Mechanical Engineering Commons^™

Power At Sea Develop Phase, Jake Lauer, Isabella Heinemann, Bailey Gargasz, Zachery Boyer

Mechanical Engineering

This project develops a renewable, wave-powered charging system designed to extend the mission duration of Autonomous Underwater Vehicles by eliminating the need for frequent manual battery replacement. Building upon a prior oscillating water column prototype from the CONCEPT phase, the team redesigned and tested an improved system capable of converting wave-induced air motion into electrical power using a Wells turbine. Key enhancements include doubling the column diameter to increase displaced air volume, integrating a flared inlet and bi-directional nozzle to improve airflow, and selecting corrosion-resistant materials suitable for long-term deployment in marine environments. Multiple prototypes were constructed and evaluated through …

Techno-Economic Analysis Of The Utilization Of Waste-To-Energy In Jakarta Industrial Estate Pulogadung, Wahyu Punjung Pesonagrata, Mohammad Akita Indianto

Journal of Materials Exploration and Findings

Indonesia has a serious waste problem, which ranking second in marine pollution. Due to significant environmental impacts, a solution to overcome the complexity of waste problems is needed. This study took sample on waste management in Jakarta Industrial Estate Pulogadung (JIEP). JIEP is an Industrial area which covers 443 hectares of land in East Jakarta. This study aims to address Indonesia's serious waste problem by exploring the potential utilization of waste in the Jakarta Industrial Estate Pulogadung (JIEP) as Refuse-Derived Fuel (RDF) for a waste-to-energy (WtE) power plant. The proposed method used a steam power plant with RDF as fuel …

Development And Testing Of A Computer Vision Pose Estimation System For Planar Mobile Robots, Andrew Jones

Master's Theses

This thesis details the development and testing of a computer vision-based real-time pose estimation system for differential drive robots. A single camera with a fisheye lens is used to locate ArUco markers placed at fixed locations and attached to robots. Using the OpenCV library, the Perspective-n-Point (PnP) problem is solved to facilitate the transformation of 2-D robot positions in an image to world-frame coordinates. An analytical solution is presented to estimate robot poses based on a single PnP solution, rather than solving the PnP problem for each pose estimate. Pose information is relayed to individual robots using a multi-microcontroller architecture …

Prompt-Driven Tabletop Robotic Manipulation With A Structured Llm Interface And Visual Verification, Tomas Franco

Master's Theses

Creating a tabletop robotic manipulation system that connects language goals to robot actions is a challenging problem. Large language models can interpret mission objectives and reason through actions, but when placed directly in control of hardware they can produce hallucinated commands that result in unsafe behavior without the proper safeguards.

This thesis presents a constrained LLM-guided manipulation system built around the Quanser Qarm, a four degree of freedom manipulator with a mounted Realsense RGB-D camera and a gripper with readable current. Every decision made by the LLM planner is routed through a gated command interface that restricts the model to …

Trajectory-Based Model Predictive Control For Rotary Crane Sway Suppression With Only Horizontal Boom Actuation, Haryson J. Nyobuya

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

Safety is of biggest importance in construction and industrial activities involving rotary cranes. These cranes are huge and responsible of moving large parts or/and materials from different positions. Now operating these cranes tend to be subdue to pay load oscillations when moving the load for which is extremely dangerous when not suppressed. This study proposes the generation of trajectory using Model predictive control approach with reduced control horizon compared to state horizon. Reduced control horizon design reduces computational time for trajectory generation while maintaining the pay-load sways to a minimum. In this approach the complex dynamic model is reduced to …

Ion Irradiation Of Microelectromechanical Resonators, Hengky Chandrahalim, David D. Lynes

AFIT Patents

A method of enhancing an electromechanical coupling coefficient of a microelectromechanical (“MEMS”) device. The method includes applying, to a fully fabricated MEMS device, heavy particle ion radiation to the MEMS device at a fluence of at least 1×10¹⁴ cm.⁻². According to other embodiments of the present invention are directed to a bandpass filter comprising a plurality of MEMS devices fabricated in accordance with the methods provided. The MEMS of the plurality are electronically or mechanically coupled.

Adaptive Design Strategies For A Dual-Shaft Pvc Shredder, Gavin Balderas

University Honors Theses

This capstone project involved the design and development of a mid-size plastic shredder, created to process strong, ductile PVC sheets up to ½" thick. This application falls between the capabilities of consumer grade plastic shredders and heavy-duty industrial machines. Over 400 million tons of plastic produced annually and less than 10% of it is recycled; there is an ever-growing need for plastic recycling accessibility and infrastructure. This project aimed to create a compact dual-shaft shredder that can shred thick PVC sheets while being powered by a 120V outlet. Research into blade geometry and orientations aided an iterative design process driven …

Formula Sae Planetary Gearbox Characterization Dynamometer, Trevor Marco Toma, Thomas Welden Pierce, Ethan Liu

Mechanical Engineering

This report outlines a custom hub motor dynamometer requested by the Cal Poly Racing FSAE team. The need for this testing platform is to characterize an existing Formula SAE planetary gearbox for a proposed 4WD powertrain. Hub motors, compact electric machines integrated directly into each outboard wheel, offer significant advantages in efficiency, traction, and chassis packaging compared to conventional RWD drivetrains. By mapping torque capacity, efficiency, lubrication method effectiveness, and fatigue life, the team can validate gearbox design and performance.

This senior project group designed and built a dynamometer according to these specifications which will allow for successful testing to …

A Comparative Study Of Model Predictive Control And The Stanley Method For Vehicle Path Tracking Applications, Noah S. Fitzgerald

Master's Theses

This thesis compares a model predictive controller (MPC) and a lateral Stanley controller for vehicle path-tracking applications under simulation-based and perception-driven operating conditions. Both controllers were evaluated in simulation using a nonlinear dynamic bicycle model executing single and double lane change maneuvers. Following simulation-based evaluation, both controllers were implemented on hardware within a perception-driven steering-control pipeline. This pipeline utilized recorded sensor data from the MXcarkit 1/8^th-scale autonomous vehicle platform, incorporating lane instance segmentation and homography-based roadway estimation.

Under idealized simulation conditions, the MPC demonstrated improved trajectory-tracking performance during aggressive maneuvers while requiring greater steering activity and computational effort …

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 …

Improving The Reliability And Performance Of A Supersonic Indraft Tube Wind Tunnel, Christian J. Kaml

Master's Theses

Access to supersonic testing is increasing in demand, and wind tunnels remain one of the safest and most cost-effective methods for gathering high-speed flow data. Despite being more economical than alternative options, supersonic wind tunnel facilities often require substantial investment to construct, operate, and maintain.

The novel indraft tube tunnel architecture was conceived as a high-speed flow testbed that incorporates features of both Ludwieg tubes and indraft wind tunnels to maintain costs low enough to be accessible even to small universities. This design was first developed and tested in 2018 at California Polytechnic State University, featuring a cost per test …

Bowl-O-Matic, Nathan Lin, Luis Torres, Jill Worthington, Aiden Foote

Mechanical Engineering

Adaptive physical education presents the unique challenge of accommodating individuals with diverse physical and cognitive abilities. Instructors and program designers must often integrate specialized equipment, fixtures, or features to ensure activities remain safe, inclusive, and user-friendly. Beyond accessibility, adaptive physical education highlights the importance of empowerment— enabling every participant to experience personal growth, confidence, and connection through movement. Friday Club, a local San Luis Obispo program supported by Cal Poly’s Kinesiology Department, embodies these values by providing adaptive physical activities that promote health and well-being for individuals with varying abilities. One of the most popular and regularly held activities is …

Me3329 Modular Phonograph Gearbox, Garrett Andrik Leighton, Preston Robert Hupe, Gavin Carter Ebner, Andrew Renato Reyes

Mechanical Engineering

The Mechanical Engineering Department at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly), seeks to develop a laboratory tool allowing students to reinforce concepts of gears for Mechanical Systems Design (ME329). Some current laboratories do not provide students with hands-on interaction, and the department lacks equipment and documentation to support a standardized lab. With ME329 expanding from ten to fifteen weeks, there is an opportunity to create a physical gearbox design lab allowing students to reinforce lecture material in engaging ways, while standardizing student learning. This senior project is presented and sponsored by Professor Alan Zhang. It will be …

Custom Animatronic Puppet, Jake Schuman, Fredy Herrarte, Madison Reedy, Jackson Reynolds

Mechanical Engineering

This project involved the design, fabrication, and implementation of a custom audio-animatronic puppet modeled after Dr. Brian Davis for the California Polytechnic State University Mechanical Engineering Department. The objective was to create an expressive, lifelike character capable of synchronized speech, head movement, arm gestures, and seated-to-standing motion while demonstrating the integration of mechanical design, controls, manufacturing, and artistic fabrication.

The final system consists of an 18-degree-of-freedom animatronic platform utilizing servo-driven facial and upper-body actuation combined with a pneumatic standing mechanism. A modular aluminum and 3D-printed structural framework was developed using SolidWorks and validated through engineering analysis. Character shells were digitally …

Peltier-Based Hydration Accumulation Terminal (P.H.A.T.), Jenner Mucher, Ethan Pace, Renee Robolledo, Sabrina Luo, Taehoon Lee, Tarsem Pal

Mechanical Engineering

The objective of this project is to design an innovative potable water dispenser capable of safely delivering hot, ambient, and chilled water on demand for human lander missions. The system will support astronauts’ hydration and food rehydration needs while minimizing mass, power, maintenance, and contamination risks in microgravity and partial-gravity environments. Current spacecraft dispensers, such as the International Space Station (ISS) system, provide only heated water and have limited temperature control, cleaning accessibility, and microbial resilience. Building on NASA heritage designs and lessons learned from the ISS Potable Water Dispenser, this project advances a lighter, simpler, and more energy-efficient concept …

Me3328 Buckling Lab, Willem Bitterolf, Samantha Flores, Jacy Gonsalves, Brooke Thompson

Mechanical Engineering

The objective of this senior design project is to design and develop an instructional buckling apparatus (hereafter referred to as a “buckling tester”) to enhance student comprehension of column buckling behavior through direct experimental investigation. The apparatus is specifically intended to bridge the gap between theoretical predictions and observed physical response of structural column members subjected to axial compressive loading. In particular, the system will allow students to examine how column behavior transitions between Euler’s elastic buckling theory, which governs long, slender columns, and the Johnson parabolic formula, which more accurately describes intermediate and shorter columns influenced by material yielding. …

Guitar Pickup Testing Fixture, Koen Graue, Ethan Rezentes, Max Schecter, Timothy Webb

Mechanical Engineering

Small guitar pickup manufacturers and hobbyists have an interest in developing guitar pickups with unique tonal characteristics and responses, but currently lack a reliable way to test these pickups and characterize their sound. I.M. Bohannon Mechanical Design approached the team to develop a solution to this problem. In response, the team researched current technologies, customer needs, and existing products on the market to define the scope and requirements for a guitar pickup testing fixture. This report documents the work completed during the project scope and definition phase of Cal Poly's senior project process. It discusses researched topics and existing solutions, …

Semi-Automated Wine Barrel Filler, Elliot Jason Dejong, Carlo Caesare Deianni, Brady Emerson J. Leib

Mechanical Engineering

The proposed project is a semi-automated wine barrel filler. Currently, there is no streamlined and affordable method for smaller wineries to fill wine barrels without dedicating complete focus to the task. The primary use is controlled filling for white wine fermentation, during which an air gap must be left in the barrel to allow for expansion of the wine during fermentation. Tom Greenough, Saucelito Canyon’s head winemaker, and associate winemaker Bodie Ringhofer are the primary stakeholders in our project and want to consistently fill barrels at their winery to a fluid volume of approximately 50 gallons each. This project serves …

Desktop Dynamometer, Ryan Boister, Zachary Chung, Molly Koretz, Tyler Lum

Mechanical Engineering

This senior project presents the design and development of a desktop dynamometer for measuring the performance of small electric motors. The system integrates torque and speed measurement with data acquisition hardware to calculate power output and evaluate motor performance. The compact and cost-effective design provides a practical platform for engineering education, testing, and performance characterization of small-scale power systems.

Smart Sleeve, Evan Abalos, Bright Jung, Owen Bowling, Wyatt Eberhart

Mechanical Engineering

Quantifying human arm muscle activity is essential for understanding human movements and helping individuals who suffer from motor or neurological impairments such as stroke or traumatic brain injuries. Today, these individuals, as well as clinicians, researchers, and athletes, face many challenges when using the traditional surface electromyography (sEMG) systems to monitor muscle activities, including complex setup, restricted mobility, discomfort, inconsistent placement of electrodes, and lack of accuracy. Therefore, a comfortable EMG sleeve device that accurately measures arm movement without interfering with daily tasks is needed, which the team will be designing, manufacturing, and testing as their senior project. In addition, …

Me3328 Combined Loading Beam Bending Lab, Alejandro Islas, Viswesh Vancheeswaran, Owen Spencer, Henry Andrews

Mechanical Engineering

Serving as a new laboratory experiment for ME 3328 (Design for Strength & Stiffness), strain gauges were adhered, wired, and calibrated on a cantilever beam lab apparatus capable of undergoing pure bending, pure torsion, and combined bending.

Implementation Of A Line-Scan Camera Triangulation Sensor For A Ball Balancer, Jackson R. Mclaughlin

Master's Theses

Ball Balancer or Ball on Plate systems are used for education and research in control theory. These consist of a plate which can be actively tilted, with a ball rolling on the surface. Students are challenged to model the dynamics of the system and implement a control loop which is capable of stabilizing the ball by actuating the plate.  The mechatronics group at Cal Poly is developing hardware for one of these ball-balancer systems, for future use in the Mechanical Engineering curriculum.

The position of the ball relative to the plate must be measured in order to control and stabilize …

Off-Grid Cabin Hydroelectric Generator, Keller Feltman, Lance Savatgy, River Perino, Jesse Valencia

Mechanical Engineering

This project developed a portable hydroelectric generator intended to provide low-power electricity generation for an off-grid cabin in Alpine County, California. The system was designed to utilize naturally occurring creek flow to generate electrical power while remaining portable, durable, and environmentally conscious.

The final system consists of an axial-flow turbine, belt-driven generator subsystem, waterproof electronics enclosure, aluminum support frame, and integrated wildlife protection screening. Engineering analysis was performed to estimate hydraulic power availability, turbine performance, drivetrain requirements, and component lifespan. These analyses guided the selection and development of the final design.

Throughout prototype testing, several design modifications were required. Initial …

Elastic Actuator For Robotic Leg, Bruce Berg, Allan Pham, Madeline Slater, Sofie Zalatimo

Mechanical Engineering

The Cal Poly Legged Robots Group (CPLRG) is developing a 12 degree of freedom robot with the goal of eventually performing highly dynamic movements such as jumps and flips. During such movements, large impact forces will be experienced by the leg, potentially resulting in damage to physical components such as the motors. The scope of this project is to integrate elastic elements into the quadruped legs to reduce shock loads on the motors and improve the efficiency of the legs through energy storage. The key stakeholders for this project are Professor Charlie Refvem and Dr. Simon Xing. Other stakeholders include …

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 …

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 …

Collins Aerospace Automated Pressure Switch Tester, Joseph C. La Barbera, Kevin Cordero, Brenda Sanchez, Molly Bramm

Honors Capstones

For aerospace companies like Collins, pressure switches are crucial for safety, precise control, and reliability. As such, thorough testing of these switches is an essential step in Collins’ manufacturing workflow. However, current testing regimes suffer from several critical drawbacks. Firstly, they require constant manual supervision, costing precious time and manpower. Existing systems are also only able to test one single switch at a time, which creates backlog and delays. Lastly, current testing equipment has poor integration with the Collins digital ecosystem, hindering the utility of these devices. To solve these design challenges, a new system is required that is self-operable, …

Lunar Regolith Sintered Brick Apparatus, Andrew Fasano, Noah Parayil, Darius Felix Karra

Senior Design Project For Engineers

This project describes the preliminary design and analysis of the Semi-Autonomous Lunar Regolith Sintered Brick Apparatus that will assist in developing permanent infrastructure on the Moon. An issue with permanent lunar operations is the transportation of materials to the Moon. To address this, the designed device uses lunar regolith as the source material for producing bricks. This design considers the constraints set for operation with the Griffin lunar lander: maximum payload mass of 200 kg, power consumption below 5 kW, and limited payload dimensions. The design uses a combination of a laser sintering motion system, a regolith layering subsystem, a …

Portable Humidity Chamber, Calvin Wright, Ian Heilers, Sam Taylor

Honors Capstones

This engineering project, sponsored by Crandall Stats and Sensors, focuses on improving the ability to test product performance under controlled environmental conditions by designing a portable humidity chamber capable of maintaining a stable relative humidity between 20 and 80 percent with a tolerance of ±0.5 percent. Consistent humidity is crucial for evaluating how moisture influences material properties, product reliability, and long-term durability in real production environments. Because Crandall conducts testing across multiple facility locations, the chamber must also be lightweight, transportable, and easy for operators to use without specialized training. Developing such a system provides the company with a valuable …

Development Of Low-Cost Triaxial Force Sensor For Measurement Of Human-Exoskeleton Interaction Forces, Hamdan Khan Sarvathullah

All Theses

Contemporary research suggests that shear force is a major contributor to discomfort and pressure injury. However, the variation of shear forces during human-exoskeleton interaction dynamics is a highly unexplored field. The high cost of commercial triaxial force sensors may be a major factor in the notable lack of research in this field. Therefore, in this paper, we present a low-cost, 3D-printed triaxial force sensor designed specifically to measure the triaxial interaction forces between an exoskeleton and its user. The triaxial force sensor uses Carbon-Black/Silicone Rubber (CB/SR) strings to measure shear forces, whereas the normal force is measured with a Force …