Electrical and Computer Engineering Commons^™

Mechanical And Electrical Characterization Of Conductive Polymer-Derived Ceramic Composite, Jace R. Henry

ENGS 88 Honors Thesis (AB Students)

Polymer-derived ceramics (PDCs) have found a wide range of uses typically being in high temperature or corrosive environments. Some of the current applications are in aerospace, energy storage and microelectromechanical devices. One growing interest is in additively manufacturing PDCs, as they can be printed in the polymer state, then heat treated to form a ceramic. This allows for complex, or small geometries, to be manufactured and aids in decreasing the complexity of the manufacturing process compared to traditional sintering techniques. However, one limitation of PDCs is the large shrinkage of the material and or the increased porosity due to volatile …

Modeling And Optimization Of Time Delay Unit Network Architectures For Reducing Complexity Of Ultra- Wideband Phased Antenna Arrays, Daniel A. Ramirez

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation presents a systematic technique for modeling and optimization of the hierarchical time delay unit (TDU) architectures of ultra-wideband (UWB) phased antenna arrays (PAAs). The first major contribution of this dissertation is the optimization of a linear PAA by casting the problem in the standard form of integer linear programming (ILP) optimization with an objective function that targets minimizing the total number of TDUs within the RF feed network fanout while maintaining phase error and manufacturability constraints. This optimization can significantly reduce the cost, power, and complexity of UWB PAAs in contrast to prior methods that iteratively converge on …

Performance Analysis Of Underground-To-Aboveground Communication In Agricultural Iot Networks, Irfana Ilyas Manzil

Thesis/ Dissertation Defenses

This thesis investigates the potential of LoRa, a low-power, wide-area networking technology, for establishing reliable communication between underground sensors and aboveground infrastructure. We comprehensively analyze LoRa's performance in both single-hop and multi-hop configurations, considering the impact of diverse environmental factors such as soil composition, moisture content, underground transmission distance, and path loss on signal propagation. We delve into the crucial role of the spreading factor (SF) within the LoRa communication system, analyzing its influence on network performance. Furthermore, we develop a comprehensive mathematical model for bit error rate (BER) under various channel conditions, including additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) and …

Back To The Future: A Case For The Resurgence Of Approximation Theory For Enabling Data Driven “Intelligence”, Michael Dominic Ciocco

Theses and Dissertations

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has exploded into mainstream consciousness with commercial investments exceeding $90 billion in the last year alone. Inasmuch as consumer-facing applications such ChatGPT offer astounding access to algorithms that were hitherto restricted to academic research labs, public focus of attention on AI has created an avalanche of misinformation. The nexus of investor-driven hype, “surprising” inaccuracies in the answers provided by AI models – now anthropomorphically labeled as “hallucinations”, and impending legislation by well-meaning and concerned governments has resulted in a crisis of confidence in the science of AI. The primary driver for AI’s recent growth is the convergence …

Highly Comparative Time Series Analysis Of Oxygen Saturation And Heart Rate To Predict Respiratory Outcomes In Extremely Preterm Infants, Jiaxing Qui, Juliann M. Di Fiore, Narayanan Krishnamurthi, Premananda Indic, Additional Authors, Prematurity-Related Ventilatory Control (Pre-Vent) Investigators

Electrical Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Objective. Highly comparative time series analysis (HCTSA) is a novel approach involving massive feature extraction using publicly available code from many disciplines. The Prematurity-Related Ventilatory Control (Pre-Vent) observational multicenter prospective study collected bedside monitor data from > 700 extremely preterm infants to identify physiologic features that predict respiratory outcomes. Approach. We calculated a subset of 33 HCTSA features on > 7 M 10 min windows of oxygen saturation (SPO2) and heart rate (HR) from the Pre-Vent cohort to quantify predictive performance. This subset included representatives previously identified using unsupervised clustering on > 3500 HCTSA algorithms. We hypothesized that the best HCTSA algorithms would …

Single-Molecule Orientation Imaging Reveals The Nano-Architecture Of Amyloid Fibrils Undergoing Growth And Decay, Brian Sun, Tianben Ding, Weiyan Zhou, Tara S. Porter, Matthew D. Lew

Electrical & Systems Engineering Publications and Presentations

Amyloid-beta (Aβ42) aggregates are characteristic Alzheimer’s disease signatures, but probing how their nanoscale architectures influence their growth and decay remains challenging using current technologies. Here, we apply time-lapse single-molecule orientation-localization microscopy (SMOLM) to measure the orientations and rotational “wobble” of Nile blue (NB) molecules transiently binding to Aβ42 fibrils. We correlate fibril architectures measured by SMOLM with their growth and decay over the course of 5 to 20 min visualized by single-molecule localization microscopy (SMLM). We discover that stable Aβ42 fibrils tend to be well-ordered and signified by well-aligned NB orientations and small wobble. SMOLM also shows that increasing order …

Evaluating Visual Dependence In Postural Stability Using Smartphone And Stroboscopic Glasses, Brent A. Harper, Michael Shiraishi, Rahul Soangra

Physical Therapy Faculty Articles and Research

This study explores the efficacy of integrating stroboscopic glasses with smartphone-based applications to evaluate postural control, offering a cost-effective alternative to traditional forceplate technology. Athletes, particularly those with visual and visuo-oculomotor enhancements due to sports, often suffer from injuries that necessitate reliance on visual inputs for balance—conditions that can be simulated and studied using visual perturbation methods such as stroboscopic glasses. These glasses intermittently occlude vision, mimicking visual impairments that are crucial in assessing dependency on visual information for postural stability. Participants performed these tasks under three visual conditions: full vision, partial vision occlusion via stroboscopic glasses, and no vision …

Exploring The Impact Of Artificial Intelligence On Project Management Across The Manufacturing, Technology, And Construction Industries, Susie Diaz Ferrera

Harrisburg University Dissertations and Theses

This study explores the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on project management across the manufacturing, technology, and construction industries. The research focuses on understanding the benefits, challenges, and long-term implications of AI utilization in these sectors. Key findings indicate that 46% of participants use AI mainly for task automation and enhancing functions like brainstorming and communication, which significantly boosts efficiency and team productivity. Despite these benefits, the research identifies several obstacles, including high initial costs, inadequate training, technical issues, and unclear regulatory guidelines. The study addresses four main questions, revealing that AI not only enhances project management processes but also …

Automating Theater Lamp Control Using Pi Vision, Clayton Wiley

Electrical and Computer Engineering Senior Theses

The world of theater is unpredictable. We prepare as best we can, but at run-time, we know anything could happen and we must be prepared for it. This unpredictability is what stands between theater and automation. In almost every situation, a human can respond better to surprise changes than a computer can, but what about situations that prohibit the use of a human operator? One such example is that of follow spotlights, where a performer must be lit with a beam that follows them as they move across the stage. Sometimes, there is no room for a full spot booth, …

Santa Clara Radio Astronomy Program (Scrap) Iii, Tyson Decastro, Julia Espinosa, Demetrios Stathakis

Electrical and Computer Engineering Senior Theses

The Santa Clara Radio Astronomy Program (SCRAP) III aims to enhance the capabilities of a cost-effective, software-defined radio telescope for educational and amateur use. This thesis outlines the design modifications and improvements implemented in the third year of the project, focusing on three primary areas: the development of a new feed element, the refinement of data acquisition and processing systems, and the introduction of a dish rotation system. The new feed element design addresses previous weathering issues and optimizes signal reception at the hydrogen line frequency of 1.42 GHz. The data acquisition system is updated to include celestial coordinate data …

3d Automated Surgeon’S Hand Motion Assessment Using A Cascade Fuzzy Supervisor During Intelligent Box-Trainer System Skills Training In A Multi-Thread Video Processing, Fatemeh Rashidi Fathabadi

Dissertations

For certain surgical procedures, Minimally Invasive Surgery (MIS) has become more advantageous than traditional open surgery. Therefore, mastery of laparoscopic skills is an essential component of surgical training and requires considerable time and effort. The Fundamentals of Laparoscopic Surgery (FLS) program has been developed as a tool to improve and assess fundamental surgical skills. In fact, using a low-cost Box-Trainer or a simulator, laparoscopic surgeons are required to train using a set of structured tasks that can be objectively used to assess their laparoscopic skills, which must be mastered before carrying out real-life laparoscopic procedures. These tasks include peg transfer, …

Light Based Wireless Communication, Nick Ghaffarian, Gibson Puckett

Electrical Engineering

The demand for high-speed, secure wireless communication is escalating, particularly in high-density environments like urban areas, and critical sectors such as healthcare and defense. Traditional Wi-Fi struggles with issues like signal congestion, electromagnetic interference, and security vulnerabilities, compromising connectivity quality. LiFi is much more suitable for areas like hospitals which contain equipment highly sensitive to electromagnetic interference, has a high bandwidth far away from standard radio waves which enables strong communication in highly congested areas.

We developed a small scale, low-cost LiFi system to demonstrate a proof of concept of LiFi that grants the user full access to the internet. …

Modeling A Hydropower Plant Powerhouse Based On Hebgen Dam, James Savella, Paul De La Cruz

Electrical Engineering

The United States Department of Energy (DOE) Water Power Technologies Office (WPTO) invited California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly) to participate in the 2024 Hydropower Collegiate Competition (HCC) to research and design ways to convert non-powered dams (NPDs) to hydropower plants to contribute to a clean energy future. The Cal Poly HCC Electrical Engineering team used information gathered for the competition to create a simulated hydropower plant model of Hebgen Dam, in Montana, using a salient pole synchronous generator and a PID governor for an Electrical Engineering Senior Project. The simulated hydropower plant model allows a user to control the …

Cal Poly Gen 2 Battlebot Electrical System, Kelvin C. Villago

Electrical Engineering

BattleBots is a popular robot combat sport where engineers from all over the world design and construct a robot with the aim to disable or impair the opposing robot. The Cal Poly Gen 2 BattleBot aims to complete a robot from scratch with hopes to compete in the official competition. This report focuses on the electronic design behind the robot, specifically the printed circuit board (PCB) and component selection. The design process of this project involved choosing specific motors and microcontrollers based on cost, efficiency, and benefits with the end goal of a complete printed circuit board (PCB). Brushed motors …

Digital Audio Synthesizer, Philip A. Schremp, Alexander J. Elliott

Electrical Engineering

With more and more of the modern music production and live performance workflow becoming digitized synthesizers are the perfect middle ground between the traditional instrument layout and the progressive electronic sound. Despite the fact that synthesizers have made their place in the modern music pipeline they have one significant drawback. Synthesizers are expensive. Whether they are analog or digital, many of the synthesizers produced today are not affordable for the average musician or synth hobbyist. We will be designing a cost effective digital audio synthesizer that will still have enough versatility and a high enough quality to be useful in …

Baja Motherboard, Jay Henry Kahling V, Kyle Robert Tse

Electrical Engineering

The Baja Racing Motherboard is a compact PCB device that connects multiple electronics modules together in order to control the Baja SAE vehicle’s transmission. It uses multiple buck converters to regulate the voltage to microcontrollers, sensors, and multiple data logging devices while still being compact, lightweight, and serviceable. It uses IP-67 rated bulkheads to prevent water ingress in difficult conditions. The motherboard streamlines integration while still maintaining modularity, so when individual components are damaged the whole system need not be fully scrapped. The motherboard will save future team members time, money, and effort as it is a modular device that …

Providing Cadence Feedback In Real-Time To Guide Cardiovascular Workouts, Levi O. Rash

Master's Theses

Cardiovascular workouts offer numerous health benefits, yet beginners often find it challenging to initiate them. Existing wearable technologies, although providing valuable feedback such as heart rate zones, often disrupt the workout flow and distract users due to the need for interaction with the wearable display. In response, we propose an alternative feedback mechanism: cadence, measured in steps per minute. This feedback mechanism uses multiplicative control to produce the correct cadence for the user’s target heart rate (HR). To model the HR and cadence relationship, a first-order system was used. The prototype implementation of this system was completed in Arduino, using …

Shuffled Faster Than Nyquist Signaling For Spectrally Efficient And Secure Wireless Communication, John Gharib

Master's Theses

This thesis investigates the implementation and performance of Shuffled Faster than Nyquist (SFTN) signaling, a communication method that enhances spectral efficiency and provides physical layer security (PLS) in wireless communications. In Faster than Nyquist signaling, the Nyquist inter-symbol interference (ISI) criterion is exceeded, thereby increasing spectral efficiency. By varying the transmission rate of symbols above the Nyquist rate, SFTN signaling is able to obfuscate the timing of transmitted symbols with ISI. The work in this thesis evaluates the performance of SFTN in Additive White Gaussian Noise (AWGN) channels and the MATLAB 802.11ax fading channels. Results show that while SFTN signaling …

Power Flow Modeling And Analysis Of A Green Seaport Power System, Alejandra Zapata

Master's Theses

Indonesia has committed to achieving Net-Zero emissions by 2060, signaling a significant shift towards sustainability, which includes impactful initiatives such as the implementation of Green Seaports. This thesis focuses on designing and developing a model for a proposed Green Seaport power system and the subsequent performance of power flow analysis under various operating conditions. The model, constructed using MATLAB Simulink, underwent extensive testing and analysis, with a specific emphasis on the Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) operating modes, including individual charging, discharging, and simultaneous charging and discharging. This comprehensive investigation and analysis, involving 62 separate simulations, evaluated the impact of …

Single-Polarization And Single-Mode Hybrid Hollow-Core Anti-Resonant Fiber Design At 2 Μm, Herschel Herring, Mohammad Al Mahfuz, Md Selim Habib

Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Faculty Publications

In this paper, to the best of our knowledge, a new
type of hollow-core anti-resonant fiber (HC-ARF) design using
hybrid silica/high-index material (HIM) cladding is presented
for single-polarization, high-birefringence, and endlessly single-
mode operation at 2 μm wavelength. We show that the inclusion
of a HIM layer in the cladding allows strong suppression of
𝑥−polarization, while maintaining low propagation loss and
single-mode propagation for 𝑦−polarization. The optimized HC-
ARF design includes a combination of low propagation loss,
high-birefringence, and polarization-extinction ratio (PER) or
loss ratio of 0.02 dB/m, 1.2×10−4, and >550 respectively, while the
loss of the 𝑥−polarization is >20 …

Filter: Framework For Integrated Legislative Transparency And Exploratory Research, Kenny Lau

Master's Theses

Digital Democracy, established at Cal Poly's Institute for Advanced Technology and Public Policy, initially provided users access to a distinctive dataset, including state legislative committee hearings, transcripts, videos, and more. However, the discontinuation of funding ended operations for the project and emphasized the need for a streamlined application independent of third-party dependencies and capable of offering real-time and organized access to the invaluable Digital Democracy dataset. We introduce FILTER, a cloud-hosted API designed for read access to the Digital Democracy dataset through twelve distinct endpoints. The system contains two databases: the Digital Democracy Database (DDDB) and the Digital Democracy Knowledge …

Harmonic Flow Modeling And Analysis Of A Green Hybrid Ac/Dc Seaport Power System, Krishan Kaushal Ram, Taufik, Helen Yu, Siddharth Vyas

Master's Theses

This thesis aims to design and develop a model for a proposed Green Seaport power system and perform harmonic analysis. The model was developed using MATLAB Simulink and tests were performed by dividing the system into several Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) operating modes such as simultaneous charging and discharging, simultaneous charging, and simultaneous discharging. For each mode, BESS state of charge and other factors such as solar irradiance for the PV system, load levels and power factor were varied to observe the impact on system’s voltage Total Harmonic Distortion (THD) level and current Total Demand Distortion (TDD). 62 separate …

Generative Data Augmentation: Using Dcgan To Expand Training Datasets For Chest X-Ray Pneumonia Detection, Ryan D. Maier

Master's Theses

Recent advancements in computer vision have demonstrated remarkable success in image classification tasks, particularly when provided with an ample supply of accurately labeled images for training. These techniques have also exhibited significant potential in revolutionizing computer-aided medical diagnosis by enabling the segmentation and classification of medical images, leveraging Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) and similar models. However, the integration of such technologies into clinical practice faces notable challenges. Chief among these is the obstacle of acquiring high-quality medical imaging data for training purposes. Patient privacy concerns often hinder researchers from accessing large datasets, while less common medical conditions pose additional hurdles …

Impact Force Helmet Device For Concussion Monitoring, Patrice Mulligan, Karina Mealey, Zack Borthwick, Benjamin Fick

General Engineering

To track head trauma in football, our device is placed inside a football helmet to measure both linear and gyroscopic (rotational) accelerations. These measurements are taken using an ADXL375 linear accelerometer and an LSM6DSOX accelerometer and gyroscope. The data from these sensors is processed and transmitted wirelessly by a SparkFun Thing Plus microcontroller to another SparkFun Thing Plus microcontroller connected to a laptop on the sidelines. Our program on the laptop stores the acceleration impact data into a .csv file for each player. If a likely concussive impact is detected, the program displays a popup warning. Testing results were promising …

Smart Cushion Device For Elderly Aging In Place, Anna Dion, Nate Colley, Leonardo Bravo

Biomedical Engineering

Our task at hand is to develop a consumer-focused solution for improving elder care to provide additional peace of mind for seniors and caregivers using technology to extend independent living. We intend to create a device that will improve the quality of life of elderly individuals living alone by encouraging periodical movement throughout the day, along with monitoring pressure distribution and alerting when pressure concentration is potentially harmful. It will also alert users to the presence of moisture which can arise from spills or incontinence. The key stakeholders of this project include elderly adults over the age of 65 who …

High-Power Microwave Antenna Design, Luke C. Chase

Electrical Engineering

High-power microwave antennas are essential for defense industry radar systems, cyber warfare, and power transmission. The US Department of Defense a SBIR proposal specifying the need for a high-power phased-array microwave antenna for the US Air Force.

Vivaldi antennas, invented in 1978 by Peter Gibson, have been widely adopted for radar applications due to their high bandwidth and gain performance. Considerable amounts of research exists on designing Vivaldis for different applications ranging from radar to communications. Using antenna theory and past research, a new Vivaldi antenna was designed to meet the requirements mandated by the DoD research contract.

This project …

Exploration Of Software Defined Radios To Increase Capabilities Of Affordable Mesh Networks, Liam K. Mccarthy

Electrical Engineering

Project OWL is developing a LoRa mesh network “DuckLinks” for emergency communications, and the current LoRa protocol the Clusterduck Protocol is based on is severely limited in data rate. OWL plans to use Raspberry Pi computers to develop the next phase of Duck radios, which greatly opens the computing potential and flexibility of the system the Ducks run on. Using LimeSDR and GNU Radio, an open source SDR programming environment, this project seeks to develop a simple SDR-based packet transmission system that allows for communication with Duck radios as well as the use of a different modulation scheme for higher …

Motor Controller Board For Cubesat Reaction Wheels, Tanner Ehlers

Electrical Engineering

Reaction wheels are crucial for CubeSats, providing precise attitude control and stability in the environment of space, enabling successful mission execution. The ‘Reaction Wheels’ project in the Cal Poly CubeSat Lab is in need of a new motor controller board due to the current board’s malfunction and inefficiencies in terms of size, complexity, power usage, and cost. Previously, other students have completed work on the mechanical design of the system, but little work has been done for the electrical components. The goal of this project is to design and test a new motor controller board that is compact, lightweight, power …

Prosthetic Forearm Controller, Claire Tylutki, Kevin Lopatka, Sofia Zaletel, Hardit Singh

Electrical Engineering

The EMG controlled prosthetic arm project represents a significant advancement in upper limb prosthetics, leveraging cutting-edge technology to address critical user needs. With over two million individuals in the United States living with limb loss, a substantial portion being upper limb amputees, the demand for accessible and functional prosthetic solutions is pressing. This project focuses largely on refining prosthetic limb control through the integration of electromyography (EMG) signal processing and control. Using surface electrodes, this project employs non-invasive means of data collection combined with modern digital signal processing methods to implement faster and more accurate control. The control system also …

Battery Energy Storage System, Alec C. Maclean, Kaylen H. Schwartz, Kyle A. Begley

Electrical Engineering

The project is a continuation of part 1 of the “Reliability Measurement for Grid-Connected Solar System” project. The goal is to continue where the previous design failed. This project will configure an ITECH IT-6000C and Tabuchi Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) to the small-scale microgrid at the Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo EE Department. Initially, a system was designed to connect an ITECH IT-M3633 as a PV solar source emulator to the Tabuchi BESS within a grid-connected microgrid system in Room 20-102 at Cal Poly. A Photovoltaic Thevenin equivalent model was developed for the ITECH IT-M3633, but this setup failed …