Digital Commons Network^™

Design And Implementation Of A Vision-Based Deep-Learning Protocol For Kinematic Feature Extraction With Application To Stroke Rehabilitation, Juan Diego Luna Inga

Master's Theses

Stroke is a leading cause of long-term disability, affecting thousands of individuals annually and significantly impairing their mobility, independence, and quality of life. Traditional methods for assessing motor impairments are often costly and invasive, creating substantial barriers to effective rehabilitation. This thesis explores the use of DeepLabCut (DLC), a deep-learning-based pose estimation tool, to extract clinically meaningful kinematic features from video data of stroke survivors with upper-extremity (UE) impairments.

To conduct this investigation, a specialized protocol was developed to tailor DLC for analyzing movements characteristic of UE impairments in stroke survivors. This protocol was validated through comparative analysis using peak …

Smart Cushion Device For Elderly Aging In Place, Anna Dion, Nate Colley, Leonardo Bravo

Biomedical Engineering

Our task at hand is to develop a consumer-focused solution for improving elder care to provide additional peace of mind for seniors and caregivers using technology to extend independent living. We intend to create a device that will improve the quality of life of elderly individuals living alone by encouraging periodical movement throughout the day, along with monitoring pressure distribution and alerting when pressure concentration is potentially harmful. It will also alert users to the presence of moisture which can arise from spills or incontinence. The key stakeholders of this project include elderly adults over the age of 65 who …

Reconstruction Of The Neglected: Bringing Life Back To The Old Powerhouse, Zoe A. Macmillan

Architectural Engineering

The Powerhouse is the oldest extant structure on Cal Poly campus and is currently abandoned. Built in 1910, it was in use as a power supply for Cal Poly Campus until the 1940s. Then, the School of Architecture and Environmental Design was granted permission to use it for class purposes. From 1967-1990 it was used as studio, guest lecture, and office space. In 1990 it was deemed structurally unstable and was left empty, slated for demolition. In 1993, a student lead movement placed it on the National Register of Historic Structures. Since then, it has been in a state neglect, …

High-Power Microwave Antenna Design, Luke C. Chase

Electrical Engineering

High-power microwave antennas are essential for defense industry radar systems, cyber warfare, and power transmission. The US Department of Defense a SBIR proposal specifying the need for a high-power phased-array microwave antenna for the US Air Force.

Vivaldi antennas, invented in 1978 by Peter Gibson, have been widely adopted for radar applications due to their high bandwidth and gain performance. Considerable amounts of research exists on designing Vivaldis for different applications ranging from radar to communications. Using antenna theory and past research, a new Vivaldi antenna was designed to meet the requirements mandated by the DoD research contract.

This project …

Exploration Of Software Defined Radios To Increase Capabilities Of Affordable Mesh Networks, Liam K. Mccarthy

Electrical Engineering

Project OWL is developing a LoRa mesh network “DuckLinks” for emergency communications, and the current LoRa protocol the Clusterduck Protocol is based on is severely limited in data rate. OWL plans to use Raspberry Pi computers to develop the next phase of Duck radios, which greatly opens the computing potential and flexibility of the system the Ducks run on. Using LimeSDR and GNU Radio, an open source SDR programming environment, this project seeks to develop a simple SDR-based packet transmission system that allows for communication with Duck radios as well as the use of a different modulation scheme for higher …

Analog Speech Recognition Circuit, Celeste Correa, Alyssa Lam, Grace Paladichuk

Electrical Engineering

This project performs speech recognition using analog circuits to compute the Fourier transform of a voice signal. There is a digital portion of the design to perform a comparison between the desired Fourier transforms and the voice signal’s Fourier transform. Due to time limitations, the project is limited to a set command that the circuit can execute. The design is also focused on the vocal frequencies of women due to the stark difference between men and women’s voices. Analog circuits are not being used commercially for speech recognition at this time, but there is research being done on methods to …

Prosthetic Forearm Controller, Claire Tylutki, Kevin Lopatka, Sofia Zaletel, Hardit Singh

Electrical Engineering

The EMG controlled prosthetic arm project represents a significant advancement in upper limb prosthetics, leveraging cutting-edge technology to address critical user needs. With over two million individuals in the United States living with limb loss, a substantial portion being upper limb amputees, the demand for accessible and functional prosthetic solutions is pressing. This project focuses largely on refining prosthetic limb control through the integration of electromyography (EMG) signal processing and control. Using surface electrodes, this project employs non-invasive means of data collection combined with modern digital signal processing methods to implement faster and more accurate control. The control system also …

Battery Energy Storage System, Alec C. Maclean, Kaylen H. Schwartz, Kyle A. Begley

Electrical Engineering

The project is a continuation of part 1 of the “Reliability Measurement for Grid-Connected Solar System” project. The goal is to continue where the previous design failed. This project will configure an ITECH IT-6000C and Tabuchi Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) to the small-scale microgrid at the Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo EE Department. Initially, a system was designed to connect an ITECH IT-M3633 as a PV solar source emulator to the Tabuchi BESS within a grid-connected microgrid system in Room 20-102 at Cal Poly. A Photovoltaic Thevenin equivalent model was developed for the ITECH IT-M3633, but this setup failed …

Prosthetic Aid For Lifting (Pal), Emma Caringella, Cameron Yartz, Dawn Veditz

Biomedical Engineering

Approximately 1.7 million people in the United States use a limb prosthetic [1]. For these individuals, their prosthetic often enables them to engage in their choice of physical activities. Many prosthetic companies design prosthetic limbs for use in specific athletic activities such as weightlifting. These devices are not designed for everyday wear or a large variety of tasks but enable the person to interact with free weights and workout machines. According to an email conversation between the team and Bob Radocy, Founder of Therapeutic Recreational Services (TRS Inc.) and upper limb amputee, while he could not reveal how many people …

Echoes Of Nature: Using Biodata Sonification To Model Electrical Communication In Plants, Penelope Anna Alioshin

Electrical Engineering

The use of biodata sonification as a tool to visualize biological data is a response to recent developments in the intersection of art and technology. This project explores the intersection by converting the electrical impulses given off by plants into audio signals. By processing and amplifying the voltage difference between two electrodes on a plant, its communication is quantified. The goal is to use this communication model as a tool to increase ecological awareness as well as improve machine learning models. A deeper understanding of non-human communication systems, specifically those that employ superposition decision matrices, could help to drastically increase …

X-Band Wireless Power Transfer System Using A Focused Array Lens, Jason Alexander Kunz, Tyler S. Bury, Oscar Damian Gonzalez, Jaime Garcia

Electrical Engineering

Wireless power beaming from space and energy harvesting were once stories of science fiction, until now. Wireless power transmission (WPT) is a field continually in development to provide energy in situations where energy transfer through wires is impractical or unfeasible. This engineering discipline abandons the use of wire technology for the energy transfer between the power source and a distant device. While various forms of WPT exist, our project focuses on transmission through means of radio frequency (RF), utilizing electromagnetic waves to power devices. Furthermore, WPT technology primarily assists in the elimination of a physical connection between devices, and it …

A 4-Switch Buck-Boost Dc/Dc Converter For Electric Vehicle Applications, Andrew Hudak, Ashley Schiller

Electrical Engineering

In this project, we develop a four switch buck-boost DC/DC converter that is to be integrated into a microgrid-inspired power distribution architecture for electric vehicles. The overall architecture includes DC/DC and DC/AC converters for bi-directional energy transfer between the DC and AC ports along with a communications port to control each energy interface. There is also the onboard battery and the internal combustion engine power exchange being done with DC/DC converters and AC/DC inverters to connect to the centralized DC bus. Hardware prototypes using an Arduino and Raspberry Pi for the 500 W DC/DC and DC/AC converters have been previously …

Software Defined Radio Applicability Investigation For Owl Integrations Inc., Daniel J. Gharib

Electrical Engineering

OWL Integrations Inc. is developing a LoRa mesh network using “Duck” radios to communicate using the LoRa modulation technique. This mesh network is intended for emergency communications in situations where Internet or cellular access is unavailable, such as disaster relief or warzones. The goal of this project is to investigate the feasibility of using the CaribouLite SDR as a potential base for a SDR-based “Duck”. This feasibility testing will be performed by integrating the CaribouLite with a Raspberry Pi single-board computer and investigating its compatibility and functionality for the purposes of a communication device

Formula Sae Vehicle Dynamics Controller, Luke Edward Bosworth

Electrical Engineering

Throughout the history of motorsports, engineers have continuously pushed the boundaries of speed and control in the pursuit of enhancing vehicle performance on the track. Today’s top performing motor-vehicles leverage electric motors to the deliver instantaneous torque to the vehicle’s tires. While these electric motors can deliver a lot of power very efficiently, the delivery must be well controlled to get the most performance out of the tires. The Formula SAE Vehicle Dynamics Controller (VDC) senior project integrates vehicle modeling, state estimation, and yaw moment controls into a small- scale Formula-one style electric vehicle, improving vehicle performance and laying the …

Multi-Hop And Automated Testing Of Wide-Area Network Radio Systems, Zachary C. Numa, Joseph S. Nuccio

Electrical Engineering

Requests for low-power and versatile wide-area Internet-of-Things (IoT) networks are becoming more prevalent with upcoming research in low-data rate ad-hoc mesh networks. Connections to terrestrial satellites have proven promising methods for increasing range capabilities for wide area networks (WAN). As research in communication with IoT networks and satellites progresses, reliable multi-hop mesh networks for Earth-based communication are still necessary to develop the base for satellite communication. These multi-hop communication mesh networks are being developed to allow communication where Line-of-Sight (LOS) from A to B is incapable due to environmental barriers. Hence, communication is possible without LOS by providing an intermediate …

2-Bit Schiffman Phase Shifter, Tavita Dayton, Enrique Ruiz

Electrical Engineering

Phase shifters are found in microwave/RF applications such as defense or wireless communications for their ability to control the relative phase of a system which allows for alignment of signals to obtain constructive interference. Typical phase shifters are chip level (digital and analog) which require a DC bias therefore restricting PCB use unless allowance for air gaps. The paper analyzes a passive and low-profile 2-bit phase shifter using the Schiffman architecture, which outputs a near-constant 90 degree shift over a wide band of frequencies. The design process initially confirmed a proper 90 degree phase shift over the desired WiFi band, …

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 …

Matrix Approximation And Image Compression, Isabella R. Padavana

Master's Theses

This thesis concerns the mathematics and application of various methods for approximating matrices, with a particular eye towards the role that such methods play in image compression. An image is stored as a matrix of values with each entry containing a value recording the intensity of a corresponding pixel, so image compression is essentially equivalent to matrix approximation. First, we look at the singular value decomposition, one of the central tools for analyzing a matrix. We show that, in a sense, the singular value decomposition is the best low-rank approximation of any matrix. However, the singular value decomposition has some …

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 …

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 …

Automated Orthopedic Impactor, Joshua P. Kannankunni, Maria F. Fletcher, Olivia K. Kam

Biomedical Engineering

We were tasked by Dr. Dimitri Delagrammaticas, an orthopedic surgeon, to develop an automatic impaction device to use in hip arthroplasties. The goal of this project is to create and design the mechanical internals for an electric impactor device to aid in the impaction of orthopedic devices and reduce the risk of surgeon injuries. The stakeholders include our sponsor Dimitri Delagrammaticas and other orthopedic surgeons, patients in need of hip arthroplasty, hospitals, and Dr. Berg-Johansen. Dr. Berg-Johansen will be reviewing the design process and documentation for the duration of the senior design project. The Automated Orthopedic Impactor will solely focus …

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 …

In Pipe Biofilm Removal System, Caroline White, Abe Muldrow, Jack Catalano, Brendan Thomas Palmer

Mechanical Engineering

In many drinking water systems, biological build-up can accumulate over time and create contamination resistant to traditional chemical flushing techniques, thus creating systems that must be flushed constantly to be considered safe. The team analyzed how this biological build up occurs, the current methods of removal, and thought about different ways to remove this ENGR 459-03 7 biological buildup without further damaging the health of the water system. To do this, we preformed extensive academic research about how biofilm builds up in water systems, examined any existing products that remove containments from water systems, and developed a solution capable of …

Evaluating The Impact Of Sb 684 In San Luis Obispo, Andrew Darrell

City and Regional Planning

This study evaluates the impact of California Senate Bill 684 (SB 684) on housing development in San Luis Obispo. SB 684 aims to streamline the approval process for small-scale residential projects to address the state's housing shortage by promoting affordable housing construction. The aim of this report will be to examine the provisions of SB 684 and evaluate the feasibility of development under it. A general overview of the legislative provisions accompanied by legal context will provide a background to the law. Case studies of small lot development will illustrate design decisions that can be incorporated into new SB 684 …

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 …

Aged 539 - Graduate Internship, Braidyn R. Cossa

Agricultural Education: Graduate Internship Reports

This report reflects on the Cal Poly Rodeo Program's alignment with the National Standards for Sport Coaches, showcasing a comprehensive approach to athlete development across multiple critical domains. Emphasizing a well-defined coaching philosophy, the program promotes sportsmanship, ethical behavior, and academic success. Personalized coaching addresses the developmental stages of athletes, ensuring a balance between their academic and athletic roles. The program employs effective teaching methods, clear communication, and constructive feedback to foster a positive environment and build strong coach-athlete relationships based on mutual respect and trust.

The coaches possess deep knowledge of rodeo skills and strategies, utilizing psychological techniques to …

Aged 539, Madeline L. Hall

Agricultural Education: Graduate Internship Reports

This abstract outlines the standards of effective coaching that happens within the rodeo team at California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly), focusing on key principles and practices that define successful coaching relationships. The university emphasizes a holistic approach to coaching, integrating academic, personal, and career development goals to support student growth and achievement. Core principles include establishing trust and rapport, fostering open communication, setting clear and achievable goals, and providing personalized guidance and support tailored to individual needs. Additionally, Cal Poly Rodeo emphasizes the importance of continuous improvement and evaluation of coaching practices to ensure ongoing effectiveness and relevance. By …

Santa Maria Climate Action Plan Recommendations: Building Energy And Transportation, Thomas Zimmerman, Elena Blewett

City and Regional Planning

The Santa Maria Climate Action Plan Recommendations addresses GHG emissions reduction for the largest sectors in the City of Santa Maria- Building Energy and Transportation. The project includes GHG forecasts and reduction targets from the City’s Draft 2020 Community-Wide Greenhouse Gas Inventory Report. The reduction targets are met through a series of actionable measures to help the City meet aggressive reduction targets by 2030 and 2045.

Examining The Impact Of Journalism On The Comprehensibility And Accessibility Of Scientific Literature, Izabella L. Slosberg

Journalism

This study investigates the comprehensibility and accessibility of scientific papers compared to scientific journalism articles. Fifty articles were tested in pairs of two (one scientific journal article and one corresponding scientific journalism article), and ChatGPT 4.0 was used to create a comprehensibility scale ranging from 0-100%, designed to assess the percentage of people in California over the age of 18 who could understand each article. Each article was evaluated three times using the curated scale, and the results were thoroughly evaluated. The differences in comprehensibility between scientific journalism articles and scientific journalism articles along with the impact of the scientific …