Engineering Commons^™

Composite Carrier, Thomas W. Clarke, Kaden T. Guevarra, D'Anna M. Jennings, John F. Tomas

Mechanical Engineering

The Composite Carrier project developed and tested a proof-of-concept system to improve safety and accessibility in the Cal Poly Composites Lab. The system enables users to retrieve composite material rolls from elevated storage racks without using ladders, reducing fall hazards and improving material handling. The final design integrates rack-mounted rotary latches, a ground-level pulley release mechanism, and a custom Genie dolly attachment with a foldable cradle. Verification testing demonstrated that the prototype could securely retain representative roll loads, support repeated retrieval and placement, and improve operator safety, while also identifying future refinements such as reducing attachment width for improved rack …

Hpv Speed Bike Landing Gear, Nathan Walker, Dylan Hyde, Mark Spohn, Trey Barber

Mechanical Engineering

This report presents the development of a retractable landing gear system for Cal Poly’s human-powered speed bike. The system is designed to support the bike during low-speed operation, especially during launch, when the vehicle is unstable and typically requires assistance from a support crew. The landing gear uses spring-driven extensions controlled by handlebar-mounted Bowden cables, allowing the rider to retract the system while maintaining control of the bike. By fitting within the fairing and retracting after launch, the design aims to improve takeoff stability and rider safety while preserving the aerodynamic performance required for high-speed competition.

Golf Ball Marking Machine, Isabella Brinkman, Erin Maxwell, Benjamin Nash, Matthew Nicacio

Mechanical Engineering

The Golf Ball Marking Machine was designed, manufactured, and tested to provide a compact and cost-effective solution for applying durable identification markings to golf balls. The system integrates a gravity-fed hopper, singulation mechanism, motorized marking chamber, and automated discharge system to process golf balls with minimal operator intervention. A computer control system coordinates the marking cycle, enabling consistent application of a circumferential stripe. Verification testing demonstrated compliance with requirements for size, weight, power consumption, safety, and marking durability while maintaining a tabletop size footprint. The prototype achieved an average throughput of 5.43 balls per minute and successfully validated the feasibility …

Design And Parametric Study Of A Mems-Based Reservoir Computer For Reinforcement Learning, Andrew P. Carr

Master's Theses

Single-node reservoir computing (RC) is a hardware-efficient approach to machine learning, leveraging the dynamics of physical systems. In this work, two reinforcement learning algorithms, Q-learning and Proximal Policy Optimization (PPO), are applied to a simulated micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS)-based reservoir computer to solve both discrete and continuous control tasks. MEMS-based reservoirs are low-power, compact, and their natural frequencies (kHz to MHz) pair well with real-time control loops. To explore the relationship between reservoir dynamics and learning performance, a parametric study is conducted on two reservoir hyperparameters, reservoir size and neuron separation, using CartPole-v1 and MountainCar-v0. The RC successfully learns multiple tasks …

Design For Repairability: Analyzing The Evolution Of Smartphone Repairability To Generate Design Insights, Pranav Peddinti

Master's Theses

Smartphones are a major part of daily life, allowing people to communicate, browse the internet, shop, and enjoy entertainment. However, smartphones tend to be replaced quickly and therefore contribute to the growing electronic waste problem. The lifecycle of a smartphone can be extended by designing them to be more repairable, making it easier for owners and users to perform the repairs themselves. By only replacing failing components, the device can be in use longer, reducing the waste and pollution generated by replacing the device entirely. Therefore, product designers and engineers must focus on designing smartphones to be more repairable. Design-for-repairability …

Alford Loop Antennas For Ultra-High Energy Neutrino Detection, John K. Kimura

Master's Theses

The neutrino is a fundamental particle of matter emitted by high energy phenomena, such as supernovae and black holes. Detecting neutrinos can give scientists information regarding the frequency of high-energy cosmic events, as well as point them towards specific high-energy events. Ultra-high energy (UHE) neutrino interactions in Greenland ice result in electromagnetic pulses between 200MHz and 800MHz. The Radio Neutrino Observatory - Greenland (RNO-G) seeks to observe the resultant electromagnetic waves. The Alford Loop antenna is proposed to detect these emissions, because of its dipole-like radiation pattern, horizontal polarization, and adequate dimensions to fit in a 10" diameter ice borehole. …

Contribution Of Slotted Web To The Cyclic Behavior Of Bare And Composite Beam-To-Hss Column Connections, Pablo Ulargui Ramos

Master's Theses

Slotted web connections produce consistent and meaningful improvements in the cyclic behavior of bare and composite beam-to-HSS column connections. Across the eight connections investigated in this thesis, the introduction of a slotted web increased rotational capacity by approximately 7% to 37% and increased cumulative energy dissipation at the strength-degradation limit by approximately 37% to 81%. These improvements were accompanied by only a small reduction in ultimate flexural resistance on the order of 3% to 8%, attributable to the loss of web cross-section at the slot and, for the more flexible H/t = 16 columns, to increased out-of-plane deformation of the …

Practical Multimodal Wearable Sensing For Functional Upper Extremity Primitive Classification With Application To Stroke Rehabilitation, Nicholas Weiss

Master's Theses

Stroke often causes long-term weakness and impaired motor control in the upper extremity (UE), making everyday tasks such as reaching, grasping, and moving objects more difficult. Restoring functional arm use is therefore a central goal of post-stroke rehabilitation. Measuring affected arm use continuously and objectively is important because isolated clinical assessments may not fully capture how the affected arm is used during therapy or daily life. Wearable sensors offer a promising approach for monitoring, but raw sensor signals are difficult to interpret directly. Functional movement primitives address this issue by describing UE behavior as smaller, task-agnostic movement units.

This thesis …

Repurposing Electrical Waste Materials For Developing Corrosion-Resistant Medium Entropy Alloys, Iman El-Mahallawi, Shaza Raji Eng, Shimaa El-Hadad Prof., Mahmoud Tash Prof., Lamiaa Zaki Dr.

Mechanical Engineering

Reusing electrical waste as a sustainable metal source is a promising approach for producing next-generation alloys. In this work, vacuum arc melting (VAM) was used to produce three aluminum-based medium-entropy alloys (AlCuFeCrSi MEAs) from recycled electrical waste. The alloys contained Al in the range 36-46%; Cu in the range 28-35%; Fe in the range 11-18%; Cr in the range 5-6%; and Si in the range 3-6%, with variations in elemental composition resulting from the use of different recovered electrical waste components. Their corrosion performance was evaluated at room temperature, in a 3.5% NaCl solution with and without 1 g/L Mn …

Rf Fingerprinting: Neural Networks For Device Identification, Pranav Chainani, Maxwell Gertner, Genevieve Patmore

Electrical and Computer Engineering Senior Theses

Conventional cybersecurity protocols authenticate devices using digital credentials that can be stolen, copied, or extracted from compromised hardware. Radio frequency (RF) fingerprinting offers a complementary physical-layer authentication mechanism that binds device identity to the unforgeable manufacturing variations present in every transmitter’s analog hardware. This thesis explores the application of convolutional neural networks (CNNs) to RF fingerprinting, focusing on the identification of nominally identical IoT transmitters from raw I/Q samples of the LoRa preamble’s turn-on transient.

We developed an end-to-end system consisting of a modular data collection testbench using a USRP B210 software-defined radio, a 1D CNN trained directly on raw …

Rf Target Identification With Custom Radar Systems, Francis Chau, Alfred Galindez, Austin Petersen

Electrical and Computer Engineering Senior Theses

This project presents the design, construction, and testing of a low-cost Frequency- Modulated Continuous Wave (FMCW) radar system inspired by the MIT Coffee-Can Radar. The system was developed as a modular educational radar platform intended to demonstrate fundamental radar concepts while incorporating updated RF components, custom printed circuit board designs, and improved system-level testing. The radar architecture includes a triangle-wave modulator, voltage-controlled oscillator, attenuator, power amplifier, RF splitter, transmit and receive antennas, low-noise amplifier, mixer, SMA interconnects, and video amplifier.

The project focused on validating individual subsystems, characterizing the chirped RF output, tuning the antennas near the 2.4 GHz operating …

Santa Clara Radio Astronomy Project (Scrap) V, Alejandro Hernandez, Agustin Garcia

Electrical and Computer Engineering Senior Theses

Santa Clara Radio Astronomy Project (SCRAP) V aims to develop an entirely operational, real-time platform software for an affordable radio telescope that can operate autonomously. This thesis describes the design and implementation process of the fifth generation project through concentrating on the following three key areas: the creation of the live data acquisition and visualization dashboard, thorough verification of the hardware chain received by us, and outdoor system protection from weather factors. The live data dashboard that was created in the MATLAB App Designer completely solved the architecture issues faced with its predecessor being the Python version of the system, …

Triangle Sorting As A Real-Time 3d Renderer, Alexander Green, Xinyi Wang

Computer Science and Engineering Senior Theses

This project explores the design and implementation of a 3D rendering system based on triangle sorting, integrated into a simple interactive game environment. The goal of the project is to evaluate whether a triangle-sorting–based renderer can function effectively in real time while maintaining visual correctness and performance.

To test the renderer in a practical setting, it is embedded within a 3D environment that supports camera control and real-time navigation through the rendered scene. The system focuses on real-time navigation, model loading, camera movement, and rendering of a low-poly 3D scene. The use of a low-poly visual style helps reduce computational …

Scu2u, Sattvika Bhatt, Austin Nguyen, Dhruv Patel, Izzy Perez, Shaunak Sharma

Computer Science and Engineering Senior Theses

On college campuses, the lack of short-range delivery options creates frequent distractions and interruptions, reducing productivity and convenience for students and faculty. To address this problem, SCU2U was developed as a low-cost autonomous food delivery rover designed to provide sustainable on-campus solution. The system utilizes a client-server network architecture that enables remote processing and monitoring over a campus Wi-Fi network.

The rover uses a 2D LiDAR sensor to scan its environment and utilizes SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) to build and localize with a reference map of its environment. Autonomous navigation is implemented using ROS2 and the Nav2 framework, which …

Skinclusive Ai: Towards Equitable Skin Cancer Detection For Deployment On Edge Devices, Joseph Galicinao

Master's Theses

Skin cancer is one of the most prevalent cancers worldwide, yet existing deep-learning models exhibit significant racial disparities because many widely used datasets are heavily skewed toward lighter skin tones. In addition, many approaches are not designed for deployment on resource-constrained devices, which limits accessibility. This work presents a comprehensive evaluation of classical machine learning and deep-learning based models for binary skin lesion classification, identifying the Swin-Tiny transformer architecture as the most effective backbone. To address bias, we curate a skin-tone balanced dataset, and introduce fairness-aware training through adversarial training, and joint distribution oversampling, to improve performance across protected attributes. …

A Polygon Approach For Satellite Coverage Computation Problems, Caleb I. Arbreton

Master's Theses

During celestial body observation mission planning, predicted sensor coverage is a key analysis tool used by designers to inform concept of operations. It enables trade studies by applying a metric to assess how well different sensor, satellite, and constellation configurations can observe a mission's region of interest. The effectiveness of the studied components is then paramount in determining whether they are justified in the system architecture. Coverage computation becomes more difficult as sensor types and regions of interest (RoIs) deviate from simple shapes, and as problem formulations seek higher-fidelity results. These simplifications include: conical camera sensors, RoIs represented as simple, …

Dot Product Engine Based Neuromorphic Hardware For Continuous-Time Biomedical Signal Classification, Sanjeev Srinivasan

Master's Theses

Accurate diagnosis of pathological conditions from biomedical signals, such as electrocardiograms (ECGs) is often performed offline, making it time-consuming, costly, and inefficient, especially when abnormal patterns are rare and long-term monitoring generates large amounts of data. To address this, this work proposes a compact, scalable, and programmable neuromorphic system designed for real-time preliminary arrhythmia detection and classification using ECG signals, that can be extended to other biomedical signals. The proposed design processes ECG signals using a delta modulation-based spike encoder, followed by classification with a dot-product engine (DPE) based spiking neural network (SNN) processor and winner-take-all (WTA) circuit. The architecture …

Development Of A Multi-Mode Switching-Inverter Laboratory Module For An Introductory Power Electronics Course, Darcy Eliasi

Master's Theses

DC–AC converters, or inverters, are essential power‑electronic interfaces widely used in photovoltaic systems, microgrids, energy‑storage installations, and numerous other modern electrical applications. This thesis presents the design, construction, and testing of an improved laboratory module developed as a student learning tool for demonstrating four fundamental inverter switching techniques: simple square wave (SSWI), modified square wave (MSWI), bipolar PWM, and unipolar PWM. Building upon the previous module, the improved design centers on three key enhancements. These include the selection of a more suitable wave‑generation solution, a multiplexer‑based mode‑selection architecture that reduces user complexity and eliminates conflicting signal configurations, and the integration …

Optimization Of Repeat Ground Track Constellation Design For Complex Discontinuous Regional Coverage, Paige Jewell

Master's Theses

The continued growth of low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellations motivates efficient constellation design methods to reduce cost and complexity. Although brute-force methods are commonly employed in the preliminary design of satellite constellations, pairing analytic methods with optimization algorithms provides a more efficient means of searching the design space. Constellation design for continuous global and regional coverage is well-established; however, strategies for discontinuous regional coverage remain underdeveloped. This thesis focuses on an analytic geometry-based method for computing satellite coverage and revisit metrics, coupled with genetic algorithm optimization to efficiently explore the design space. The viability of this method is shown …

Development Of A Computer Vision Based Rendezvous And Docking Test Platform, David T. Forbes

Master's Theses

This thesis presents the work completed in the development and testing of a low-cost modular sensor package capable of rendezvous and docking by providing a vehicle with relative navigational commands. These navigational commands are created using relative localization data gathered and processed onboard the sensor package, with validation, in post-processing, against global localization data. This research aims to reduce the cost of smaller autonomous vehicles by removing the need for custom control units, as its modular nature will allow it to be adapted to many different systems and vehicles. Discussed within this thesis is the rapid prototyping, development, and testing …

Effects Of Atomic Oxygen Exposure On Stressed Drag Sail Materials For Low Earth Orbit Applications, Nazanin Sadeghian Dezaki

Master's Theses

As low Earth orbit (LEO) has become an increasingly valuable region for satellite operations, it has grown increasingly congested. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) deorbit regulations require satellites to be deorbited within 5 years of launch, and drag sails represent a practical means of meeting this requirement. An important consideration for drag sail design is the effect of atomic oxygen (AO) on sail materials. To address the gap in the literature regarding the behavior of stressed drag sail materials under AO exposure, a new test plate was manufactured for the California Polytechnic State University minimum atmospheric experimentation (MAX) AO chamber. …

A Higher Order Panel Method With Vortex Particle Wake, Luca Flick-Kaiser

Master's Theses

Panel codes were some of the earliest methods for computing the flow around aircraft. Despite the availability of higher fidelity CFD methods, panel methods remain an essential tool for the development of modern aircraft, allowing engineers to quickly iterate during the conceptual design phase.

This work develops and implements a high order panel method using Python. The wake is modeled using vortex particles, resulting in an accurate wake representation with minimal user input. The integration of the higher order singularity distributions has been extended to include the calculation of the velocity gradients necessary for the vortex particle implementation. The use …

Computer Vision Methods For Detecting Counterfeit Usd Bills, Tyler W. Jones

Master's Theses

This thesis addresses the global challenge of counterfeit paper currency by proposing a classical computer vision framework for distinguishing genuine United States Dollar (USD) bills from counterfeit ones using image data. In contrast to existing approaches that rely on a large number of easily reproducible visual features, this work prioritizes the detection of a single, robust security feature: the ultraviolet (UV) reactive security strip embedded in genuine USD bills of denominations $5 and above. By focusing on a feature that is inherently difficult to replicate, the proposed method reduces the likelihood of counterfeit bills being misclassified as genuine.

The system …

Development Of A Free-Floating Space Robotic Simulator, Truman: Terrestrial Robotic Unit For Multibody Analysis And Navigation, Jackson W. Cordova

Master's Theses

This work describes the development of a 3 Degree-of-Freedom (DOF) robotic manipulator for use on a free-floating planar air-bearing vehicle. The system developed aims to serve as a foundation for future space robotics research at the California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly)’s Space Robotics Laboratory. Systems doc- umentation describes conceptual operation and architecture of the proposed system: Terrestrial Robotic Unit for Multibody Analysis and Navigation (TRUMAN). The key operation of TRUMAN is to study a self launch maneuver of a free-floating ve- hicle including 4 distinct phases: launch off a fixed rail, coast, reorientation using manipulator motion, and capture of …

Spaceotter: A Floating Spacecraft Simulator Air Bearing Vehicle For Hardware-In-The-Loop Experiments And Research, Alexander Debartolo

Master's Theses

Growing interest in nanosatellites has increased demand for accessible ground-testing methods, which have historically been expensive and restricted. Floating Spacecraft Simulators (FSS), built around Air Bearing Vehicles (ABVs), address this gap by approximating a zero-gravity, friction-minimized environment suitable for testing spacecraft control systems, robotics, and propulsion on the ground.

This thesis presents the design, realization, and initial performance characterization of the Space Optically Tracked Testbed for Experiments and Research (SpaceOTTER) ABV, developed for the Cal Poly Space Robotics Lab. SpaceOTTER is the first step toward emulating the 3 degree of freedom (3-DOF) planar dynamics of a simulated spacecraft and is …

Design And Evaluation Of An Assistive Powered Hand Orthosis For Grasp Activities For People Post-Stroke, Sydney Alexander

Master's Theses

After suffering a stroke, many survivors experience physical disability that affects their ability to complete daily tasks using their hands. Physical therapy is often pre scribed to people post-stroke, but is not fully effective at restoring hand function. The goal of this project was to design and fabricate an assistive device for people post-stroke to help with grasp and release. The device was designed to address com mon shortcomings of existing similar devices. State of the art devices in this domain were investigated to determine a set of design improvements. A novel motor-actuated hand orthosis was designed to decrease weight, …

Efficient Mathematical Modeling And Synthesis Of Realistic Musical Instrument Sounds, Andrew Chookaszian

Master's Theses

This thesis develops and evaluates a compact parametric additive synthesis model for isolated musical instrument tones. The method analyzes a single-note recording, estimates its fundamental frequency, extracts harmonic amplitude and frequency behavior, and stores the sound as a reduced set of interpretable parameters. These parameters include the note duration, pitch, per-harmonic amplitude envelopes, phase information, and amplitude- and frequency-modulation vibrato parameters. The stored model is then used to resynthesize the tone without directly using the original audio waveform.

The model was evaluated using synthetic signals, real instrument samples, objective error metrics, storage comparisons, pitch and duration modification tests, and listening …

Hamster: Hybrid-Actuated Mobile Spherical Terrain Exploration Rover, Winnie Gao

Master's Theses

The expansion of space exploration to increasingly challenging planetary environments requires mobility systems capable of extreme traversal capabilities and operational reliability. This thesis presents the design, development, and testing of a low-cost Hybrid-Actuated Mobile Spherical Terrain Exploration Rover (HAMSTER) intended for use on a planetary surface exploration mission. HAMSTER uses a pendulum-based actuation method for steering and an actuated internal shaft to propel the vehicle forward. The internal structure includes a two-tiered central case composed of the navigation control module, accelerometer, motor controller, primary DC motor, battery, voltage regulators, Raspberry Pi, pendulum servo motor, and drive shafts. Additive manufacturing through …

Design And Implementation Of An Embedded Control System For The Cal Poly Spacecraft Attitude Dynamics Simulator, Neil Mahesh Bedagkar

Master's Theses

This thesis presents the development of a cascaded reaction wheel control system for Cal Poly's Spacecraft Attitude Dynamics Simulator. This work considers system architecture, empirical modeling, high-fidelity simulation, embedded firmware, hardware integration, and experimental characterization. In discrete-time simulation, it is shown that nonlinear direct model reference adaptive control (NDMRAC) enables a nonlinear, partially known plant with realistic actuator dynamics to track the response of a canonical second-order transfer function, with settling time within 4.67% and percent overshoot within order of magnitude of the second-order response. In hardware, the feasibility of a cascaded reaction wheel control architecture is experimentally demonstrated, achieving …

Trustworthy Intelligence Fusion For Search And Rescue: Designing Grounded And Secure Multi-Agent Ai For Mission Decision Support, Yayun Tan

Master's Theses

Search and rescue (SAR) operations require teams to integrate uncertain information under severe time pressure. Large language model (LLM)-based multi-agent systems (MAS) can support decision-making, but they also risk producing hallucinated outputs and processing unreliable or malicious data. This thesis addresses these risks through three linked studies. First, it proposes a modular eight-agent SAR MAS architecture that reflects the structure of real SAR missions by assigning specialized roles to different agents. Second, it introduces a post-hoc probabilistic verification framework that checks LLM agent outputs against a probabilistic knowledge graph built from historical SAR incidents.  Third, the thesis examines indirect adversarial …