Engineering Commons^™

Lora Radio Propagation & Antenna Design For Freight Trains, Cesar Chavez, Marlon Jennson Hernandez

Electrical Engineering

Freight-train environments present significant challenges for wireless communication due to large metallic structures, varying cargo types, and changing antenna orientations that can degrade radio-frequency propagation. This project evaluated the performance of LoRa-based communication links intended for End-of-Train (EOT) and Head-of-Train (HOT) systems operating at 915 MHz. Field testing was conducted to characterize antenna performance using metrics including received signal strength indicator (RSSI), signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and communication range. Experimental results showed that antenna polarization and directivity significantly affect communication performance in freight-train environments. Directional antennas provided improved signal strength when properly aligned but experienced performance degradation as antenna orientation changed. …

Cal Poly Mars Rover Battery Management System, Lawrence Nichols, Caleb Michael King, Thomas Anh Khoa To, Angel Soto

Electrical Engineering

The exploration of space has consistently been one of the most expensive endeavors humanities has undertaken in its journey to expand ever further. The PolyRover project aims to not only cheapen that expense through student-based research but also provide a better bang for buck as more unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) can be utilized on planets in concert. In order to do so, the rovers need a robust, yet compact battery management system that can fit within the wheel well. Our system will consist of six commercially-available 18650 batteries in series, organized in a hexagonal fashion around the motor. The BMS …

Lora Networking Hardware Reference Designs For Terrestrial And Low-Earth-Orbit Communications, Kevin Nottberg

Master's Theses

The work presented here demonstrates a highly robust and tested LoRa networking hardware reference design to meet the needs of the embedded networking company OWL Integrations. The hardware presented integrated a unique combination of features and design choices. The detailing of its unique design is potentially of use to others for use in fielded battery powered terrestrial sensor networking hardware utilizing LoRa. Also, the terrestrial hardware presented is shown to have the capability to support command and control (C2) LoRa links in low-earth orbit beyond terrestrial systems. The design presented has a more U.S. centric component bill-of-materials (BOM), with the …

Design, Build, Fly 2026, Unique Barnes, Dante Black, Kyle Greiner, Gabriel Kern, Justin Mayer, Charles Olsen, Jack Quinn, Ben Randall, Tate Schurman, Mark Williams, Brendan Yarusso

Mechanical Engineering Senior Theses

This thesis follows the design, manufacturing, and testing of Santa Clara's 2026 AIM Design, Build, Fly Team. The project is built on one main system with multiple subsystems related to the payload and integration of payload. The main system is the Wings of Theseus which is a 5 ft span electric remote controlled plane designed to complete 4 four missions: rapid loading and unloading of payload, airworthiness, internal payload flight, and towed payload flight. Each of these missions is directly related to the aforementioned subsystems. The Wings of Theseus incorporated a rectangular wing with geometric twist as well as a …

Short Arc Angles-Only Initial Orbit Determination For Reliable Reacquisition Of Low Earth Orbit Objects, Isabella Rackemann

Master's Theses

Low Earth orbit (LEO) is becoming increasingly congested, furthering the need for accurate tracking and catalog maintenance. Initial orbit determination (IOD) is the first step in this process, providing a preliminary estimate of an object’s state given observations. When it comes to LEO optical observations, a large portion of them are inherently short in duration. Angles-only IOD methods struggle with this data, often producing highly inaccurate solutions that limit reacquisition capabilities. This study expands on prior short arc IOD research, testing seven classical and assumed circular orbit (ACO)-modified angles-only IOD algorithms on real LEO observational data spanning 0-4 degrees of …

Kinetic Sculpture For The San Luis Obispo Botanical Garden, Yotam Barr, Reynaldo Farias, Natalie Krueger, Priscilla Puei Ci Lam

General Engineering

Flower Power designed, fabricated, tested, and installed a wind-driven metal lavender and bee sculpture for the San Luis Obispo Botanical Garden Children's Garden. The project provides a colorful kinetic installation that complements the existing poppy sculpture while remaining child-safe, durable outdoors, manufacturable with campus resources, and low cost to the sponsor. The final sculpture consists of a steel main stem installed in a sleeve-style concrete foundation, three green branch clusters, independently rotating purple lavender bud assemblies, decorative leaves, and a bee. The sculpture was fabricated from steel tube, sheet metal, bearings, printed ASA components, paint, and foundation materials. The installed …

Mars Mini Rover Sample Retrieval Robotic Claw, Cami Chambers, Ani Lachikian, Alexa Ramirez, Alex Power

Mechanical Engineering

This project involves several key stakeholders, including the Poly1 Rover Club, Professor Rich Murray, and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). The primary objective is to develop an improved robotic claw capable of retrieving sample tubes left by the Perseverance Rover on the Martian surface. In tackling this challenge, the design must account for the harsh Mars climate while integrating cameras and electrical components, durable structure, and a rotational component to the Mini-Rover claw without incorporating an additional motor, sample storage unit, structural aspects or unnecessary weight. The current Mini-Rover consists of a four-degree-of-freedom robotic arm with joints often referred to …

Sensory, Light, And Sound Box, Galilea Andrea Portillo, Hannah Elizabeth Henderson, Marcus Kiyoshi Kanenaga

Mechanical Engineering

The Sensory, Light, and Sound Box senior project outlined an adaptable, mobile sensory environment designed to improve cognitive and visual processing skills for students with Cerebral Visual Impairment (CVI) at the Oceano Education Center. Currently, the market lacks accessible solutions tailored to these non-verbal, low-mobility students, making traditional classrooms overwhelming. This project outlines the modification of an existing static layout into a functional, three-sided wooden over-bed frame that accommodates a standard hospital bed. Our team manufactured a structurally stable verification prototype under a $500 budget, integrating slow-closing outward-hinged walls for safety, dual Bluetooth speakers, and a synchronized LED projector that …

Cathy’S Catcher, Marlee Scott, Regen Worsley, Alessandra Valenzano, Aviv Ben Zeev

Mechanical Engineering

Deep-sea fishing presents significant challenges for individuals with upper-limb differences, particularly when using prosthetic devices that are not designed for recreational fishing activities. This project developed a custom prosthetic fishing rod attachment for a user who had lost her forearm and desired a safe, comfortable, and independent method of fishing. Through interviews with the sponsor and an iterative design process, a lightweight aluminum attachment was created to interface directly with the user's existing prosthetic quick-connect system.

The design process included concept generation, CAD modeling, rapid prototyping with 3D-printed models, manufacturing, and user-centered refinement. The final design consists of a welded …

Elevate Grill, Tanner Bachmann, Lance Anderson, Caden Huang, Jonathan Li, Brady Alexander

Mechanical Engineering

Santa Maria-style grills are a defining cooking tool of California’s Central Coast and are valued for their open fire cooking method and adjustable grate height. While this design provides direct control over cooking conditions, maintaining a consistent cooking temperature requires frequent manual adjustment of the grate position. This process relies heavily on operator experience and continuous attention, making temperature consistency difficult to maintain in a commercial kitchen environment. The Elevate Grill project was developed for Mike Ahrens and Wren Provisions to address this challenge while preserving the traditional Santa Maria grilling experience. The system uses temperature feedback from multiple thermocouples …

Stakblocks, Micah Satoshi Inoshita, Ava Rose Doerschlag, Cody J. Ellis, Zach M. Lawton, Fernando M. Nalin, Nicholas Humphrey, Aiden Reed Anderson, Sara Maya Suratkal

Mechanical Engineering

Researchers developing sustainable building materials from agricultural waste need a faster way to prototype and evaluate small-scale samples under controlled temperature and pressure before scaling to production. Sponsored by Professor Pete Schwartz of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, whose work focuses on sustainable technology for developing communities, this project aims to create a prototype testing device for researchers studying agricultural-waste bricks, with the University of Malawi as a potential future testing partner. The final product is intended to inform improved future designs rather than serve as a production-ready device, ultimately supporting the development of affordable, sustainable building materials for communities …

Toro Cover For Bob Packer, Bailey Smolinski, Brandon Petty, Arturo Ramirez, Kathryn Proctor

Mechanical Engineering

Small pools, spas, and hot tubs are common in residential homes, yet small pool owners face persistent tradeoffs between critical features such as weight, ease of use, and appearance in pool covers currently available on the market. Most products optimize a single attribute at the expense of others. For example, solar covers are energy efficient but structurally weak, safety meshes are cost-saving but intensive to install, and retractable covers are automated but expensive. Beyond these tradeoffs, existing solutions often demand multiple people to install, take time and effort, occupy valuable deck space, and sacrifice the surrounding aesthetic. Therefore, small pool …

Foldable Transfer Platform, Toby Sagi, Ashton Heiati, Triton Johnson, Zachary Denis

Mechanical Engineering

The report details the design and results of a Hoyer lift to transfer patients between wheelchairs and our sponsor's, Beacon VTC Santa Maria, vans. The lift disassembles into 3 main pieces, allowing the lift to be stored in the back of the van. The lift uses a hydraulic actuator to rotate the boom. We handed over our project to Beacon VTC Santa Maria for use in their facility!

Package Access Platform, Tyler Connor Moyers, Austin Sien, Brooke Almaraz, Aiden Montano

Mechanical Engineering

This Final Design Review (FDR) presents the completed package access platform project following fabrication, assembly, and verification testing of the final prototype. The project focused on the development of an adjustable and modular access platform capable of adapting to varying workspace requirements while maintaining operator safety and structural stability. The finalized design incorporates adjustable platform dimensions, modular frame expansion, integrated OSHA-compliant handrailing, and adjustable support legs to accommodate uneven surfaces and changing operational needs.

Water Turbine Dynamometer For Low-Power Turbomachinery Testing, Carmen Alaichamy, Yosef Huynh Torres, Michael Duperly, Michael Thomas Duff

Mechanical Engineering

Students in ME 443: Introduction to Turbomachinery compete to design and build efficient small impulse turbines. The course lacks a standardized method to experimentally calculate turbine power output and mechanical efficiency from accurate measurements of torque and speed, for example. To support the learning goals of ME 443, a dedicated water-turbine dynamometer is needed to provide controlled hydraulic power, accurate mechanical and electrical measurements, and clear data for performance evaluation.

Our proposed system delivers a safe, repeatable, and educational testing environment that can be integrated into the Fluids Lab or used as a standalone instructional tool. Key stakeholders include Professor …

Me443 Turbine Timing System, Jacky Liang, Michael Ayman Habib, Julio Cesar Gutierrez Jr., Eric Tran

Mechanical Engineering

No abstract provided.

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. …

Rc-Nf: Robot-Conditioned Normalizing Flow For Real-Time Anomaly Detection In Robotic Manipulation, Shijie Zhou, Bin Zhu, Jiarui Yang, Xiangyu Zhao, Jingjing Chen, Yu-Gang Jiang

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Recent advances in Vision-Language-Action (VLA) models have enabled robots to execute increasingly complex tasks. However, VLA models trained through imitation learning struggle to operate reliably in dynamic environments and often fail under Out-of-Distribution (OOD) conditions. To address this issue, we propose Robot-Conditioned Normalizing Flow(RC-NF), a real-time monitoring model for robotic anomaly detection and intervention that ensures the robot's state and the object's motion trajectory align with the task. RC-NF decouples the processing of task-aware robot and object states within the normalizing flow. It requires only positive samples for unsupervised training and calculates accurate robotic anomaly scores during inference through the …

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, …

Enhanced Triboelectric Effect Using Functionalized Multiwalled Carbon Nanotube-Coated Fiber Mats For Biomechanical Energy Harvesting, Fernando Viesca, Diego De Leon, Kevin Alejandro, Rigobert Ybarra Jr., Md. Wasikur Rahman, Victoria Padilla, Horacio Vasquez, Karen Lozano, M. Jasim Uddin

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) have emerged as a cutting-edge technology for developing self-powered wearable electronic devices. In this study, TENGs were fabricated using two fiber mats: forcespun polytetrafluoroethylene (FS-PTFE) microfibers and electrospun polyvinyl alcohol (ES-PVA) nanofiber (NF) mats. The FS-PTFE mats were coated with functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). Functionalized MWCNTs were dispersed in water-based solutions containing three different surfactants—sodium dodecyl sulfate, sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate, and Triton X-100 to enhance fiber interaction. The NF mats were subsequently immersed in aqueous systems. The surfactant facilitated the uniform deposition of COOH-MWCNTs onto the FS-PTFE fibers, serving as a negative layer, while ES-PVA mat …