Scope of Work, Preliminary Design report, and Critical Design report, current products, relevant technologies, and American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standards are fully researched and benchmarked to aid in the design selection process. Customer requirements are looked at and developed into engineering specifications. A detailed design was created for CDR to show to Team Joseph, and manufacturing and testing plans were laid out. This final design report adds the final design revisions …

Usa Boccia Ball Ramp For Athletes With Quadriplegia, Alissa A. Koukourikos, Matthew Lee, Nathan Bernards

Mechanical Engineering

In this report, the design process in creating an assistive device for Boccia Classification 3 (BC3) players is outlined. The initial research steps, including research into the rules of the game, capabilities of the players, and existing products is documented to show where ideas for the product stemmed from. This transitions into requirements that the sponsor requested, and preliminary designs and ideas for the product. Finally, this report explains the details of the final design, which has been analyzed for safety, ease of use, and ability to function under different conditions. The processes of manufacturing and testing will also be …

Self-Powered Ankle Prosthetic, Corina M. Espelien, Kelsey Pietzsch, Anna Sullivan

Mechanical Engineering

Originating from QL+'s customer requirements, the main technical specifications were to have 80% physiological range of motion, elastic energy return, impact absorption, and no external power sources. Based on the background research conducted and the discussions with experts in the field, the project team decided to focus on designing a prosthetic that focused on plantarflexion and dorsiflexion for a more comfortable gait. The main components of the final design are a hydraulic shock absorber, cam, torsion springs, heel, stopper, and separated keel. The heel, front and back keels, and stopper were manufactured out of carbon fiber. The link, lever, attachment …

Non-Puncturing, No Slip Thv Leaflet Gripper, Brooks Kelly, Eric Nagaoka, Johnny Phane

Mechanical Engineering

Confidential

Low-Cost Prosthetic Transfemoral Socket, Emelie Deans, Joshua Ledgerwood, Leah Moore, Shaina Jung, Kristen Temnyk

Mechanical Engineering

The goal of this senior project was to design and fabricate a low-cost adjustable prosthetic socket for above the knee amputees. This low-cost consideration was incorporated with the original intent to be used in Fiji, however, this changed to the Dominican Republic. It became clear that the need for an adjustable socket was more as a transitional socket. This transitional socket would be used for the first 6 -12 months upon amputation because this when the most amount of volume fluctuation occurs. The project sponsor, LIM Innovations, has already designed the Infinite Socket which contains four main functioning parts: baseplate, …

Prosthetic Socket Cooling System, Benjamin K. Kraw, Kathy Ha, Derek Piastrelli, Cuong Lai

Mechanical Engineering

A team of four senior-level undergraduate students in the Interdisciplinary Senior Project Design course in the Engineering Department of California Polytechnic State University: San Luis Obispo have worked to develop a prosthetic socket cooling system, namely for veteran Taylor Morris and exclusively for a transfemoral prosthetic socket, under the Quality of Life+ Laboratory. This cooling system will utilize the thermoelectric effect known as the Peltier effect to transmit heat generated from the residual limb to the surrounding environment by means of forced convection over small aluminum heat sinks. Two measurement devices have also been developed to, one, measure the heat …

Biomimetic Seal Flipper Test Rig, Gordon D. Belyea, Laura Kawashiri, Dylan Rinker, Kurt Beske

Mechanical Engineering

No abstract provided.

Carbon Articulating Backpack Spine, Salvatore Monforte Iii, Darci Lawrence, Savan Patel

Mechanical Engineering

In the field, firefighters and Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) personnel need to transport variable loads efficiently, safely, and comfortably while simultaneously performing certain physical tasks. Current models of external and internal framed backpacks distribute the load of a pack efficiently, but do not allow for the natural movement of the wearer. Wolfpack Gear, Inc. proposed the need for a system which both effectively carries a load and allows for the unhindered natural movement of the user. The goal of this project was to design, build, and test an articulating backpack support system. The first stage of the project comprised …

Sapien3 Comb Stitch Improvement For Edwards Lifesciences, William Harley, Thomas Pluschkell, John Mctigue, Garrett Reed

Mechanical Engineering

The complete senior project report was submitted to the project advisor and sponsor. The results of this project are of a confidential nature and will not be published at this time.

Team Nathan Suspension, Frankie J. Wiggins, Alex D. Seitz, Justin P. Bautista

Mechanical Engineering

Nathan Cooper is an 8-year old boy with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA). SMA has affected Nathan’s muscle development and requires him to use the Standing Dani™ mobility device. The Standing Dani is a motorized standing wheelchair, or Wheelstand. Nathan controls and uses it to get around. Though the Standing Dani performs well for most functions, it has some distinct issues. The primary issue that this project addresses is its lack of suspension and the discomfort that Nathan feels as a result. After talking with our client, we developed several specifications generally related to geometry, safety, vehicle dynamics, and reliability. Many …

2d Wireform Process Improvement, Katy Conlin, Carlo Ebora, Jordan Gamble

Mechanical Engineering

The body of this work has been created for Edwards Lifesciences in conjunction with senior project requirements. As such, the information produced and contained within is under a non‐disclosure agreement. As per request by sponsor, the body of the work will not be submitted to any outside parties, and the title page will serve as proof of completion.

Semi-Automated Method Of Assembly For Physio Ii Ring, Cameron Anderson Deines, Kelsey Jean Engel, Christopher Kiuyen Wong

Mechanical Engineering

No abstract provided.