Engineering Commons^™

Myrrrrr's Dice Game Android Application, Craig Leitterman

Computer Engineering

Smartphones are one the newest and fastest growing hardware platforms in recent years. The number of users playing and downloading games on the Android and iPhone application markets are growing rapidly. A majority of users including myself have been known to play common retro games such as solitaire as well as newer flash games like Angry Birds. These titles are usually “pick up and play” and provide quick entertainment while you’re waiting for the bus or in between a work break. Given the huge popularity of these applications I decided to create a dice game that I used to play …

Design And Cost Analysis Of A Citrus Orchard, Travis Cox

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

No abstract provided.

In-Plane Cyclic Shear Performance Of Interlocking Compressed Earth Block Walls, David William Bland

Master's Theses

This thesis presents results from testing of interlocking compressed earth block (CEB) masonry shear walls.  CEBs are low strength earth masonry units sometimes stabilized with cement or lime.  The interlocking compressed earth blocks (ICEBs) used in this experiment are dry stacked interlocking hollow units, which can be reinforced and grouted after they are laid.  Although significant research has been undertaken to optimize the material properties of CEBs, little has been done to investigate the performance of structural systems currently being built using this technology.

Test results are reported for three 1800 mm x 1800 mm wall specimens constructed with cement …

Structure Climbing Monkey Robot, Paul Bessent

Master's Theses

This report describes the design, building, and testing of the Structure Climbing Monkey Robot (SCMR). It is composed of seven successive joints and linkages with two grippers at the two ends. Each gripper can act as the base or the end of the robot. The SCMR has the ability to climb any structure. The gripper plates can be changed to grab different kinds of structures, but this one is made to grab 2x4‘s. A program was written to assist the user to grab four non-coplanar, non-orthogonal points.

The SCMR is actuated by a total of nine motors: two to open …

A Novel Exercise Device For Users In Wheelchairs: A Study Of Abdominal Muscle Activation, Rebecca Jo Campbell

Master's Theses

This study evaluates the use of a wheelchair balance board. The balance board was created as a sensory stimulation tool for users with various disabilities. It was originally designed to create vestibular stimulation for the person after they were loaded on.  This study was used as a way to test if the balance board could be used for other things such as physical therapy and exercise.  Ten able-bodied individuals were used to show the functionality of the device.  They were asked to perform six different abdominal exercises while the muscle activity of their rectus abdominis and external obliques was measured …

Measuring The Nanoindentation Properties Of Alendronate-Time Treated Canine Cortical, Folorunso Ashaolu

Master's Theses

This study examines the nanoindentation (energy inclusive) properties of 0.2 mg/kg alendronate treated ribs at one and three years against a vehicle treated control in a fresh-frozen, non-cold-mounted, condition.  This was to verify if the tissue-level properties for 0.2 ALN treated beagles would increase because of an increased level of mineralization despite a microdamage increase.

A total of twelve (12) skeletally mature (1–2 years old) female beagle dogs were treated daily for three years and one year with oral doses of vehicle (VEH, 1 mL/kg saline) or alendronate (ALN, 0.2 Merck, Rahway, NJ). The 0.2 mg dose corresponds, on a …

Ischemia Impairs Vasodilation In Skeletal Muscle Resistance Artery, Kyle Remington Struthers

Master's Theses

Functional vasodilation in arterioles is impaired with chronic ischemia. We sought to examine the impact of chronic ischemia and age on skeletal muscle resistance artery function. To examine the impact of chronic ischemia, the femoral artery was resected from young (2-3mo) and adult (6-7mo) mice and the profunda femoris artery diameter was measured at rest and following gracilis muscle contraction 14 days later using intravital microscopy. Functional vasodilation was significantly impaired in ischemic mice (14.4±4.6% vs. 137.8±14.3%, p<0.0001 n=8) and non-ischemic adult mice (103.0±9.4% vs. 137.8±14.3%, p=0.05 n=10). In order to analyze the cellular mechanisms of the impairment, a protocol was developed to apply pharmacological agents to the experimental preparation while maintaining tissue homeostasis. Endothelial and smooth muscle dependent vasodilation were impaired with ischemia, 39.6 ± 13.6% vs. 80.5 ± 11.4% and 43.0 ± 11.7% vs. 85.1 ± 10.5%, respectively. From this data, it can be supported that smooth muscle dysfunction is the reason for the observed impairment in arterial vasodilation.

Fault Tolerant And Flexible Cubesat Software Architecture, Greg D. Manyak

Master's Theses

The CubeSat pico-satellite is gaining popularity in both the educational and aerospace industries.  Due to a lack of experience and constrained hardware capabilities, most of the university missions have been educational in nature.  Cal Poly's project, PolySat, has gained significant experience from the launch of five CubeSats and has designed an entirely new hardware platform based on the knowledge gained from these missions. This hardware is a significant upgrade from what the previous missions used and has greatly increased the capabilities of the software, including supporting the use of the open source operating system Linux.

Leveraging the previous PolySat experience, …

Thermodynamic Based Model Eliciting Activities For Undergraduate Mechanical Engineering Education, Paul Nicholas Van Bloemen Waanders

Master's Theses

Undergraduate engineering education is designed to prepare students for their careers.  The rise of technology in modern engineering allows for a shift in the way undergraduates are prepared for the modern workplace.  Model Eliciting Activities (MEAs) allow students to think critically about their own work and allow instructors to analyze the students’ problem solving methods.  To ensure that new MEAs are as effective as possible they are subject to six basic principles: model construction, reality, generalizability, self-assessment, model documentation, and effective prototype.

This document focuses on evaluating new MEAs for their adherence to the six principles from an instructor's and …

The Effect Of Transit-Oriented Development On Vehicle Miles Traveled: A Comparison Of A Tod Versus A Non-Tod Neighborhood In Carlsbad, Ca, Natalie Louise Stiffler

Master's Theses

Transit-oriented development (TOD) is a strategy being used to reduce congestion, provide mode choice, and improve quality of life. A large amount of research has been done on individual aspects of TOD, but research specific to transportation-related benefits of TOD is limited. There is a need for traffic and transit data that is supported by comprehensive resident, employee, and user surveys to demonstrate the interrelationship between land uses, transportation, and socioeconomic and demographic characteristics. Moreover, VMT data at the household level is essential to analyze household travel behavior and the potential for VMT related emissions reduction.

The purpose of this …

A Frequency-Modulated Continuous Wave-Based Boundary Detection System For Determination Of Monitoring Region For An Indoor Ultra-Wideband Short Range Radar-Based Eldercare Monitoring System, Wilson Tang

Master's Theses

Falls are a cause of concern for the elderly since it can render a person immobile. A monitoring system can summon immediate aid by the automatic detection of fall events. The application of ultra-wideband (UWB) signals for a monitoring system was chosen due to its unique characteristics such as wide spectrum, immunity to interference, penetrability, and application for the detection of people. Part of this monitoring system is boundary detection with the purpose of isolating the location of fall events and to function as a mask to define an area of interest. A study of various localizing methods using measurements …

Development Of A Testing Procedure Using Cone Index To Allow For Optimal Tire Performance, Ryan Pehle

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

This project discusses the design, fabrication, and evaluation of a Soil Cone Penetrometer that is to be used to test tracks designated for modified tractor pulling. The penetrometer measures the force required to penetrate a soil and provides a recommended tire pressure specific for the conditions present at the point in time

Mr. Robot: A Roborodentia Contestant, Stephen Berry, Jamie Nease

Computer Engineering

Roborodentia is an annual robotics competition held during Open House at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. Each year, students construct autonomous robots which compete head-to-head to score the most points. This report will give an overview of the competition and the details of our robot.

Formula Hybrid Primary Electrical Systems Senior Project Report, Gregg Schultz, Matthew (Matt) Tolman

Electrical Engineering

This senior project involves the "Primary electrical systems" (excluding data-acquisition) for Cal Poly’s Hybrid Racecar Team: SAE Formula Hybrid. Effectively, this project involves the high-voltage and low-voltage electrical systems one would typically find in an electric car, with the addition of some circuitry for an on-board battery charger. The primary electrical systems need to follow strict rules and guidelines as given by the Formula Hybrid Competition, as well as provide reliable and high-performance operation to ensure a competition-worthy vehicle. In addition to designing, building, testing, and competing with the Primary electrical systems, we will also generate a detailed step-by-step "guide" …

An Investigation Into Ultrasonic Communication For Near-Body Networks, Eric Joshua Escudero Jr., Gursewak Singh Rai

Electrical Engineering

The following report presents a study of body-area, free-space ultrasonic communication system. Two analog communication systems are investigated. The initial communications system setup relies upon the amplitude modulation (AM) techniques to transmit the signal. Such a system is prone to noise since the amplitude of the signal is directly affected by distance and the signal strength will deteriorate. The secondary communication system involves utilizing frequency modulation (FM). This method avoids the issue of losing information due to amplitude deterioration, but encounters delay issues. The main hardware components used in the approach outlined include ultrasonic transducers (UTs) used for both transmitting …

Autonomous Golf Cart Vision Using Hsv Image Processing And Commercial Webcam, John D. Fulton

Electrical Engineering

Using openCV I was able to use a store bought webcam and my laptop to build code that could detect the lane lines and the curb on the road and use them to calculate a trajectory for an autonomous vehicle to follow. The code does have some flaws, as discovered in testing, and definitely room for improvement but it still functions as a useful basis for development. Developed primarily for the Autonomous Golf Car Project at Cal Poly the principles of how it functions could be applied to other projects that want to use computer vision.

Programmable Household Led Light Fixture, Jordan Locano

Electrical Engineering

This report details the development and construction of a LED light fixture to be used for household lighting. This document details background information, design ideas, project specifications, production, assembly, testing, and conclusions involved with this project. The goals of this project is to design and build a cost-effective replacement for traditional room lighting that can perform better and last longer than traditional methods.

Solar Powered Electric Clothes Dryer, Roger Mai, Alan Swe

Electrical Engineering

Appliances that consume the most energy in a household usually involve heating, and an electric clothes dryer is one such appliance, consuming up to 4KW of power. The most environmentally friendly way is to hang clothes outside to dry, a natural solar and wind powered method, but unfortunately most people are unable to do so as some neighborhood communities do not allow the hanging of laundry outside as it is regarded as “unsightly”, for example. This project aims to provide an alternate solution to the wall-powered electric clothes dryer by designing one which operates entirely off the grid.

Bevcool, Matthew (Matt) Slette, Ryan Talyat, Camille Sybert

Mechanical Engineering

A consumer product for rapidly cooling canned and bottled beverages.

Automated Mail Stacker, Robert (Rj) Atkinson, Stephanie Henning, Tyler Wetzel

Mechanical Engineering

No abstract provided.

Marauder Marine: Spearfishing Float Design, Kevin Glen, Kyle Lancaster, Andrew Wickham

Mechanical Engineering

No abstract provided.

Flow Loop Simulator, John Abruzzini, Manuel Carrasco, Neil Sutherland, Elise Woolworth

Mechanical Engineering

PG&E’s Diablo Canyon Power Plant (DCPP) has requested an operational flow loop simulator to aid in operator/technician training. The flow loop simulator will provide hands-on training that the current plant training process cannot model. This project is a continuation from the 2009-2010 school year. Project scope and design requirements were gathered from the previous group’s design reports as well as meetings with PG&E. The goal of this year’s project team is to verify, enhance and implement the schematic diagram proposed by last year’s team.

The main focus of the flow loop simulator is to provide operators and technicians with …

Automated Adaptive Feeding Device, John Dolcini, Stephanie Smith, Pavel Yakovlev

Mechanical Engineering

No abstract provided.

Pop-A-Wheelie Design Team, Mackenzie Hill, Thuyen Nguyen, Shaun Van't Hul

Mechanical Engineering

The purpose of this report is to illustrate the Pop-a-Wheelie design team’s progression and implementation of a concept in regards to the project sponsored by Break the Barriers (BTB). The Pop-a-Wheelie design team was tasked to design two devices that will be attached onto wheelchairs. The devices should facilitate the independence of user’s ability to pop-a-wheelie and return to an upright position without any assistance. After a list of specifications was agreed upon, the design process initiated. All customer specifications are listed in Objectives section located in Chapter 1: Introduction. A complete engineering specification table can be found in the …

Cal Poly Human Powered Helicopter, Josiah Auer, Eric Behne, Dave Berry, Rebecca Hennings, James Koch, Ian Marquardt, Josiah Mayfield, Sean Miller

Mechanical Engineering

The following report encompasses the Cal Poly Human Powered Helicopter team’s efforts during the 2010-2011 academic year. The intention of this project is to further the knowledge of human powered helicopter design and to validate an ideal configuration through experimental tests and analysis. 

A. Background

The Sikorsky Prize offered by the American Helicopter Society has been the catalyst for many attempts at Human Powered Helicopter (HPH) flight. The requirement to win the prize is a continuous, human powered flight of more than 60 seconds that stays within a 10 meter square box and reaches an altitude greater than 3 meters …

Solar Powered Oil Well Site, Jonathan Hyland, Matthew Mastro, Kyle Moore

Mechanical Engineering

No abstract provided.

Competition Sit Ski Final Design Report, Kyle Martinez, Vinay Clauson, Ben Woodward

Mechanical Engineering

This project consisted of designing and fabricating a competition sit ski for an above-knee double-amputee, Andy Soule.  Andy is a talented athlete who won a bronze medal in the 2010 Winter Paralympics.  The project was completed by VinayClauson, Kyle Martinez, and Ben Woodward, mechanical engineering seniors at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, CA. The project advisor, Professor Sarah Harding, and sponsor Dr.  Brian Self, of the Mechanical Engineering Department at Cal Poly, oversaw the project with the help of Jon Kreamelmeyer, a former coach of Andy's and a valuable source of knowledge.  The sit ski project was …

Power Steering Concept, Anthony N. Escobedo, William Ryan Flores, Russell Haverstock

Mechanical Engineering

This senior project was created in conjunction with Edwards Lifesciences. This project was created under an non-disclosure agreement and will not be submitted to any outside sources. The submitted title page will act as proof of completion.

Mustang Adaptive Nordic Sports Conceptual Design Report, Krystina Murrietta, Tom Silva, Allen Thrift, Dan Murray

Mechanical Engineering

Mustang Adaptive Nordic Sports has undertaken a recreational sit ski as a mechanical engineering senior project. The team consists of four seniors: Daniel Murray, Krystina Murrietta, Tom Silva, and Allen Thrift. The goal of this project was to design, build, and test an adjustable sit ski that is lightweight and accommodates different users. The first half of this project focused on researching past senior projects and existing designs, defining the need and specifications, brainstorming, designing, and analyzing the validity of the final design. The second half of this project required the acquiring materials, building the prototype and testing it. The …

Rock-N-Bowler Ii, Josh Grip, Travis Rodrigues, Richard Rozporka

Mechanical Engineering

The report of the creation of an adaptive bowling device designed for people in powered wheelchairs. The basic design is a ramp that attaches to the wheelchair and has the ability to add spin to the ball to allow the user to hook the ball.