2018-2019

Background: 

The Robofish competition is typically conducted within MAE 165, Advanced Manufacturing. The competition consists of designing and manufacturing a robotic fish that is capable of traveling underwater. We are tackling this challenge as a design project with the goal of creating a complex design that can travel farther than any other design.

Goal:

Design and Manufacture a robot capable of moving 12ft underwater while being completely submerged

Objectives:

• Complete all designs and modeling during fall quarter
• Complete all buoyancy calculations by end of fall quarter 
• Complete all manufacturing and have a completed robot by mid winter quarter 
• Finish all testing and revisions by end of winter quarter

Advisor: Marc Madou email: mmadou@uci.edu

Team Contact: Osvaldo Montiel email: montielo@uci.edu

Background

Methane Hydrates are molecules of methane (CH4) bound within a crystal lattice of ice (H2O). The general formula for this gas hydrate (clathrate) is CH4*nH2O, where n represents the number of water molecules in the lattice structure. The nominal methane hydrate composition is CH4*5.75H2O.

Methane Hydrates are formed at high pressure and very low temperatures. Discoveries in the past decades have brought to light the existence of methane hydrates in marine sediments and under shallow permafrost deposits in arctic regions where these conditions are ideal. Since the discovery, they have been studied for extraction to use as a source of energy. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, it is estimated that the global methane hydrate resource is 20,000 trillion cubic meters which is about 700,000 trillion cubic feet (Tcf). The U.S. currently only has about 2,074 Tcf of methane hydrate resource. Researchers at the University of Texas estimate that given...

Background

As part of the UC Irvine Intelligent Ground Vehicle team, students will be in charge of designing and testing a vehicle that will be able to autonomously navigate through an obstacle course for participation in the Intelligent Ground Vehicle Competition (IGVC).

The IGVC offers a design experience that is multidisciplinary, theory-based, hands-on, team implemented, outcome assessed, and based on product realization. It encompasses the very latest technologies impacting industrial development including intelligent transportation systems, military applications, and manufacturing. The deadline of the Intelligent Ground Vehicle Competition creates a real-world constraint that provides potential winning recognition and financial gain.

Goal and Objectives

As a new project at UCI, our ultimate goal is to at least compete and perhaps win the rookie award for the 2019 Autonav Intelligent Ground Vehicle Competition. Our goal for this project is to create a 2.5’ x 3.5’ x 6’ ground vehicle that can complete a...

Students address a design challenge proposed by the Faculty Advisor integrating a renewable energy source into a UAV. The goal this year is to get a UAV to fly longer through the integration of solar panels. Students are expected to minimize mechanical and electrical losses and extend the flight time of the UAV by 15%. 

Summary:

UAV Forge is a multidisciplinary engineering senior design project with a focus on designing, building, and programming unmanned aerial vehicles in order to complete flight missions under a time limit. Through research and hands-on experience, students are able to work towards creating an autonomous aircraft. This project, UAV Forge, aims to allow students to gain technical skills and learn more about the engineering process. We hope to further current UAV technology through image capture and recognition, vertical takeoff and landing, and more. Through inspiring innovation and teamwork between the different students in MAE, EECS, CPE, CSE and CS majors, students are able to come out of the project with a broader knowledge of the different engineering fields.

MAE

Background

In the United States, more than 80% of its total energy comes from fossil fuels. Fossil fuel products, such as plastic, are essential to our lives, and the demand for this energy increases each year. However, as the rate of fossil fuel consumption rises, the rate of fossil fuel production will fall behind, which will result in fossil fuels depleting. With fossil fuel production decreasing and demand increasing, products such as gasoline will be more expensive and will continue to harm the environment.

As a result, the world has been looking for clean and renewable fuel. The solution developed for this problem is the hydrogen fuel cell. Hydrogen fuel burns with oxygen and produces pollution-free water. Also, hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe, which means that it is inexhaustible, unlike fossil fuels.

Although hydrogen fuel meets all the demands the world is requiring, it...

Our firm, RPM & Associates has been given the opportunity to develop Planning Area 1, also known as Orchard Hills. Our team plans to follow the City of Irvine's general plan and create a development to improve economic prosperity, ensure safety, and ultimately improve the quality of life for all its residents. A main component of this development will be the Multi-Use Event Center (Stadium) which will be created to host events and major sporting events. Along with the event center, we strive to encourage the use of public transit to limit the number of vehicles on the roads during peak periods. 

The project is split into three phases. The three phases are Project Planning, Project Design, and Project Construction. This project requires research and planning to ensure the development complies with all of the restrictions, design codes, and constraints. Then the actual design for community layouts, infrastructure components, and event stadium...

--- Background ---

The goal of the UC Irvine Internal Combustion Formula SAE (FSAE-IC) Team is to research, design, build, and test a formula-style car to win the 2019 FSAE Lincoln competition. FSAE Lincoln is an annual competition that hosts 80 teams, all consisting of students, from across the globe and they compete against each other in a series of dynamic and static events. Teams are scored based on their performance, with the top teams earning scores of 850+ points. This will be the fifth consecutive year that UCI has developed an internal-combustion car for this competition.

Last year’s car, Phantom, was by far the fastest car the FSAE-IC team has ever produced. The car featured a plethora of improvements over the previous year's car. The most notable improvement being the addition of a high-downforce aerodynamics package, the first in the team’s history. The team finished 4th in the Acceleration...

Currently our project is at a point where the mechanical, electrical and computer science aspects of the project are finished and being optimized. Next quater, we will focus on combining the three portions of the project to produce a working prototype.

Motivation

Why study Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFCs)?

1. Only water as a by-product and zero pollutant emissions (NOx, CO, HC)
2. Fuel cells are more efficient at the same scale; use less fuel and generate more energy
3. Useful for stationary power, transportation, and backup generator applications

Our Project

The Department of Energy (DOE) 2020 targets for PEMFCs include a cell potential of 0.8V while outputting 300mA/cm2. Most PEMFCs achieve a limiting current density near 1A/cm2 with air as the oxidant. Our goal was to design and manufacture a PEMFC that could meet the DOE target as well as have the fuel cell reach a limiting current density of 1.5A/cm2 with air. Within the academic year, we were able to develop a fuel cell with an unconventional flow field design. Experiments were conducted to study the effects of compression, flow media material, and flow rates on the fuel cell's...

HyperXite was created to meet the challenges of SpaceX’s Hyperloop Competition. This is HyperXite’s fourth iteration, competing in SpaceX’s Fourth Hyperloop Pod Competition in the summer of 2019. Our goal is to build a high speed, self-propelled Hyperloop pod and complete a successful vacuum run during the Fourth SpaceX Hyperloop Competition in the Summer of 2019.

The competition was founded by Elon Musk to find a way to create the fastest land based mode of transportation, in particular, to find an alternative to California’s future “high speed rail.” Musk and his team came up with the idea of a “Hyperloop,” a near vacuum tube that would allow a pod or a capsule to reach high speeds by riding a cushion of air to reduce friction.

The competition itself is based on teams’ pod designs, with an emphasis on maximum speed. This year, HyperXite is modifying our pod used in Competition...

Background

The UC Irvine Rocket Project aims to push the boundaries of collegiate rocketry and the development of liquid propellant rockets. Our project strives to prepare students for successful careers in the aerospace and defense industry. In 2017, Base 11 became a partner of the UCI Rocket Project. Their gracious donation enabled the construction of our rocket lab as well as provided enough support to join in the Base 11 Space Challenge.

Background

A thermocouple is an electrical device used to detect the temperature changing. Nowadays, thermocouple, as a kind of thermal sensor, is being used in many fields, for example, hospital, vehicle engines probes, and sensors. With the trend in demand for increased performance and reliability.

We are focusing on how the time response will change regarding the change in the size of the thermocouple in microscale. If the time response is reduced, the efficiency of the temperature sensor system will increase, which would benefit in many fields. 

Goal and Objectives

Our goal for this project is decreasing the time response for an accurate reading from 0.06s to 0.03s by reducing the size of thermocouples. Having a faster response, thermocouples can be more efficient in measuring temperature changes in industrial, medical and daily aspects. Then apply the wireless device to make it into a product.

Fall  2018
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Cargo Plane is a senior competition project based on the SAE Aero Design West rules and regulations. The goal of the project was to design a lightweight airplane using wood and metal, allowing high lift generation with low velocities. The plane design parameters were to minimize weight, maximize passengers and cargo capacity while still following all the SAE competition rules. The airplane weight was optimized to be the smallest fraction possible of the 55lb takeoff limit to maximize payload. Therefore, the design team focused on analyzing multiple plane designs from previous years to pinpoint successful features for design incorporation. Plane dimensions were all calculated with equations found in accredited aerospace papers and test book. Through Finite Element Analysis (FEA) simulations, structural analysis, and material property tables, it determined balsa, poplar, birch ply, Sitka spruce, and 6061-T6 aluminum were optimal building materials for construction due to the high specific strength properties....

The SolEaters must design, construct, and raise funds for a fully powered solar racecar that surmounts the scrutineering process for the American Solar Challenge, a cross-country endurance race for solar cars around the world. As the first established solar car team at UCI, we hope to build a solid foundation for a solar racing team that will continue to engineer sustainable vehicles for many years to come.

Background

Originating out of the World Solar Challenge (WSC) that took place 30 years ago in Australia, The American Solar Challenge (ASC) is a spinoff started by GM in 1990. GM encouraged collegiate teams to design and build a solar powered vehicle, followed by a series of one-day stages along a predetermined route. In 2001, The Innovators Educational Foundation took over sponsorship of the event, and with that came a new format for the event, including multi-day stages, higher mileages, and...

The Variable Emissivity Radiator being researched and designed at UCI provides control to lower the outer surface emissivity during sunlight exposure, and increase it again to dissipate heat in cover. All while using minimal power and no moving components. This saves on weight, cost, and complexity of cooling solutions for small satilites.

Background

The UCI Baja 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. 

Goal and Objectives

The objective of the 2019 UCI Baja SAE team is to develop a reliable, competitive single-seat off road vehicle to place among the top 10 teams in the upcoming 2019 Baja SAE West competition. In order to accomplish this, the 2019 competition vehicle, named RENEGADE, must be the lightest, fastest, best performing, and most reliable vehicle that the team has ever produced....

When an individual suffers from a stroke, many lose somatosensation in one of their hands. This leads to a loss of the sense of touch (tactile sensation) and sense of movement of their limbs (proprioception).  This lack of focus is not beneficial to the patients and does not result in optimal recovery.  Design a device that will focus on the rehabilitation of somatosensation in stroke patients while providing an affordable, portable, and convenient means for doing so.

For the 2019-2020 school year Touch Trainer is looking for a team leader, lead for coding, designing, electronics, and manufacturing.  This project requires 5-7 members.  Contact Yasmin Shokes at yshokes@uci.edu for any questions or interest.

In recent years, advancements in engineering, mathematics, and morphology have opened the door for bio-inspired flight. What was once beyond the capabilities of scientists and engineers now presents itself as a wealth of unexplored technology and research opportunities. The Flapping Wing Micro Air Vehicle Project must combine in-depth research and engineering to generate the future of flying machines.

The specific challenge the FWMAV Project addresses is recreating the high frequency flapping observed in hummingbirds and insects, and applying it in an innovative and novel way. Through a systematic approach, the team must improve upon existing technology to generate flight dynamics observed in nature, discover potential physical advantages that can be exploited, and apply these discoveries to a working proof of concept. 

Coordination of swallowing with respiration might have some bad effects for the preterm infant as feeding requires integration with neuromotor control and cardiorespiratory stability. The pharynx is the shared anatomic pathway for both swallowing and breathing. During infant feeding, swallow influences respiratory efforts, as respiration is inhibited centrally during pharyngeal swallowing. Therefore, the precise coordination of sucking, swallowing, and breathing is necessary during bottle feeding. However, in a coordinated nutritive sucking cycle, breathing is interposed between swallows in a sequential pattern (Bu’Lock et al., 1990), and respiration can be interrupted at any point in the cycle of inspiration or expiration by the swallow (Vice and Gewolb, 2008). The clinical application of monitoring respiratory wave patterns may be helpful in identifying the infant’s readiness to initiate and progress feeds orally. This measure of variability may also be used as a screening tool clinically to identify coordination patterns in infants with oral...

Neos aims to solve one of the world's most common hazards. Despite progressive technological advancements in car safety, these improvements alone are not sufficient enough in reducing the amount of car accidents happening on a daily basis. With the introduction of the Smart Speed Limit Sign (SSS), Neos hopes to not only create a safer driving experience where everyone will be more knowledgeable and aware of the conditions they are driving in but also to decrease the costly bills associated with accidents.

Modern race car telemetry systems are used professionally so the cost of these systems is not a concern such as it is to amateur racers.  Entry level data loggers cost upwards of 600 dollars so we set a goal to create an affordable yet efficient data acquisition system for racecars as long as they have an OBD-II port. Even though this has been attempted in the past, we have also set another goal to make the software we develop user friendly since past attempts were difficult to use.

The project proposes a new development in Planning Area 1 in the City of Irvine, CA. The approximately 4200 acre lot will be established into a mixed-use development consisting of commercial, industrial, and agricultural. The main aspects of the development will focus around a vineyard and estates. The estates will provide the residents with a high quality of living and will be tailored to wine enthusiasts. Attractions, such as, hot air balloon, a museum, winery will be implemented onto the site boosting the economy and creating a space for recreation. 

Our goal is to combine the most advanced software frame with the most light weight hardware to implement a most powerful system.

There are many devices need to be maintained every day. For example, a gas leak has to be monitored every day and reduce the risk of much more huge risks. That’s the reason why we proposed this Robot Car with many sensors, including a camera. We are dedicated to building a platform for better monitoring the abnormity in various kind of factories. Getting data doesn’t mean problems are solved. We will also be building a website to provide a platform for users to interact with the Robot Car. In this website, the user can adjust the normal ranges for the sensor data, like temperature.   

Now we are almost done with the hardware part and will focus on the software part more in the remained days.

Drone has been utilized in variable fields. It lowers the cost, increases working efficiency and flexibility, and extend work field to  places that humans cannot reach. In east Asian agriculture, pH value of water is vital to the growth of crops. Extreme change of pH value causes unrecoverable damage to crops, so a reliable consistent autonomous pH value detector is necessary,

Amazot Go is a cashierless grocery store that uses facial recognition to allow customers the quickest shopping experience of their lives.

I-Hand is a robotic hand that can finish some tasks based on operator's mind under different situations. 

UGV Forge is an autonomous rescue vehicle that is quick to land, locate, and deliver supplies to given GPS Coordinates. Working in part with UAV Forge, our vehicle is designed to be dropped out of the sky from an autonomous air vehicle and use GPS coordinates provided from the radio ground station to navigate to the destination. Our vehicle incorporates local sensors (Ultrasound, Barometer, Bump sensors, LiDar) for short distance autonomous navigation and radio wave communication for long distance autonomous navigation (Radio Wave communication, GPS Receiver).  However, UGV Forge is a modular project with more then one purpose as our design is not limited to strictly delivering supplies. The UGV Forge vehicle also serves a green initiative to help conserve water in agriculture. UGV will be capable of autonomously mapping the water concentration of a region of grass or soil in order to determine where water is being wasted and where water...