MAE Projects

Active AntFins

Active AntFins
MAE

The Active Antfins project works with the UCI Rocket Project Solids Team to  maximize the apogee of solid-propellant rockets. Due to external factors such as wind drift and changes in mass due to fuel burn, rockets can become unstable. To combat this, we are designing a module to keep a rocket stable by actively controlling the fins of the rocket. The Active Antins will control the rocket fins using servos, an IMU and a Microcontroller. This control module is designed around an existing solid-propellant rocket from the team. Additionally, it can be adjusted to fit into new rockets that the team develops in the future.

Anteater Baja Racing SAE

MAE

Background:

The UCI Anteater Baja Racing SAE team competes yearly in the Baja SAE West Collegiate Design Competition hosted by the Society of Automotive Engineers. Each year the team develops a brand-new single-seat off-road vehicle for the competition based on research into the dynamics of off-road vehicles and a critical analysis of the previous year’s car. The yearly competition hosts 100 collegiate teams from across the world and consists of a series of static and dynamic events culminating in the 4-hour, 100 car wheel-to-wheel endurance event. 

Anteater Electric Racing - FSAE EV

MAE

We are UC Irvine’s Electric Racing Team, a senior design project in the Henry Samueli School of Engineering. Founded in 2011, our mission is to help students grow as engineering professionals by creating a space where they can apply their engineering knowledge to a hands-on project. In addition to strengthening the students’ skills, this venture helps foster team-building, communication, and leadership expertise. The final goal for this project, along with allowing the students to build an electric race car from scratch, is to compete in the student FSAE competition.

 

Antenna Tracker for UAV Forge

Antenna Tracker Logo
MAE

Our goal is to have a system that enables rapid, accurate tracking of the UAV in flight and deliver the relevant metrics to the ground station team so they can conduct their work more efficiently. Our plan is to create a system that supports the airMAX NanostationM 5Ghz station by allowing it to rotate 180 degrees around a vertical axis and 90 degrees across an axis tangent to the surface of the earth, relies on an independent power supply, and delivers angle adjustment information to the ground station team using code developed by the greater UAV Forge project.

ASME Human Powered Vehicle Challenge

MAE

During the spring quarter, our team will design a human-powered vehicle able to be ridden by one person that can complete one or two competitions held by ASME, which include speed competition, endurance competition, and a practical usage exam. Although no actual prototype will be made this quarter, the project team is required to come up with a completely designed plan for the human-powered vehicle's assembly and testing. The Anteater-Power Vehicle has six people, each two team members from a subteam which includes Chassis, Human interface, and Powertrain. Three subteams will be responsible for one sub-system of the human-powered vehicle and collabrate together to complete the project. 

Autonomous Target Robot Project

MAE

The autonomous robot project is a naval research project. The purpose of the project is to design, program, manufacture, and test an autonomous vehicle that can locate pre-determined GPS coordinates and present a target to the shooter.

Autonomous Underwater Vehicle

MAE

The Autonomous Underwater vehicle project is created by a student-led group of Mechanical Engineering students working with Professor Camilo Velez to study and manufacture a swarm of small scale robots that can swim underwater. Our inspiration for this project stems from the idea that nano robots can work together to detect, isolate and remove a single cell in the human body. In an effort to work towards this idea, our team is set to construct a number of small-scale robots that can autonomously navigate 3-Dimensionally in a swimming pool to detect and attach magnetically to a specified item.

Autonomous Underwater Vehicle

MAE

Background 

The Autonomous Underwater vehicle project is a student-led group of Mechanical Engineering students working with Professor Camilo Velez to study and manufacture a swarm of small scale robots. Our inspiration for this project stems from the idea that nano robots can work together to detect, isolate and remove a single cell in the human body. In an effort to work towards this idea, our team is set to construct a number of small-scale robots that can autonomously navigate in a swimming pool to detect and attach magnetically to a specified item. 

 

Bandsaw Blade Guide UX Design

Laguna Tools Bandsaw Blade Guide UX Design
MAE

In this project, we are working for Laguna Tools to redesign the upper and lower bandsaw blade guides on the 14-Twelve bandsaw. Bandsaw's blades are supported by the guides in three directions: the two sides and the back side. The current design features a rail system where the guides are able to slide and be locked in place with a screw. Currently the lower guide's adjustment knobs are obstructed by the bandsaw table and other components making it difficult to properly adjust the guide. The objective of this project is to design the guides such that they are user friendly, have precise and accurate adjustments, and be easy to manufacture.

Cargo Plane

MAE

UCI Cargo Plane is an undergraduate design project based on the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) Aero Design West Competition. The goal of this project is to design, manufacture, and test an electric RC aircraft with Short Takeoff and Landing (STOL) capabilities. 

Design Build Fly

MAE

As indicated by the title “Design, Build, Fly”, this project involves the design of an aircraft for the purpose of completing three air missions and one ground mission, building components of the aircraft that are not commercially available, and testing and flying the aircraft. The design of the aircraft is optimized solely to complete the missions. The missions are as follows: For mission 1 (deployment flight), the aircraft must complete 3 laps within a 5 minute flight window without a payload and complete a successful landing; For mission 2 (Staging Flight), the aircraft must complete 3 laps within a 5 minute flight window with a payload of at least 10 syringes; For mission 3 (Vaccine Delivery Flight), the aircraft has 10 minutes to  complete as many ‘vaccine package’ deployments as possible; Finally, ground mission is a timed mission with the aircraft in the flight configuration in the “mission box” with Mission 2 and 3 payloads. The assembly crew must demonstrate the functionality of the aircraft by deploying all payloads. The design of the aircraft will focus on the requirements of the third mission where the aircraft must be able to complete a flight course within a time window while carrying a payload and making several takeoffs and landings. The wings, fuselage, empennage, will be drawn and built by the team. Components such as the battery, propellers, motors, wheels will be carefully selected to meet the aircraft performance requirements. The team is divided into sub teams that focus on aircraft performance, propulsion, CAD, payload and the like. 

EDI Precision Alcohol Sprayer for Aerospace Cleaning

MAE

For this project, our team was tasked to design a flexible IPA Sprayer made to navigate through the complex geometries of 3D printed components. The primary task is to fully coat the inside with IPA so that residual IPA can be analyzed for contamination.

Electric Powered Water Filtration

CEE
MAE

The World Health Organization published that more than 884 million people did not have access to safe drinking water in 2017. Unsanitary water can cause different diseases like cholera, dysentery, and polio. The goal of this project is to design and build an affordable, portable, and sustainable water filtration system that can provide clean drinking water for one day for a family of four in developing countries. This team will design a system that uses electric power to operate a pump or similar device to move water from the source to the designed filtration system.

Espresso-Mini Rocket Engine Test Stand Project

MAE

The solid rocket team will be designing a high power rocket to compete in the 10,000 ft Spaceport America cup next year. They also plan to develop their own solid propellant rocket motors in the near future. In order to verify the functionality of both their selected motor for the upcoming competition and the custom motors they are planning to build, the solids team will need a specialized test stand to safely measure and record the thrust of high powered rocket motors. Our goal is to design a compact, portable test stand that can characterize the thrust curves of a wide range of rocket motors with maximum stability. 

FUSION Engineering Project 2021-22

MAE

Like many professional organizations at UCI, FUSION takes pride in providing experience and opportunities to eager students. We believe in Social support, Professionalism, Academia, Culture, and Engineering as pillars for our club. Each of these pillars are deeply embedded in our annual engineering projects. Since the beginning of this club, iterations of the club projects gained recognition for providing valuable experience and lessons for the participating students. This year, FUSION presents the 2021-2022 Engineering Project: Hungry Hungry Hippos.

HyperXite

MAE

Background

Established in 2015, HyperXite is a team of undergraduate students endeavoring to build a Hyperloop pod.

LiDAR Vision

MAE

LiDAR Vision is a senior design project aimed to design and fabricate a 2D-localization LiDAR equipped device. In order for robots to perform independently and autonomously, they need to be aware of the environment around them. The sensors built into the robots can function as their “eyes” to detect surroundings and provide feedback to the unit to adjust their movements accordingly. LiDAR sensors, using light detection and ranging to locate, are very cost-effective in the markets and accurate while detecting and ranging obstacles. Our team is designing and fabricating a standalone 2D-localization LiDAR equipped device that can operate functionally indoors.

Long Range Drone

MAE

The mission of the Long Range Drone Senior Project is to create a lightweight drone that can fly for thirty minutes or longer using stored electrical power by the end of the winter quarter in 2022. The drone will carry a camera for navigational purposes. The drone will be designed to accommodate a hydrogen fuel cell by spring quarter of 2022.

 

Mechanical Ventilator Compressor Test Bench

Test Bench Diagram
MAE

Background:

The goal of this project is to test the compressor of a ventilator, that is used in the medical field, and to experimentally gather data and determine the best possible design by comparing different criteria. There are two design iterations that will be finalized for 3D printed and experimental testing. Once completed students will begin to build a test bench for running tests to find the compressor maps for the compressors which will show the projected map contours. Compressor maps will show RPM-Pressure-flow rate, Efficiency-Pressure-flow rate, Power-Pressure-flow rate, and Noise-Pressure-flow rate. Interfacing with sensored brushless DC motor, flow sensor, and pressure sensors will be done on Labview. Different compressors will be compared and the most efficient design configuration will be selected.

MORF NX

MAE

Project Background:

For this Spring quarter project, Team MorfNX will be utilizing NX’s topology optimization tool to redesign an air duct for the 2008X X-series aircraft oil cooler. The team will examine the entire engine and cooling assembly as a whole, figuring out the maximum amount of volume the air duct can occupy (defining the design space), place geometry constraints, and boundary conditions in which the iterations of design will be fine-tuned and simulated using StarCCM+. By combining the power of topology optimization and computational fluid analysis, the team will come up with a design that can maximize the airflow for the cooling system.

MORF NX

MAE

Project Background:

For this Spring quarter project, Team MorfNX will be utilizing NX’s topology optimization tool to redesign an air duct for the 2008X X-series aircraft oil cooler. The team will examine the entire engine and cooling assembly as a whole, figuring out the maximum amount of volume the air duct can occupy (defining the design space), place geometry constraints, and boundary conditions in which the iterations of design will be fine-tuned and simulated using StarCCM+. By combining the power of topology optimization and computational fluid analysis, the team will come up with a design that can maximize the airflow for the cooling system.

MORF NX

MAE

Project Background:

For this Spring quarter project, Team MorfNX will be utilizing NX’s topology optimization tool to redesign an air duct for the 2008X X-series aircraft oil cooler. The team will examine the entire engine and cooling assembly as a whole, figuring out the maximum amount of volume the air duct can occupy (defining the design space), place geometry constraints, and boundary conditions in which the iterations of design will be fine-tuned and simulated using StarCCM+. By combining the power of topology optimization and computational fluid analysis, the team will come up with a design that can maximize the airflow for the cooling system.

Morf NX

Morf NX
MAE

Project Background:

For the winter and spring quarters of 2022, Siemens and Morf 3D have partnered up with the University of California, Irvine to teach senior-level Mechanical Engineering students using their CAD software, NX, emphasizing additive manufacturing in the aerospace industry. To get the UCI team familiarized with the NX software and the concept of additive manufacturing in the aerospace industry, Siemens and Morf 3D engineers will work alongside the UCI team. This project will serve as a guide to learn how additive manufacturing will be the future of the aerospace industry and the manufacturing industry because of the digitalization of engineering design projects in the industrial sectors. In this quarter, the UCI team will learn about engineering in the industry, applying applicable engineering design processes, modifying parts, making the correct design and manufacturing decisions, and ultimately designing effective support structures for the parts provided by Siemens and Morf 3D.

Portable Water Filtration System (human power)

MAE

Over the world developing countries suffer from unsanitary water causing diseases such as cholera and dysentery. Our team Clean H20 2 GO is developing a portable hand pump water filtration system that is affordable, sustainable, and effective. For our design we are utilizing mechanical and carbon capture filters to eliminate most of the sediments and bacteria found in river water. Our system should be able to hold the minimum of 10 liters of clean drinking water to provide for a family of four. The mechansim for our design is a vaccum pump to efficiently filter the water and have an optimized flow rate to achieve full capacity in under 5 to 10 minutes. Other key components we look to optimize is low maintenance work and manufacturing cost to provide easy use for these communitites.

Prosthetic Thumb

MAE

Client-focused project to develop prosthetic opposable thumb that allows for grasping objects with that hand. Work with an individual who retains portions of fingers on right hand, and has left arm and both feet amputated.

 

Project Team will interview client to assess and analyze needs, and obtain a 3D scan of residual hand. Team will then brainstorm design concepts before creating a CAD model of the prosthetic thumb prototype. Team members will perform calculations to determine degrees of freedom and force requirements. Appropriate adjustments will be made to the CAD design before first prosthetic thumb prototype is 3D printed. After testing the prototype with client to perfect the prototype, over several iterations, the design will be finalized and fabricated.

Recreate Energy

Recreate Energy : Energy for a Brighter Future
MAE

The goal of this project is to turn microalgae into crude oil for commercial use. The students must design effective growing systems - from physical tanks, to electronics, to regulating the environment - to turn the algae into fuel that results in cheap, clean, compatible fuels. Recreate Energy has previously tested the optimal algal growing conditions to build the reactor around and has already signed with a company to deliver a commercial ready bio-reactor with web management platform.  Recreate Energy is currently developing modular bioreactors, compared to the previous exclusively on open-air systems or closed-controlled systems, to lower costs and include the best of both systems when it comes to algae cultivation for biofuels. The project is separated into 3 sub teams that deal with specific design considerations: Temperature Control, Electro-Flocculation, and Electronic Box. 

RF Controlled Miniature Lathe: Spin Class

MAE

The RF Controlled Miniature Lathe project surrounds the conceptualization, design, and construction of a tabletop lathe that can be controlled and used to alter the inserted material without direct interaction with the machine. The miniature lathe's remote control capabilities will be supported by a radiofrequency controller, with joysticks that will allow for four directional movement: right, left, forward, and backward. In instituting a remote control option, users will be able to maintain a safe distance from the machine, even standing behind a glass shield, and still be able to chisel and sand the piece in question. As opposed to machining metal or solid wood cylindrical pieces, the mini lathe will process high-density closed cell foam. Fabrication of the lathe itself will combine 3D printed parts with manufactured wood components. 

RF-Controlled Unmanned Ground Vehicle

MAE

The RF-controlled Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV) is designed to perform jobs without a human operator onboard. Each RF-controlled UGV is designed differently to perform different tasks. An RF-controlled UGV would be perfect for the inspection of steel structures because the job could be very dangerous to human operators, and UGVs can be used for both civilians and military projects. A UGV makes it possible to perform inspections under realistic time constraints, where not only human errors will be avoided but also in locations human being would normally be unable to go. This process of steel inspection is multipurpose, meaning the UGV design will be able to accomplish multiple jobs. Furthermore, the advantages of the UGV is that it reduces injuries and fatalities in all parts of the steel inspection process.

Small Scale Wind Turbine

MAE

Maintaining lines of communication is vital in emergency situations. One major concern for those living in rural areas is being cut off from the electrical grid during natural disasters. The small-scale wind turbine project aims to design a scaled down wind turbine sized for a single household's personal use, in case of an emergency. The wind turbine should be capable of powering household devices needed in emergency situations, such as radios, lightbulbs and cellphones.This project encompasses the designing,  optimization and a fully developed manufacturing plan for the assembly of the wind turbine, as well as each of its constituent components.

Small Scale Wind Turbine

EECS
MAE

This project hopes to explore renewable energy on a personal scale. The Power Blades team is working on developing a small scale wind turbine suitable for camping applications. The wind turbine will be compact enough to fit a hiking backpack and should be easily deployed and assembled. It will be able to reliably provide enough electricity overnight to charge common camping appliances(cell phones, flashlights, camera battery, ...). The project consists of 2 teams, mechanical and electrical, that will practice the design process in order to plan and design the manufacturing of the small scale wind turbine. The actual manufacturing of this product will not be conducted.

teAM Radio: Mobile Robot Target Localization Using Passive RFID Technology

MAE

Background: 

With wifi being so prevelent it is easy to forget that it is not as commonplace as we think. In search and rescue scenarios many first responders often get trapped or injured while on duty with virtually no way to locate them. There are countless factors to take into account that make it impossible to prepare for with traditional tracking software. However, by using a passive RFID tag we can circumvent all the hassles and worries of a lost signal or power source to focus on retrieving lost or injured personnel. 

UAV Forge

EECS
MAE

UAV Forge is a multidisciplinary engineering design team that focuses on the design, manufacturing, programming and testing of autonomous aerial vehicles. The design aims to fulfill the constraints that allows the team to participate in the AUVSI SUAS 2021-2022 competition season. The AUVSI competition requires that the system’s UAV have autonomous flight capabilities, ability to perform object avoidance of stationary and dynamic objects, the ability to do object detection, localization, and classification. The system must also perform an airdrop task wherein UAV Forge will be manufacturing an assembly that will interface the UAV with a descent and autonomous ground vehicle. The ground vehicle,once landed, will autonomously drive to its’ set destination to complete payload delivery. Though the emphasis for this year’s team is to perform well in the competition setting, the primary objective is to ensure the undergraduate students participating in the project apply their engineering skills to a compelling real-world problem.

UAV Forge - Thrust Stand

MAE

Background:

The UAV Forge team has a competition and requires a means of measuring drone thrust in relation to battery drain under various load conditions and varying configurations, such as quad-, hexa-, and octocopers. Previous attempts by the Forge team to measure drone thrust had been proven inefficient and unreliable. The Forge team requested a dedicated team to design and manufacture a safe and reliable means of measuring and recording drone thrust. This stand is unique as it measures the thrust of the drone as a whole assembly whereas other methods measure the thrust using only a single propeller and motor.

UC Irvine Solar Airplane

MAE

The objective of UCI Solar Airplane Project is to design and manufacture a UAV that can assist with planning rescue missions and evacuation operations during natural disasters. The UAV will have its flight duration extended, at least by 30 minutes beyond battery-only duration, by installing solar panels. The imagery the proposed UAV will be able to collect can be used for the missions during natural disasters. A low-cost drone is more accessible by organization while still performing small imaging collection tasks. The proposed UAV will be able to fly at low heights to achieve a very low ground sample distance. The drone can aid with disaster relief efforts where accessibility is difficult for humans or visibility is limited.

UCI Bike Frame

MAE

UCI Bike Frame is a senior engineering project devoted to the design and manufacturing of bicycle frames. In the past, the project has functioned as a UROP grant-funded club and later a mechanical engineering senior project "UCI Bike Builders" (MAE 189).  The senior project is focused on developing an additively manufactured weldless bike that will utilize multiple materials. This bike is experimental in nature and allows for greater customization while also reducing assembly time. The bike will utilize off-the-shelf carbon tubes which will be connected using custom additively manufactured titanium lugs. The carbon tubes will be fixed to the lugs using a two-part epoxy and fishing wire will be wrapped around the ends of each tube to ensure concentricity at the mating surface. Tolerancing will be extremely important in determining the strength of the joint. The 3D-printed lugs will have to be post-processed in the machine shop to ensure accurate tolerancing.

UCI CanSat / AntSat

EECS
MAE

The CanSat competition is a design-build-fly competition that provides teams with an opportunity to experience the design life-cycle of an aerospace system. The CanSat competition is designed to reflect a typical aerospace program on a small scale and includes all aspects of an aerospace program from the preliminary design review to post mission review. The mission and its requirements are designed to reflect various aspects of real world missions including telemetry requirements, communications, and autonomous operations. Each team is scored throughout the competition on real-world deliverables such as schedules, design review presentations, and demonstration flights.

UCI CubeSat

CEE
EECS
MAE

UCI CubeSat is a student design team working on the design and construction of UCI's very first CubeSat satellite. Our mission is to deliver two research payloads to low earth orbit.

UCI Design Build Fly

MAE

Summary

The UCI DBF team plans to compete in the annual, nationwide competitionThe American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Design, Build, Fly (DBF) .The UCI team is divided into different divisions/subteams to work on specific parts for the aircraft. This page is for the payload subteam. We are responsible for the design of the fuselage and the drop mechanism of the team's aircraft, mainly focusing on Missions 2 & 3 of the competition. Missions will include deployment of the aircraft, staging of vaccination syringes, and delivery of vaccine vial packages with integrated 25G shock sensors which should not be triggered.. This team consists of students of all year levels working alongside each other to accomplish a common task and goal.

UCI IGV (Intelligent Ground Vehicle)

MAE

As technology advances, being autonomous has become a trending focus. Imagine cars can drive by themselves, foods can be delivered without human interaction, and rescuing jobs can be handled by autonomous robots. Aiming to achieve these wonderful outcomes, UCI IGV (Intelligent Ground Vehicle) team is formatted under the supervision of the UCI Mechanical Engineering department. Our goals are to design and fabricate an autonomous ground vehicle that can detect and avoid obstacles. The team is divided into three subteams, control, electrical, and mechanical. Each team has unique tasks and works closely with the others. The mechanical team mostly focuses on the mechanical side of the project. We aim to design a stable steering system that is capable of achieving a wide range of turning angles and a propulsion system that provides sufficient power that drives the vehicle forward at a reasonable speed. 

UCI Intelligent Ground Vehicle 2021

EECS
MAE

Background

Students that are a part of the UC Irvine Intelligent Ground Vehicle Team will design and test an autonomous ground vehicle that is able to navigate through an obstacle course. The technologies used in IGV encompass a wide range of applications in engineering including military mobility, intelligent transport systems, and manufacturing. 

Goals and Objectives 

UCI Intelligent Ground Vehicle W22

EECS
MAE

Background

Students that are a part of the UC Irvine Intelligent Ground Vehicle Team will design and test an autonomous ground vehicle that is able to navigate through an obstacle course. The technologies used in IGV encompass a wide range of applications in engineering including military mobility, intelligent transport systems, and manufacturing. 

Goals and Objectives 

UCI Rocket Project - Composite Winder

MAE

The UCI rocket project seeks a method to create custom rocket tubes in-house rather than outsourcing designs to third party providers. Additionally, commercial off-the-shelf rocket tubes for various diameters are costly or not available to meet specific requirements developed by the rocket project. Therefore, the 189 composite winder team will work to develop a composite winder system capable of directly and accurately applying composite fibers onto metal mandrels, pressure vessels (such as fuel and oxidizer tanks), and rocket tube skins varying from three to eleven inches in diameter. Composite materials are preferred for this project due to their high strength to weight capabilities which serves as a reinforcement to existing rocket skins and pressure vessels during high stress flight. The overall system aims to be constructed with a total budget of $800 utilizing components that are commercially available, if components must be custom manufactured, they should be simple to machine.  

Zot Tailsitter

MAE

Background:

UAV forge needs a new tailsitter drone design that is capable of completing a range of tasks required in Association for the Unmanned Vehicle Systems International Student Unmanned Aerial Systems Competition. The drone will need to take-off and land vertically (VTOL) and transition between hover and horizontal flight like a traditional fixed wing aircraft.