Engineering Commons^™

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 …

Characterization Of The Thermally Driven Red Hue Effect In Coated And Uncoated Concrete Systems: Implications For Post-Fire Assessment In Wildland Urban Interface Communities, Juan C. Palominos Jr

Master's Theses

The increasing frequency and intensity of Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) wildfires, such as the destructive 2025 Pacific Palisades Fire that destroyed over 6,000 structures, have underscored the urgent need for rapid post-fire safety assessment methodologies. This study sought to quantitatively characterize the Thermally Driven Red Hue Effect (TRHE), a unique, irreversible color shift observed in architectural coatings and concrete substrates, to determine its reliability as a permanent visual record of thermal exposure. Concrete substrates were formulated with three distinct coarse aggregates: gold granite (14.7% Fe), red cinder (22.4% Fe), and green rock (33.6% Fe) and coated with a 20 PVC waterborne …

Space Quacker Advanced Development (Squad): Lora Modulation On A Leo Cubesat Mission For Evaluation Of 916 Mhz Uplink, Samantha Brunton

Master's Theses

The LoRa Modulation format was developed by SEMTECH in 2018 and has revolutionized terrestrial Internet of Things (IoT) networks. LoRa (Long Range) has been successfully demonstrated as a long-range, low-data-rate communication modulation format and packet protocol for low-power terrestrial applications. LoRa offers low power consumption, low cost, robust signal sensitivity, and long communication range. Recently, interest has grown in using LoRa communication in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite systems, especially for global IoT connectivity. Previous studies have investigated the theoretical feasibility and simulated the performance of LoRa satellite communication. Companies such as Lacuna Space have demonstrated the practical potential of …

Development And Verification Of An Updated Thermal Model For Cal Poly's Small Thermal Vacuum Chamber, Bryce G. Leonard

Master's Theses

This thesis discusses modifications made to the Small Thermal Vacuum (TVAC) Chamber in the Space Environments Laboratory at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, and the development and verification of an updated thermal model reflecting these changes. The chamber was redesigned to improve thermal performance, featuring a homogeneous aluminum platen coated with Aeroglaze Z306 to enhance radiative heat transfer, along with expanded data acquisition capabilities for temperature and pressure measurements.

A new thermal model of the chamber was developed in SolidWorks using a finite element approach. The model incorporates conductive and radiative heat transfer mechanisms and is configured to …

Design And Development Of A Resonance Ignition System Using Gaseous Propellants, Benjamin J. Hoefer

Master's Theses

This work presents the development and experimental evaluation of a resonance igniter (RI) operating with premixed gaseous propellants. Resonance ignition is a non-electrical ignition concept in which an underexpanded jet impinges on a closed-end Hartmann–Sprenger tube (HST), generating cyclic compression and expansion waves that rapidly heat gas near the tube endwall. A modular experimental system was designed and built to investigate resonance ignition using methane–air and methane–oxygen mixtures. The system includes a supplemental configuration that may probe for mixture conditions favorable to ignition, informing RI testing. Pressure and temperature measurements were used to characterize pressure control, mixture pressure ratio (MPR), …

Analysis And Design Of A 2-Bit Millimeter-Wave Reconfigurable Intelligent Surface And Investigation Of Fss-Assisted Angular Stability, Max Spalek

Master's Theses

Millimeter-Wave (mm-wave) technology utilizes high frequency spectrum and can deliver multi-gigabit speeds, ultra-low latency, and massive bandwidth capacity. However, this technology is rather new and many technical challenges remain. On the other hand, Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces (RIS) have emerged as promising structures for controllable electromagnetic wavefront manipulation in wireless communication systems. This thesis presents the design of a 2-bit RIS unit-cell element operating throughout the 30–34 GHz mm-wave band, where the structure was progressively refined from an initial resonating geometry toward a grounded reflective RIS configuration. The proposed structure utilizes PIN-diode switching states to produce four discrete reflected phase states …

Development Of A Video-Based Tool To Measure Motor Asymmetry In Infants At Risk For Hemiparesis, Roha Ali

Master's Theses

Congenital hemiparesis is a unilateral motor impairment stemming from brain injury in utero or early postnatally. Hemiparesis can be difficult to detect in early infancy with current clinical tools. Yet, early identification of motor asymmetry could play a key role in the design of effective early intervention and rehabilitation strategies. This thesis presents the development and validation of a video-based tool designed to extract infant limb movement data using DeepLabCut’s (DLC) machine learning network. The pipeline was developed using videos of typically developing (TD) infants and infants with Asymmetric Perinatal Brain Injury (APBI), all at or under 3 months corrected …

A Security Framework For Pacemaker Lead Failure: Anomaly Detection System And Failsafe Policy Considerations, Ethan Wagner

Master's Theses

Embedded system security in implantable medical devices (IMDs) remains an underexplored challenge due to the unique constraints of these systems. Specifically, pacemakers are optimized for ultra-low power consumption to maximize device lifespan, are highly resource constrained, and demand reliable and correct operation to prevent severe health consequences. These systems rely on sensing electrodes, called leads, to detect cardiac activity and stimulate the patient’s heart when appropriate. Therefore, pacemaker lead integrity is a critical issue, as malfunction or compromise can result in device failure jeopardizing patient safety.

The security framework presented in this thesis integrates several works to proactively detect and …

Large Scale Kmer-Based Proteomic Analysis: An Application Towards Evolutionary Constraint Discovery, Matthew Chak

Master's Theses

Large protein databases now make it possible to study short peptides across natural protein sequence space at unprecedented scale, but exhaustively counting k-mers across billions of protein sequences remains computationally difficult. This thesis develops an exact amino-acid k-mer counting method based on direct addressing, in which fixed-length amino-acid strings are encoded as base-20 integers and updated with a sliding-window recurrence. By avoiding key storage and collision resolution, this approach removes overhead inherent to hash-map-based methods when the k-mer space is sufficiently dense. A memory analysis shows when direct addressing is preferable to open-addressing hash tables, and expected-saturation calculations motivate its …

Effect Of The Stacking Sequence And Number Of Ply Orientation In A Quasi-Isotropic Laminated Plate On In-Plane Shear Modulus And Failure Modes, Ann Larson

Master's Theses

Maximizing the shear modulus and strength, as well as predicting failure mode and location, when designing a stacking sequence of quasi-isotropic carbon fiber laminated plates is essential to predict stability, resistance to deformation, and overall stiffness of the structure. This research investigates the effect of the stacking sequence of quasi-isotropic laminated composite plate materials in accordance with ASTM D5379: Standard Test Method for Shear Properties of Composite Materials by the V-Notched Beam Method.

In this research, experimental testing and Finite Element Analysis (FEA) were first used on aluminum to validate the simulation process before applying it to composite materials. The …

Characteristic Stress And Strain Optimization Of Cardiovascular Catheters With Laser-Cut Hypotubes Using Finite Element Analysis, Kyle E. Hirth

Master's Theses

Cardiovascular catheter systems rely on laser-cut hypotubes to balance flexibility and structural integrity required for minimally invasive surgical procedures.  Optimizing these mechanical characteristics remains a significant challenge.  This study aims to investigate the influence of key laser-cut geometric parameters on the mechanical performance of hypotubes through finite element analysis.

Commercially representative laser-cut hypotubes were modeled and a finite element model was developed.   Geometric design parameters were varied across a design space consisting of pitch values ranging from 0.006 in. to 0.018 in. and cuts per revolution (CPR) ranging from 2.5 – 4.5.  For each pitch and CPR combination, loading stiffness …

Analysis And Design Of Auger Cast Piles With Isolation Casing, Zachary Lindsay

Master's Theses

This research addresses the analysis and design of double cased piles. Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) runs a large rail system both above and below ground that connects the entire Bay Area. BART requires that all new constructions avoid transmitting axial load to their tunnels from adjacent piles. If piles fall within the zone of influence, builders must install double cased piles. Double casing is where there is an extra casing around the pile, with an air gap between them. The air gap prevents load from transferring to the outer casing. The length of this casing is called the isolation …

Aerodynamic Design And Structural Evaluation Of A Global Minimum Torque Inspired Multirotor Propeller, Zeke Bukovansky

Master's Theses

This thesis develops a repeatable design, CAD, aerodynamic postprocessing, structural screening, and manufacturing feasibility workflow for a 22-inch global minimum torque inspired multirotor propeller. Matched MIL and GMT geometries were compared at a 35 N, 4000 rpm static-hover operating condition using BEMT/XFOIL aerodynamic postprocessing, with diameter, blade count, chord distribution, airfoil schedule, and target thrust held constant. The final modeled comparison predicted a modest 1.5% reduction in torque and shaft power for the GMT case while maintaining the same thrust target. CAD construction, MATLAB reduced-order beam model, Abaqus screening, and manufacturing planning were used to identify geometry level structural and …

A2s Uplink Latency Minimization For Wildfire Monitoring Systems Using Mbse And Stochastic Modeling, Luis Giovanni Wang

Master's Theses

Wildfire response depends on how quickly a detection reaches the people who act on it, and the slowest remaining step is often the link that carries an alert from a remote sensing platform to a satellite. This thesis models the latency of that link, the Air-to-Space uplink, for a wildfire-monitoring UAV that carries a Starlink terminal and sends an ALERT packet to a serving Low Earth Orbit satellite. The uplink is difficult to predict because both the UAV and the satellite move, and because the wildfire environment degrades the channel at the moment the data matters most.

The thesis uses …

Synthesis And Characterization Of A Graphene Oxide-Zif-8 Composite For Enhanced Post-Combustion Carbon Capture, Sydney Cooper

Master's Theses

Carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions from fossil fuel combustion are a major contributor to climate change and its associated environmental impacts. The current standard technology for post-combustion carbon capture, aqueous amine scrubbing, is effective but requires significant regeneration energy and has high operational costs. As a result, solid sorbents have been investigated as lower-energy alternatives. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are a promising class of porous nanomaterials due to their high surface area, tunable pore structures, and adjustable surface chemistry. Among them, zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) has high thermal and chemical stability, hydrophobicity, and favorable adsorption properties. However, conventional synthesis methods often rely …

Evaluating The Cost-Benefit Tradeoffs Of Simt Control Mechanisms In Resource-Constrained Gpus, Nikolas Tambornini

Master's Theses

This thesis conducts a hardware-level analysis of the cost–benefit tradeoffs associated with increasingly complex SIMT control mechanisms in a resource-constrained GPU core. Four design implementations are evaluated: a Base Tiny GPU without warp scheduling capability; a Warp Scheduler using round-robin warp selection; a Branch Divergence implementation incorporating a dedicated divergence stack and post-dominator reconvergence mechanism; and a Dynamic Warp Allocation implementation that replaces the static warp structure with a runtime warp manager, regrouping threads by current program counter to recover SIMD lane utilization during active divergence. Each design is evaluated using two complementary measurements: functional simulation implemented using the CocoTB …

Neuron Notes, Araceli Franco, Ethan Diec, Max Blennemann, Shibo Cong

Computer Science and Engineering Senior Theses

Mainstream digital note-taking tools such as Notion, Microsoft OneNote, and Evernote organize knowledge around linear documents and rigid folder hierarchies, a structure that strays from the associative, graph-like nature of human semantic memory. Mind-mapping and linked-note systems such as XMind, Obsidian, Roam Research, and Logseq move closer to that associative model but still constrain users to short labels, automatic layouts, or page-centric workflows that underutilize spatial and visual recall. This thesis presents Neuron Notes, a spatial, graph-based note-taking system designed to align digital organization with how people actually form and retrieve ideas. The system is implemented as a three-tier web …

Reliable Offline Evaluation Under Exposure Bias: A Cross-Scale Study Of Counterfactual Estimators In Recommender Systems, Lakshmi Pranathi Vutla

Graduate Masters Theses

Offline evaluation underpins model selection in recommender systems, yet historical interaction logs are shaped by prior recommendation policies. Because users only provide feedback on exposed items, logged data entangles user preferences with exposure mechanisms, leading to exposure bias and potentially misleading model comparisons. Counterfactual estimators such as IPS, SNIPS, CRM, and DR offer principled corrections, but their empirical reliability across datasets and exposure regimes remains insufficiently under- stood. We present a systematic, cross-scale study of counterfactual evaluation in recommender systems. Comparing IPS, SNIPS, CRM, and DR on datasets with randomized exposure (Yahoo! R3, Coat, and KuaiRec), we analyze estimator behavior …

Mechanics And Physical Attributes Of Nature-Based Alterations: Rock Reinforcement And Urban Heat Island Assessment, Mary Chikondi Ngoma

Dissertations

Ground improvement is critical to geotechnical and geo-engineering systems, where modification of the properties of geomaterials (rocks and soils) is required to maintain stability and prevent failure of infrastructure installed within and around them. This need has become increasingly important with rapid urbanization and population growth, which intensify demands on surface and subsurface systems and further challenge the performance of supporting geomaterials. As a result, there is growing interest in nature-based solutions, particularly biologically mediated processes such as biocementation, which can enhance the physical, hydraulic, and mechanical properties of geomaterials while offering environmentally sustainable alternatives to conventional ground improvement techniques. …

Enabling Ml/Ai In 6g And Future Wireless Communication With Privacy Preservation, Mec Offloading And Quantum Computing, Changshi Zhou

Dissertations

The forthcoming sixth-generation (6G) and future wireless networks are envisioned to support an unprecedented range of services, delivering ultra-low latency, massive connectivity, and intelligent real-time responsiveness. These capabilities will enable emerging applications such as extended reality (XR), autonomous vehicles (AVs), industrial robotics, and the Internet of Things (IoT) to reach their full potential. Achieving this vision requires the integration of enabling technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) and quantum computing, which are poised to play central roles in shaping the landscape of wireless communication systems.

In AI-native, data-driven, and computing-centric 6G networks, ML models will be deeply …

Holistic Dram Enhancements: From Intrinsic In-Memory Operations To Robust Security Mechanisms, Ranyang Zhou

Dissertations

Dynamic Random-Access Memory (DRAM) is both the performance bottleneck and a critical security boundary of modern computing systems. Its physical properties make it an attractive substrate for near-data computation—yet those same properties expose it to disturbance-based hardware attacks. This dissertation argues that these two dimensions are not independent: the architectural choices that make DRAM efficient also reshape its threat landscape. Addressing both requires a unified approach to memory architecture and security co-design.

The first part of this dissertation attacks the memory wall through four processing-in-DRAM (PIM) frameworks. ReD-LUT and LT-PIM unify lookup-table arithmetic with charge-sharing logic, achieving up to 37.8x …

Vergence Task-Based Neural Pathways With Binocularly Normal Vision And Comorbid Persistent Post-Concussive Symptoms -Convergence Insufficiency, Ayushi Sangoi

Dissertations

Binocular dysfunctions are more prevalent in the persistent post-concussive symptoms (PPCS) population than in the general population. The most prevalent binocular disorder is convergence insufficiency (CI), affecting 3-17% of the general population and up to 10 times as many people with PPCS. CI makes it difficult to fuse or maintain fusion on targets at near, and its symptoms include double or blurry vision and headaches when performing close-range tasks such as reading, which can exacerbate PPCS symptoms. Given controversy over the subjectivity and effectiveness of diagnostic tools and symptom surveys for both PPCS and CI, understanding why CI has high …

A Generative Ai-Driven Computational Framework For Industry-Scale Discovery Of Novel Battery Materials, Joy Datta

Dissertations

The growing demand for sustainable, high-energy-density electrochemical storage has motivated the exploration of multivalent-ion batteries based on earth-abundant elements such as aluminum, calcium, magnesium, and zinc. While multivalent charge carriers offer higher theoretical energy density than lithium, their practical deployment is hindered by sluggish ion transport, strong ion-host interactions, and structural degradation of electrode materials. Identifying host materials that can reversibly accommodate multivalent ions while maintaining structural integrity remains a fundamental challenge. The dissertation develops a scalable, end-to-end computational framework that integrates density functional theory (DFT), machine learning (ML), and generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) to accelerate the discovery of next-generation …