Digital Commons Network^™

Autonomous Apple Harvester Robot, Jack Ryan Cline, Tyus Green, Devon Woolston

Electrical Engineering

As agricultural demands rise and manual labor costs increase, there has become a dire need to automate apple harvesting. However, the precision and speed necessary for cost-efficient apple harvesting pose a significant challenge for robotic automation. To maintain cost-effective production, a harvester must be able to operate fast enough and long enough to compete with human labor. It must also be able to navigate and traverse apple orchards autonomously and pick apples without damaging the fruit or tree. This project presents an apple harvesting robot that uses a Mask R-CNN vision system with an RGB-D camera to detect the location …

Accessible Real-Time Eye-Gaze Tracking For Neurocognitive Health Assessments, A Multimodal Web-Based Approach, Daniel C. Tisdale

Master's Theses

We introduce a novel integration of real-time, predictive eye-gaze tracking models into a multimodal dialogue system tailored for remote health assessments. This system is designed to be highly accessible requiring only a conventional webcam for video input along with minimal cursor interaction and utilizes engaging gaze-based tasks that can be performed directly in a web browser. We have crafted dynamic subsystems that capture high-quality data efficiently and maintain quality through instances of user attrition and incomplete calls. Additionally, these subsystems are designed with the foresight to allow for future re-analysis using improved predictive models, as well as enable the creation …

Dolphin: Drone-Based Oceanic Landing Platform With High-Tech Integrated Navigation, Keanu Dayton, Ethan Hang, Jack Hartline, Jordan Puetz, Tomas Ronderos, Zara Shariff

Mechanical Engineering Senior Theses

The ocean covers 71% of the earth’s surface. With its vast size, it produces almost half of the world’s oxygen, is a source of food, and controls the climate. As humans, it is vital to our way of life. Thus, institutions and organizations have been built in order to study and conserve it; one such organization is the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI). A method available to them is the use of drone imaging over the ocean’s surface. However, drones have a limited battery life that restricts the scope of missions they can pursue. A solution that we have …

Autonomous Hydroponic System, Bella Wanebo, Ashley Oh, Jason Slifka

Mechanical Engineering Senior Theses

Hydroponics is a potentially useful farming technique for growing food in climates where it is difficult to naturally farm. However, hydroponic systems in harsh climates are usually very large and unable to be easily moved around. The design of a portable, enclosed hydroponic garden using the soilless Nutrient Film Technique (NFT) with a vertical configuration that can grow spinach in Antarctica will be discussed. It will have a reversible flow to evenly distribute nutrients to stacked rows of plants. A tradeoff analysis shows that 3D printing a custom T splitter is the best option for controlling the flow within the …

High-Temperature Vacuum Furnace Attachment For A Standard Tensile Tester, Manu Bodagala, Alejandro Mendez-Reynoso, Peter Schumacher, Ben Spielman

Mechanical Engineering Senior Theses

In this thesis, we outline the development of a low-cost high-temperature vacuum furnace attachment for a standard tensile tester at Santa Clara University. The project aims to expand the material testing capabilities of the university, promoting sustainability and enhancing safety in engineering applications. By focusing on design considerations, manufacturability, and economic viability, the team strives to create an accessible and efficient tool for advancing materials science research.

The initial phase of this multi-year project involves constructing a water-cooled vacuum chamber, which is crucial for the overall furnace system. This phase sets the foundation for subsequent developments, including the integration of …

Aero Avengers: Aiaa Design, Build, And Fly, Andres Alba Burbano, Chris Berardino, Jill Chandler, Patrick Hudson, Andrew Mahler, Nicholas Smith

Mechanical Engineering Senior Theses

This thesis explores the experience of a Santa Clara University senior design team that created an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) intended to compete in the ’Design, Build, Fly!’ competition hosted by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA). The six students worked together to secure funding for the project, formulate a preliminary design, and then manufacture the aircraft. Every step of this process was iterative, allowing the team to learn from their past attempts as the project’s timeline progressed. Upon obtaining competition rules and mission requirements, the team followed a design flow that brought the plane from a sketched …

The Synthesis, Characterization, And Application Of Polysaccharide-Based Additive To Improve Wet And Dry Strength And High-Barrier Properties Of Paper Products, Cornellius Marcello

Dissertations

Paper products play an essential role in our daily lives owing to their low cost, environment-friendly character, renewability, and recyclability. Paper manufacturers have been using petroleum-based strength additives (cPAM, GPAM, PAE) to meet the perceived needs of customers. On the other hand, paper produced from cellulose is hydrophilic and porous, leading to shallow water and grease resistance, causing paper manufacturers to use many kinds of coating materials such as poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and synthetic plastic to improve water resistance, especially for food packaging paper products like cups, plates, food boxes, and packaging. However, PFAS are identified as likely carcinogenic to …

The Wildland Firefighter Respiratory Protection Device, Oliver Pilon, Xaviera Pons, Calder Wood, Tommy Ozawa, Jack Adema, Payton Mayer

Biomedical Engineering

This paper presents the development of First Respire and their design of a powered air-purifying respirator (PAPR) specifically curated for wildland firefighter while simultaneously addressing the critical absence of respiratory protection for wildland firefighters operating in the challenging wildland-urban interface (WUI) environments. Current respiratory protection options, such as bandanas and N95 masks, fall short in providing adequate defense against toxic particulate matter and gases, exposing firefighters to increased risks of health complications, including cancers and respiratory diseases. Through collaborative efforts of the Wildfire Conservancy, the WUI Fire Institute at Cal Poly, and CAL FIRE, First Respire aims to create a …

Focused Led Sintering, Dylan Defazio, Nilav Maulik, Branden Majors, Michael Fontillas

Mechanical Engineering

This report provides a detailed overview of the final design of our light-emitting diode (LED) focusing system. Our system incorporates a converging lens and a specially designed "glass funnel," which acts as a thick fiber optic that narrows the light to a fine point through internal reflection. The glass components of our system are precisely housed in a part made using advanced computer-numeric controlled (CNC) Mill and CNC Lathe manufacturing processes. This ensures high precision and durability of the overall system. Our LED focusing system is designed with a 60-watt stage light. The decision to use a glass funnel as …

Autolacing The Dml, Harrison Hong, Chanh Tu Derek Lam, Candice Espitia, Paolo Navarro

Mechanical Engineering

The design challenge present is the design of a system to efficiently speed up the lacing of the dry mat loop (DML), part of the GAF production line. For this year, the scope of the project focuses on research and creating a proof of concept for the mechanism responsible for moving the mat within the DML. Compiled research focuses on competitor solutions, material properties, and possible mover mechanisms to be integrated into the major design. Competitor solutions provide an idea of raw material manipulation options. Material properties and possible mover mechanisms provide the foundation for ideation and concept prototyping. The …

Acoustic Activation Imaging With Intravenous Perfluoropropane Nanodroplets Results In Selective Bioactivation Of The Risk Area, S. Li, C. Chen, J. Lof, E. A. Stolze, J. Sklenar, X. Chen, J. J. Pacella, F. S. Villanueva, T. O. Matsunaga, E. Carr Everbach, S. J. Radio, S. N. Westphal, S. Shiva, F. Xie, X. Leng, T. R. Porter

Engineering Faculty Works

Background: Acoustically activatable perfluoropropane droplets (PD) can be formulated from commercially available microbubble preparations. Diagnostic transthoracic ultrasound frequencies have resulted in acoustic activation (AA) predominately within myocardial infarct zones (IZ). Objective: We hypothesized that the AA area following acute coronary ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) would selectively enhance the developing scar zone, and target bioeffects specifically to this region. Methods: We administered intravenous PD in 36 rats and 20 pigs at various stages of myocardial scar formation (30 minutes, 1 day, and 7 days post I/R) to determine what effect infarct age had on the AA within the IZ. This was correlated with …

Modeling The Effectiveness Of Bioremediation On Methyl Tertiary-Butyl Ether In Groundwater, Logan Bundy

Master's Theses

Methyl tertiary-butyl ether (MTBE) and its degraded form tertiary-butyl alcohol (TBA) are both known carcinogens that have contaminated groundwater aquifers across the United States. MTBE is a synthesized compound, once widely used as an additive in gasoline to increase oxygenation. Because of its popularity, MTBE was released into the environment primarily through fuel combustion and leaking underground storage tanks. These two compounds are known to be recalcitrant to most conventional physico-chemical treatment methods. Previous studies have suggested that bioremediation is effective at degrading MTBE and TBA in contaminated groundwater. Bioremediation involves the injection of oxygen, nutrients, and pre-adapted bacterial cultures …

Mechanical Environment Influences Muscle Activity During Infant Rolling, Danielle N. Siegel, Safeer F. Siddicky, Wyatt D. Davis, Erin M. Mannen

Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

An infant's musculoskeletal and motor development is largely affected by their environment. Understanding how different mechanical environments affect an infant's movements and muscle use is necessary to inform the juvenile products industry and reduce incidents involving inclined nursery products each year. The purpose of this study was to determine how the coordinated movements and corresponding muscle activation patterns are affected by different mechanical environments, specifically the back incline angle. Thirty-eight healthy infants (age: 6.5 ± 0.7 months; 23 M/15 F) were enrolled in this IRB-approved in-vivo biomechanics study. Surface electromyography sensors recorded muscle activity of the erector spinae, abdominal muscles, …

The Effects Of Lead, Copper, And Iron Corrosion Products On Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria And Antibiotic Resistance Genes, Veronika Folvarska, San Marie Thomson, Zihao Lu, Maya Adelgren, Adam Schmidt, Ryan J. Newton, Yin Wang, Patrick J. Mcnamara

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Antibiotic resistance is a public health crisis. Antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB) and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) are present in drinking water distribution systems. Metals are known selective pressures for antibiotic resistance, and metallic corrosion products are found within drinking water distribution systems due to the corrosion of metal pipes. While corrosion products are a source of metals, the impact of specific corrosion products on antibiotic resistance has not been investigated. The objective of this study was to determine the impact of six corrosion products—CuO, Cu₂O, Pb₅(PO₄)₃OH, β-PbO₂, Fe₃O …

Barcode Medication Administration (Bmca): 2023-24, Krishan R. Patel, Carlos E. Sosa, Mary Grace Sy

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

The Barcode Medication Administration is an important system implemented within a hospital. It is the process in which nurses and other healthcare professionals prescribe and distribute medication to the patients. It aids in organizing which patient got prescribed which medication from which doctor and provides records on who was given care by who. The whole BCMA system is a multi-step process from getting the medication prescribed, to the nurses having to pick up the medication from the medication cabinet, and then having to scan the patient and the medication to finally administer medications.

The current BCMA system implemented at the …

Optical Fiber Sensor-Embedded Strands For Long-Term Monitoring Of Post-Tensioned Tendons In Bridge Elements, Christopher S. Williams, Pinar Okumus, Manan B. Khatri, Mi Jin Jung

Bowen Laboratory Research Reports

Tendon forces are fundamental to the performance of post-tensioned (PT) bridges. Therefore, monitoring tendon forces is important for understanding the health of PT bridge elements and evaluating the condition of prestressing strands. Implementing a reliable method to monitor PT tendons during the service life of the structure, however, is a challenge. The ideal technology should provide a measurement of prestress (or strain) over the length of the tendon and not be limited to measurement only at discrete locations.

When installed along the length of PT tendons, optical fiber sensors provide a promising means to overcome many of the challenges of …

What Construction Management Students Are Looking For In A Job Offer, Michael D. Aceves

Construction Management

Many construction companies and construction management firms invest large amounts of time and resources into the acquisition of new talent directly out of college from universities such as California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly). Because of this, the knowledge of what incentives would be most enticing to a construction management student preparing to graduate would prove beneficial to the aforementioned construction management companies. In order to find a base level understanding of that knowledge this paper looks to report on a survey of construction management students at Cal Poly about how important a myriad of common job …

Advances In Bone And Orthopedics 2024 Edition, Jean-Philippe Berteau, Laurent Pujo-Menjouet

Publications and Research

We are delighted to present the latest edition of ”Advances in Bone and Orthopedics,” a comprehensive compilation of pioneering research and innovative developments in the field. This volume brings together a selection of peer-reviewed abstracts from BONITOS 2024, the Fourth Season of the Bone and Orthopedics Interdisciplinary Symposium, held on May 31st, 2024, at the College of Staten Island in New York. This symposium, a hallmark event in the calendar of professionals dedicated to bone health and orthopedic excellence. The contributions within this volume reflect the breadth and depth of research presented at BONITOS 2024. These abstracts represent cutting-edge studies …

A Case Study: Impacts Of A Building Retrofit On Employee Efficiency And Productivity, Rigo Zepeda

Construction Management

This case study explores the effects of retrofitting building systems on operational efficiency and employee productivity in the contemporary office environment. As concerns over sustainability and the well-being of employees are now at the forefront of modern workplace design, the retrofitting of outmoded building systems has been seen as an option to enhance energy efficiency and occupant satisfaction. This research paper focuses on the recently retrofitted Performance Contracting office building in Benicia, California. As heating and ventilation systems, and lighting are two big contributors to energy consumption in buildings and comfort, analyzing these systems provided insight into its building performance. …

Can Leadership Classes Help Women In Construction Embrace Vulnerability Early In Their Careers?, Crystal Giselle Martinez

Construction Management

This study investigates how a vulnerability lesson, integrated into a construction management university course, impacts women’s comfort levels in showing vulnerability in their early careers. It also examines the perceptions of individuals on the subject of vulnerability prior to taking the class expressing societal norms in relation to vulnerability and leadership in relation to vulnerability. Pre- and post-surveys, utilizing the Likert scale and free responses, were used to gather data from students enrolled in a leadership-focused class at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. Findings reveal that while vulnerability is seen as vital for leadership, gender challenges persist, shaped …

Slo Newman Catholic Center - Holy Monument, Luka Kosor

Construction Management

The SLO Newman Catholic Center is a Catholic Church that serves the students of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and Cuesta College. Around 300 students attend Catholic Mass every Sunday here. While searching for a Senior Project, I approached the Priest and Admin staff of this organization and asked if there was anything I could build for them. They informed me they were gifted this tile mosaic of the Lady of Guadalupe they wanted to showcase in their backyard. They asked me to design and build a holy monument that could exhibit this beautiful tile mosaic. After 6 months of …

Exploring California Residents’ Perspectives On Solar Panel Viability For Residential Properties, Alecsander Gregg

Construction Management

The qualitative research conducted in this study aims to analyze the overall consensus of feelings and attitudes from California residents towards photovoltaic systems being installed on to their properties. The intended audience for this study are for stakeholders in the renewable energy markets, and more specifically in California’s solar panel market. Additional audiences for this study may be for additional or other research regarding solar panel or photovoltaic technology specifically within the state of California. Through a Google Forms questionnaire distributed via email, participants provide insight on their thoughts and feelings regarding certain aspects of solar panels on properties that …

Thinking Styles In The Built Environment, Jaden A. Green

Construction Management

Effective communication in the built environment is crucial for project success, information relay, goal alignment, error prevention, and safety. Diverse parties, including general contractors, architects, engineers, and subcontractors, bring varying Thinking Styles to the table, as defined by Harrison and Bramson. These styles—Synthesist, Idealist, Pragmatist, Analyst, and Realist—impact collaboration and conflict within projects. This study aims to explore where thinking differs among these parties and the congruity of Thinking Styles within each group. Results of this study indicate a predominant Realist Thinking Style among general contractors and subcontractors with subcontractors equally leaning towards Analyst. Engineers, although expected to be Analysts, …

Construction Wellness: Analyzing Mental Health Issues And Solutions For Construction Workers, Joshua Franks

Construction Management

The construction industry is known for its demanding nature, often leading to significant mental health challenges among its workforces. This study investigates mental health issues prevalent in construction, focusing on identifying key stressors and potential protective factors. A mixed-method approach was employed, combining a systematic literature review with a survey distributed to construction professionals. The survey gathered data on job satisfaction, stress, coping mechanisms, and the availability and utilization of mental health resources. Results indicated high levels of job dissatisfaction and stress, with respondents citing poor communication, excessive work hours, and lack of control over their roles as primary stressors. …

Tmha Parking Lot Project, Steven Hickman, Jack Gugale

Construction Management

The Transitional Mental Health Association (TMHA) parking lot project in Edna, California, aimed to construct a 4,400 SF decomposed granite (DG) parking lot for the TMHA’s Youth Treatment Program (YTP). TMHA’s YTP involves giving children in a transitional housing state a safe and welcoming place to live while addressing the problem of unhoused children in San Luis Obispo County. This initiative involved extensive grading, forming, surveying, and installing the necessary infrastructure to ensure both functional and aesthetic improvements for the facility. The project was meticulously planned and executed during the Spring, 2024 quarter, with a budget of approximately $4,285. The …

Consumption And Waste For Hydrating Workers With Single Use Plastic Bottles, James Colnett

Construction Management

The construction industry significantly contributes to environmental waste, notably through the extensive use of plastic water bottles for hydrating field personnel. This case study investigates the hydration practices of a midsize construction company in the Bay Area, focusing on the volume of plastic waste generated and potential sustainable alternatives. Data were collected via surveys sent to 15 employees, revealing that approximately 130,416 plastic bottles are used annually across 11 project sites. Despite the convenience and compliance with OSHA regulations, the reliance on single-use plastic bottles presents severe environmental and health concerns, such as resource depletion and microplastic pollution. Survey results …

Advanced Acoustic Emission-Based Shm For Concrete Structures: Real-Time, High-Precision Imaging Of Crack Geometry And Damage Sourcetype Using Moment Tensor Inversion, Seyyedmaalek Momeni, Thomas Schumacher, Lindsay Linzer, Brice Lecampion

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

In this paper, we introduce a novel automated and high-precision acoustic emission (AE) monitoring algorithm and the software SIMORGH, which is suitable for structural health monitoring (SHM) of civil structures. Initially developed for laboratory-scale hydraulic fracture monitoring, this core software has been effectively scaled up to meter-level applications and is compatible with heterogeneous media such as concrete. It is designed to work with various standard data formats and is handles both trigger-based and continuous data. We present initial results from implementing this software in the AE monitoring of two 4.88-meter-long concrete beams in a laboratory setting, comparing it with manually …

Combined Passive And Active Ultrasonic Stress Wave Monitoring Of Concrete Structures: An Overview Of Data Analysis Techniques And Their Applications And Limitations, Thomas Schumacher, Numa Bertola, Niklas Epple, Eugen Bruehwiler, Ernst Niederleithinger

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Combined passive ultrasonic (US) stress wave [better known as acoustic emission (AE)] and active US stress wave monitoring has been shown to provide a more holistic picture of ongoing fracture processes, damage progression, as well as slowly occurring aging and degradation mechanisms in concrete structures. Traditionally, different data analysis techniques have been used to analyze the data generated from these two monitoring techniques. For passive US stress wave monitoring, waveform amplitudes, hit rates, source localization, and b-value analysis, among others, have been used to detect and locate cracking. On the other hand, amplitude tracking, magnitude squared coherence (MSC), and coda …

Processes For Depositing Functionalized Nanoparticles Upon A Substrate, Erik T. Thostenson, Thomas Schumacher

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Processes for depositing functionalized nanoparticles upon a non-conductive substrate are disclosed herein. The processes may include the step of aerosolizing one or more particles into suspension within a gas, each of the one or more particles comprising functionalized nanoparticles having an electric charge. The processes may include the step the step of attracting the one or more particles onto a non-conductive substrate by a static electric charge opposite of the electric charge, wherein at least portions of the non-conductive substrate are having the static electric charge. The processes may include the step of depositing the functionalized nanoparticles onto the non-conductive …

Gps/Imu Board, Luke Chen, Steve Tran

Electrical Engineering

Providing information on a vehicle’s location during a competition can be used to provide greater insight to progress the car is making or what portion of the track caused failure. As a result, we will be designing a board that includes a Global Positioning System (GPS) and Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) module to provide position coordinates, which is driven by an STM32 processor to feed into the DAQ through Controller Area Network (CAN) protocol.

The GPS module will produce an initial positioning and will continue to do so unless it is unable to create a solution, possibly due to over-arching …