Engineering Commons^™

Carrier Card For Nvidia Jetson Agx Xavier, Kyle Chang

Electrical Engineering

This project prototypes and implements custom carrier cards for interfacing with the Nvidia Jetson AGX Javier within the Zendar Processing Unit (ZPU). The Jetson module is an AI computer used as a computing system for autonomous machines, including robots, drones, and self-driving cars. The carrier card functions as an I/O interface with the Jetson module, and it is designed for and sponsored by Zendar, a start-up designing high-resolution radar imaging systems. The purpose of the carrier card is to function as a collection of multiple I/O interfaces, including HDMI, USB, and PCIE, for users to control the Jetson, to input …

Cybersecurity And You: Keeping Yourself And Your Personal Information Safe In A Digital Age, Ethan Castro

Goal 2: Life Skills Narrative

Students will engage in a group discussion in which they define cybersecurity, analyze its impacts on the private and public sectors, and review some key cybersecurity practices that they can implement in their daily lives.

Stagnation And Tearing Of The Subducting Northwest Pacific Slab, Muchen Sun, Youqiang Yu, Stephen S. Gao, Kelly H. Liu

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Despite numerous observational and geodynamic modeling studies, the presence of the northwest Pacific slab tear and its influence on mantle dynamics remain controversial. By imaging the mantle transition zone (MTZ) discontinuities beneath the Japan Sea and adjacent areas, we demonstrate an ESE-WNW elongated zone with significant MTZ thinning extending from central Honshu, Japan, to the Korean Peninsula, which provides additional supporting evidence for the existence and distribution of a large-scale slab tear. Our results, when combined with other geophysical and geochemical evidence, indicate that the hot mantle material oceanward of the slab may flow through the slab tear and contribute …

Moon Rocker: Eva Sample Bag And Dispenser, Birk D. Smith, Albert J. Kasinski, Christian Clephan

Mechanical Engineering

NASA’s next mission to the moon (Artemis) requires a device to dispense bags for holding and collecting rock samples on the lunar surface. The device must be lightweight, easy to use with an astronaut suit, and capable of withstanding the moon’s harsh environment. Our team has designed and revised several prototype dispensers to accomplish this challenge. Through testing and observations made while building our structural prototype, changes were made to build a more durable and usable dispenser. This led to our verification prototype, which was constructed with a carbon fiber frame and aluminum, or 3D printed smaller components. After manufacturing …

Sunsation’S Solar Powered Picnic Table, Michelle M. Barnett, Christopher Barber, Casey Durham, David Mason

Mechanical Engineering

Team SunSation is an interdisciplinary senior design project group that was tasked with developing a semi-permanent seating area for Cal Poly's electrical engineering courtyard. The EE courtyard is populated with plastic folding tables and chairs that are slowly falling apart. Dale Dolan, the head of the EE department, requested that a table design be developed that incorporates the use of solar panels. The addition of the solar panels to the table would help promote clean renewable energy as well as provide shade to those sitting in the courtyard.

The solution that SunSation arrived at is broken up into mechanical/structural, electrical, …

8 Dof Quadrupedal Hopping Robot, Clayton T. Elwell, John Bennett, Tyler Mccue, Daniel Munic

Mechanical Engineering

The goal of our senior project was to fabricate an eight degree of freedom (DOF) prototypical quadrupedal robot, develop a controller than commands the quadruped to repeatedly jump 10 cm in the air, and fabricate a modular test stand to safely deploy our controller on the quadruped. The creation of a functional quadruped will bring attention to Dr. Siyuan Xing and Charlie Refvem’s research group, Cal Poly Legged Robots, and will give future Cal Poly undergraduate and graduate students a learning tool to explore dynamic control of biomimetic robotic systems.

Over the course of our senior project, we successfully manufactured …

Coil Quick (Rv Sewer Hose Compressor) Device, Arturo Guijosa-Ruiz, David M. Bourgoin

Mechanical Engineering

The purpose of this design project is to design, build, and test an RV sewer hose compactor device that can be used by the project sponsor and marketed to other RV owners. The goal of the RV sewer hose compactor device is to mechanically compress an RV sewer hose from its fully extended length to its fully compressed and storable state. Since a prototype device has already been developed, this project will aim to improve the prototype design to make it smaller, quicker, quieter, and more durable. Additionally, we improved the device to make it more user friendly and have …

Dual-Axis Precision Imager, Gary Huarng

Computer Engineering

The Dual-Axis Precision Imager (DAPI) is a drawing robot that processes images and draws them on a whiteboard. The system has two modes: a Sobel filter mode that finds the edges of the input image with a Sobel filter, and a tri-tone grayscale mode that approximates the shading of the input image with the colors white, gray, and black. The DAPI consists of an Arduino-controlled XY gantry system with a pen mounted on the gantry head, and a Processing IDE program that processes the original image, converts the processed image into gantry instructions, and sends them to the Arduino for …

Robust And Accurate Estimation Of Cellular Fraction From Tissue Omics Data Via Ensemble Deconvolution, Manqi Cai, Molin Yue, Tianmeng Chen, Jinling Liu, Erick Forno, Xinghua Lu, Timothy Billiar, Juan Celedón, Chris Mckennan, Wei Chen, Jiebiao Wang

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Motivation: Tissue-level omics data such as transcriptomics and epigenomics are an average across diverse cell types. To extract cell-type-specific (CTS) signals, dozens of cellular deconvolution methods have been proposed to infer cell-type fractions from tissue-level data. However, these methods produce vastly different results under various real data settings. Simulation-based benchmarking studies showed no universally best deconvolution approaches. There have been attempts of ensemble methods, but they only aggregate multiple single-cell references or reference-free deconvolution methods. Results: To achieve a robust estimation of cellular fractions, we proposed EnsDeconv (Ensemble Deconvolution), which adopts CTS robust regression to synthesize the results from 11 …

Development And Application Of A 1d Compaction Model To Understand 65 Years Of Subsidence In The San Joaquin Valley, Matthew Lees, Rosemary Knight, Ryan G. Smith

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

High rates of land subsidence, caused by groundwater overdraft, are resulting in millions of dollars of infrastructure damage in California's San Joaquin Valley (SJV). In recent years, the use of interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) has enabled us to substantially improve our understanding of this subsidence. However, only very occasionally have the InSAR data been integrated with a physical model of subsurface compaction. Here, we have used InSAR and other data to parameterize and calibrate a 1D compaction model. We applied our model to a study area in the SJV where we had access to the necessary information on hydraulic …

Bridge Project Prioritization, Bryan Gibson, Christopher Van Dyke, Sudhir Palle, Ryan Griffith, Doug Kreis

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Kentucky’s 14,000+ bridges are key nodes within the state’s surface transportation network. They facilitate the movement of freight, commercial vehicles, and personal vehicles alike. Historically, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) has prioritized bridge maintenance projects using sufficiency ratings. These ratings are based on three factors — structural adequacy and safety, design obsolescence, and an asset’s importance within the roadway network. Although useful, sufficiency ratings do not account for factors that should be considered during the prioritization process (e.g., condition factors, risk). To address the shortcomings associated with using sufficiency ratings, KYTC — with the assistance of the Kentucky Transportation Center …

Risk-Based Project Development, Steve Waddle, Ying Li, Christopher Van Dyke

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Risk management is integral to highway project development. Managing risk entails identifying uncertainties which could influence project activities, understanding how they can be mitigated or eliminated, and monitoring risk during project development. Many state transportation agencies have introduced methods for identifying risks, determining whether risks are high impact or low impact, and generating response strategies. These methods are often qualitative or semi-quantitative in nature due to the challenge of quantifying the likelihood of a risk and its effects. These approaches are nonetheless valuable for helping designers and project development teams remain mindful of negative risks which could pose significant hurdles. …

Experimental Investigation On Short Concrete Columns Laterally Strengthened With Ferrocement And Cfrp, Wisam Amer Aules, Yasir Saeed, Hosam Abdullah Al-Azzawi, Franz Rad

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

The use of ferrocement in strengthening reinforced concrete (RC) structures has increased recently. Ferrocement has mostly been used to provide extra confinement for RC columns. However, its performance, especially in combination with CFRP confinement has not yet been fully understood. In this study, a total of fifteen columns were experimentally tested to investigate the effects of using ferrocement confinement in strengthening square RC columns. The combination between CFRP and ferrocement in strengthening RC columns has also been investigated. In addition to providing extra confinement, ferrocement is used to modify the shape of square columns to curvilinear shape, which is more …

Look At All Those Big Knobs! Online Audio Technology Discourse And Sexy Gear Fetishes, Eliot Bates, Samantha Bennett

Publications and Research

Despite a predominantly digital, 21st century music production landscape, analogue hardware professional audio technologies persist. In the discoursal throes of the leading online audio technology message forum Gearslutz, such technologies are routinely objectified, sexualized, fetishized and socialized into gear. Situated in a contemporary critical, interdisciplinary framework of fetish, masculinity and sexuality studies, this research interrogates how audio technologies manufactured and intended for music production contexts become sexy. Applying a mixed-mode methodology, including an intensive discourse, image and material-semiotic analysis of an ‘epic’ sexy gear thread, we collated extensive data about technological fetishization. Sexy gear discourse articulates themes of voyeurism, acquisition, …

Parallel Higher Order Dgtd And Fetd For Transient Electromagnetic-Circuital-Thermal Co-Simulation, Huan Huan Zhang, Pan Pan Wang, Li (Lijun) Jun Jiang, Wei E.I. Sha, Mei Song Tong, Ying Liu, Wei Jun Wu, Guang Ming Shi

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A hybrid higher order discontinuous Galerkin time-domain (DGTD) method and finite-element time-domain (FETD) method with parallel technique is proposed for electromagnetic (EM)-circuital-thermal co-simulation in this article. For electromagnetic simulation, DGTD method with higher order hierarchical vector basis functions is used to solve Maxwell equation. Circuit simulation is carried out by modified nodal analysis method. For thermal simulation, FETD method with higher order interpolation scalar basis functions is adopted to solve heat conduction equation. To implement electromagnetic-circuital-thermal co-simulation, the electromagnetic and circuital equations are strongly coupled through voltages, currents, and electric fields at the lumped ports first. Then the electromagnetic and …

Effect Of Arginine And Nano-Hydroxyapatite Application On The Hypersensitivity And Color Change Of Bleached Enamel: A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial, Lamiaa M. Moharam, Sherif Khadr, Ahmed Abdou, Shaymaa M. Nagi

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Background: To evaluate the effect of 2.5% Arginine and nano-hydroxyapatite (nHA) application on the post-bleaching hypersensitivity (HS) and color change in a randomized controlled trial. Material and Methods: Sixty-four participants were randomly allocated to four groups (n=16) according to the investigated desensitizing agents (UltraEZ gel, experimental 2.5% Arginine, 2.5% nHA pastes and control (no treatment) groups). An in-office chemical bleaching agent (40% hydrogen peroxide) was used for vital bleaching of the anterior teeth. The desensitizing agents were applied to the assigned groups and left for 30 min then rinsed off the teeth. HS was evaluated using Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) …

Imnets: Deep Learning Using An Incremental Modular Network Synthesis Approach For Medical Imaging Applications, Redha A. Ali, Russell C. Hardie, Barath Narayanan Narayanan, Temesguen Messay

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

Deep learning approaches play a crucial role in computer-aided diagnosis systems to support clinical decision-making. However, developing such automated solutions is challenging due to the limited availability of annotated medical data. In this study, we proposed a novel and computationally efficient deep learning approach to leverage small data for learning generalizable and domain invariant representations in different medical imaging applications such as malaria, diabetic retinopathy, and tuberculosis. We refer to our approach as Incremental Modular Network Synthesis (IMNS), and the resulting CNNs as Incremental Modular Networks (IMNets). Our IMNS approach is to use small network modules that we call SubNets …

Spacecraft Trajectory Optimization Suite: Fly-Bys With Impulsive Thrust Engines (Stops-Flite), Aaron H. Li

Master's Theses

Spacecraft trajectory optimization is a near-infinite problem space with a wide variety of models and optimizers. As trajectory complexity increases, so too must the capabilities of modern optimizers. Common objective cost functions for these optimizers include the propellant utilized by the spacecraft and the time the spacecraft spends in flight. One effective method of minimizing these costs is the utilization of one or multiple gravity assists. Due to the phenomenon known as the Oberth effect, fuel burned at a high velocity results in a larger change in orbital energy than fuel burned at a low velocity. Since a spacecraft is …

System Identification Of A Cantilever Beam With Interferometer Measurement Using Adaptive Filters, Jordan D. Kochavi

Master's Theses

Laser interferometry, commonly used in high-precision motion control systems, is rarely adopted in experimental vibration analysis because its installation and mounting is invasive to dynamical systems. However, metrology systems that already utilize laser interferometry, such as profilometry in semiconductor manufacturing, may benefit from interferometer feedback for signal processing. This study investigates the use of laser interferometry for system identification through a piezoelectrically actuated cantilevered beam.

The model of the beam including piezo actuators and optical measurement components are established through the Euler-Bernoulli beam theory. From the method of separation of variables, the continuous system is transformed into a discrete system …

The Effects Of Atomic Oxygen On Silicone And Carbon-Based Contamination, Mayana W. Gordon

Master's Theses

Understanding the space environment and contamination concerns of a spacecraft is critical in designing a successful mission. The ability for a spacecraft to meet its science objectives relies on systems functioning as intended. A concern for maintain- ing performance while on orbit is molecular contamination. Silicones have previously been shown to form a silica layer on their surfaces when exposed to atomic oxygen. For silicone contamination, this translates to a silica film on the contaminated surface. Missions such as Long Duration Exposure Facility and Evaluation of Oxygen Interactions with Materials III have indicated that the silica film can trap deposits …

Design Justice In Community-Oriented Engineering Pedagogy And Practice, Michael S. Reyna

Master's Theses

While engineering service-learning projects are seen as a favorable way for students to reinforce curricular learning while gaining cultural awareness, the outcomes of these projects center student benefits over partner community wellbeing. For these projects, and in other engineering contexts, various scholar-activists have conceptualized numerous principles and methods to center justice and equity in engineering outcomes. This research project and its associated intervention involved collecting scholarship and methods in engineering and social justice, and attempted to integrate these ideas into the practices of a local humanitarian service-learning engineering team. The collected scholarship centered around the topics of Design Justice, feminist …

A Nano-Drone Safety Architecture, Connor J. Sexton

Master's Theses

As small-form factor drones grow more intelligent, they increasingly require more sophisticated capabilities to record sensor data and system state, ensuring safe and improved operation. Already regulations for black boxes, electronic data recorders (EDRs), for determining liabilities and improving the safety of large-form factor autonomous vehicles are becoming established. Conventional techniques use hardened memory storage units that conserve all sensor (visual) and system operational state; and N-way redundant models for detecting uncertainty in system operation. For small-form factor drones, which are highly limited by weight, power, and computational resources, these techniques become increasingly prohibitive. In this paper, we propose a …

Design And Analysis Of N-Path Filter For Radio Frequencies, Nathan M. Bergen

Master's Theses

Due to the growth of wireless communication many communication frequencies have grown increasingly dense. This density requires higher Q-factor to receive only the signal of interest. With the rise of smaller integrated circuits previous solutions used for filtering have become viable again. This paper explores whether the N-path filter is viable in the modern day for radio frequency receiver purposes. A non-differential N-path filter was created by utilizing Cadence Virtuoso with a working center frequency range of 750MHz to 1GHz while using TSMC technology. The desired quality factor of over 1,000 was reached while maintaining a total area of 800 …

Measuring Accessibility For Pedestrians, Bicyclists, And Transit Riders To Grocery Stores In The Excelsior/Outer Mission Neighborhoods Of San Francisco, Alexandra Lee-Gardner

Master's Theses

Grocery stores are an important amenity in neighborhoods and access to grocery stores is important for health and well-being. While grocery store accessibility is a popular topic of research, studies measuring access for pedestrians, bicyclists, and transit riders are extremely rare. When a new store opened in the Excelsior/Outer Mission districts of San Francisco on a street lacking basic infrastructure for pedestrians, bicyclists, and transit riders, the importance of this study became apparent. The Excelsior/Outer Mission neighborhood has a shocking number of collisions (over 1,100 between 2015 and 2019), elevated levels of walking, biking, and transit ridership, and minimal safe …

Modeling And Control Of A Planar Bounding Quadrupedal Robot, Patrick John Ward

Master's Theses

Legged robots have the potential to be a valuable technology that provides agile and adaptive locomotion over complex terrain. To realize legged locomotion's full abilities a control design must consider the nonlinear piecewise dynamics of the systems. This paper aims to develop a controller for the planar bounding of a quadrupedal robot.

The bounding of the quadruped robot is characterized by a simplified hybrid model that consists of two subsystems for stance and flight phases and the switching laws between the two states. An additional model, the Multibody model, with fewer simplifications, is used concurrently to best approximate real-world behavior. …

Design Of A Proprioceptive Actuator Utilizing A Cycloidal Gearbox, Craig John Kimball

Master's Theses

Legged robotics creates the demand for high torque compact actuators able to develop high instantaneous torque. Proprioceptive actuator design theory is a design theory that removes the need for a torque feedback device and relies on the stiffness in the leg for absorbing the high Ground Impact Forces created by walking locomotion. It utilizes a high torque density motor paired with a gearbox with a high gear ratio for torque multiplication. Previously work has been done to design a proprioceptive actuator design that utilizes a planetary gearbox to create a modular low-cost actuator for legged robotics. The purpose of this …

Feasibility Study On Novel Fire-Resistant Coating Materials, Anyou Zhu, Hanli Wu, Jenny Liu

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Over the last few decades, wildfires in the United States have caused severe damage and property losses. As more houses are being built in areas prone to wildfire, enhancing the fire resistance of structures and buildings is critical and in great need. This paper presents a preliminary study to explore and develop some innovative surface-bonded fire-resistant coating materials for this purpose. The feasibility of these materials [i.e., high performance cement mortar (HPCM), geopolymer mortar (GPM), and magnesium phosphate cement mortar (MPCM)] was assessed considering the workability, adhesion to structure surface, and fire property. The Taguchi-based mix designs of HPCM, GPM, …

Feasibility Report On Water Recycling And The Housing Crisis, Tally A. Perry

City and Regional Planning

The western United States is experiencing increasing population, a housing shortage, and a drought. These challenges demand creative and unprecedented changes to development. Water recycling is slowly emerging as a viable solution for developers, home owners, and cities as a way to continue much-needed housing development while mitigating unnecessary water depletion. With all change, policy, feasibility, and awareness can be the largest influencers. Drought-ridden western-American states require additional and revised regulatory requirements to promote recycled water in new development. Currently, water reuse is largely used for agricultural and industrial purposes. To motivate and encourage housing development, water recycling needs to …

Application Of Leeb Hardness Test In Prediction Of Dynamic Elastic Constants Of Sedimentary And Igneous Rocks, Sasan Ghorbani, Seyed Hadi Hoseinie, Ebrahim Ghasemi, Taghi Sherizadeh

Mining Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The Leeb hardness test is a non-destructive and portable technique that can be used both in the laboratory and in-field applications. The main purpose of this study is to predict the dynamic elastic constants of the igneous and sedimentary rocks using Leeb dynamic hardness testing. For this purpose, three vital topics have been investigated and analyzed. First, the relationships between ultrasonic wave velocities and dynamic elastic constants with the Leeb hardness were investigated. Thereafter, by determining the rock quality index (IQ) using microscopic studies and by analyzing the quality index-porosity plot, the variation of the Leeb hardness values was studied. …

An Improved Method To Estimate Savings From Thermal Comfort Control In Residences From Smart Wi-Fi Thermostat Data, Abdulelah D. Alhamayani, Qiancheng Sun, Kevin P. Hallinan

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

The net-zero global carbon target for 2050 needs both expansion of renewable energy and substantive energy consumption reduction. Many of the solutions needed are expensive. Controlling HVAC systems in buildings based upon thermal comfort, not just temperature, uniquely offers a means for deep savings at virtually no cost. In this study, a more accurate means to quantify the savings potential in any building in which smart WiFi thermostats are present is developed. Prior research by Alhamayani et al. leveraging such data for individual residences predicted cooling energy savings in the range from 33 to 47%, but this research was based …