MAE

The UCI RoboSub team designs an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV). Our AUV features autonomous localization, ultrasound detection, and a magnetically actuated appendage for the retrieval of debris off of the seabed. This project fosters innovation in underwater robotics, emphasizing autonomy, precision, and teamwork while addressing real-world maritime and environmental challenges.

Background:

Our multidisciplinary team is working to design and fabricate a semiconductor chip through the use of a cleanroom and the equipment within it. In addition to development, the team aims to create educational content on semiconductor manufacturing to share knowledge and promote understanding. By combining the expertise of multiple engineering fields, in mechanical, electrical, and computer, we are working together to understand the processes and theories behind devices smaller than a millimeter.

Background:

In high-risk environments, wildfires can occur quickly and without warning. There is a need to monitor these areas, but many are difficult to access and traverse, and there is a limited amount of personnel capable of repeatedly surveying these areas. Therefore, we plan to design a UAV system capable of monitoring and navigating these high-risk locales. In the case of a fire, the UAV will be able to recognize it and take mitigating action, as well as interface with other systems with the data it has received.

Mission Statement:

EV Drivetrain is a senior design project dedicated to designing subsystems within the 2025 Anteater Electric Racing vehicle, such as the accumulator (lithium-ion battery) and motor mount. The goal of this project is to construct an optimized system for the accumulator and motor mount. This is done by producing prototypes and performing FEA to ensure proper function during static and high-performance events at the FSAE competition. Failure to properly design these systems can result in disqualification or driver injury.

Background

The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) hosts a competition called the e-Human Powered Vehicle Challenge (e-HPVC), where teams of students compete to design and fabricate human powered vehicles. 

Background:

Existing finger rehabilitation devices typically use exoskeletons to facilitate movement in disabled fingers. However, these devices are often large and costly, limiting their use to fixed locations, which restricts patients from using them in home environments. In this project, we aim to design a compact, portable robotic device specifically for home-based, thumb rehabilitation, addressing the need for a more accessible solution. This device is intended for stroke patients, helping them rehabilitate their affected thumbs through interactive exercises and simple games, enhancing mobility and engagement in their therapy.

Pulse Protectors:

Dr. Tang MicroBiomechanics Lab

Introduction:

This is Project Dyno, a senior design project with the objective of designing, building, and prototyping a quadruped robot dog capable of serving as a disaster search and rescue aid in a low-cost package. We were inspired to make a search and rescue robot in response to the recent hurricanes on the East Coast. The needs of a would-be disaster relief robot drive our major objectives: traverse adverse terrain, overcome small obstacles, and support integration with a claw. We were also inspired by Boston Dynamic’s SPOT robot, a quadruped robot that is extremely capable, but also extremely expensive, making it less accessible to local authorities. Dyno will be scaled down in size and capability but still be able to serve in search and rescue operations.

Our purpose: 

The purpose of Unmanned Autonomous Submarine team is to create a device that can perform underwater tasks in place of humans. Surveying, exploration, and underwater repair are a only few of many necessary jobs that ensure safe sea travel and to protect marine life. However, extreme ocean conditions and the risk of malfunctioning equipment make these jobs dangerous for humans.

Background 

Current gel imagers on the market are expensive and not customizable leading to increased lab expenses. To address this we will design a gel imager that allows for customizable filter swapping and standard smartphone image capture, saving the sponsor’s lab space and funding. The gel imager will be adjustable to various transilluminator models and smartphones. Additionally, the filter exchanger will be utilize user controlled tuning to swap and stack optical filters for gel electrophoresis analysis.

We are the UCI Solar Car Project (ZotSun), a student-run interdisciplinary team of 60 undergraduates from the University of California, Irvine with a passion for innovative engineering and sustainability. Our mission is to revolutionize zero-emission transportation. Currently, we are building a solar car to compete in the Formula Sun Grand Prix of 2025, a race designed to determine the most efficient and aerodynamic solar-powered vehicles.

AQUASOL is a project that studies the use of solar energy and other clean energy sources to purify seawater and produce freshwater. This project aims to restore more drinkable and clean freshwater in the future of the Earth. The solar energy supply system and reverse osmosis membrane system will form the main components of the system, and the reverse osmosis purification of seawater will be achieved through pressure difference.

The HyperXite team needs a new way to transport their 250 kg hyperloop pod from location to location for demonstrations and a mobile workstation to repair and maintain the pod outside of the lab space. This iteration of the transport vehicle is dubbed the “Pod Maintenance and Transport Vehicle” which is a redesign of the original “Pod Transport Vehicle” made the previous year. The team will utilize feedback from the HyperXite team to build off of the old design to tackle issues such as difficulties maneuvering the vehicle, injuries resulting from blunt extrusions and sharp corners on the vehicle, and no ease of maintenance of the pod. This project will help to ensure the team and pod both arrive safely and swiftly to any event they find themselves at and present their technological findings to the world.

Project Background:

In many coastal regions around the world, communities without reliable access to electricity face significant barriers to economic development, education, healthcare, and overall quality of life. Traditional energy solutions, such as diesel generators or extensive power grid infrastructure, are often inaccessible or unsustainable for small, remote communities, particularly due to high costs, logistical challenges, and environmental impacts. This project aims to design a compact, affordable, and user-friendly wave energy converter for personal use, empowering individuals and households in underserved coastal areas to harness wave energy as a clean, renewable source of power. The device will provide a sustainable electricity solution that is adaptable to varied coastal conditions, enhancing energy independence and resilience while minimizing ecological impacts.

Current fire sprinkler systems often fall short in effectiveness, adaptability, and efficiency, particularly in modern building designs. These systems occupy considerable space, can cause significant water damage, and typically respond too slowly in the event of a fire. Our project focuses on designing an innovative fire extinguishing system for residential areas that overcomes these challenges. The new system is compact, highly responsive, and utilizes advanced technology to suppress fires before they spread. It integrates seamlessly with mobile devices, allowing users to receive real-time updates and control the system remotely. By prioritizing safety, minimizing property damage, and offering a faster response time, this system aims to revolutionize fire protection in residential settings, ensuring both peace of mind and effective fire suppression.

We are designing an autonomous glider to compete with the UCI DBF team for the 2024 AIAA Design Build Fly competition. The glider we build will deployed from the main RC plane DBF builds at altitudes between 200-400 feet above sea level and must independently execute a controlled 180-degree turn, achieve stable flight, have a light blinking upon release, and land precisely within a designated 200x200 foot target area, while weighing less than 0.55 pounds. The glider will have an autonomous flight controller in order to direct flight and allow the glider to land in the box without damage or outside assistance.

The NFPA Fluid Power Vehicle Challenge is an engineering competition where teams design a human-input vehicle that makes use of hydraulics and pneumatics as a means of propulsion. This competition is an opportunity for students to sharpen their understanding of the fluid power industry, cultivate team-based engineering skills, and network with industry professionals.

Our project, Zotdraulics, marks UCI's first ever entry into that competition. We have united mechanical, electrical, and hydraulic subsystems with the vision of building a vehicle that can contend for high placement in the competition's sprint and endurance races. We hope to cultivate a deeper understanding of fluid power, make a strong impression for UCI's debut entry, and establish a strong foundation for our future teams to advance.

Our purpose:

Summary: 

In partnership with Saratech and the UCI Battery Lab, our project focuses on optimizing E-Bike batteries. We've selected lithium-ion batteries for their high energy density, long cycle life, and lightweight nature, ideal for electric bike applications. Specifically, we are opting for cylindrical battery types over prismatic and pouch cell types in order to prioritize airflow optimization for efficient cooling.

Robot arms rely on end of arm tooling (EOAT), such as grippers and cameras, to automate various tasks. The compatibility and swift swapping of EOATs are crucial for efficiency. Archytas' current EOAT interface requires a complicated series of steps in order to swap EOAT and lacks compatibility for EOATs with various ecosystems. Our project aims to lower the amount of parts and time needed to swap EOAT, create an interface that has compatibility with Universal Robot’s Robotic Arm, the UR3e, EOAT, update the assembly to include a larger motor, and ensure EOAT attached to our interface can function with a 1 kg payload. A significant aspect of this upgrade was designing a robust locking mechanism capable of withstanding 3D printing imperfections, offering user convenience, and providing secure support for the payload. The external lock and channel design successfully met these requirements, enhancing the overall functionality of the EOAT interface.

Background: 

Coastal areas in California attract millions of tourists a year and the more crowded these areas become, the more they are prone to pollution and trash build up. There are a few solutions when it comes to debris collection from bodies of water. We propose an underwater remotely operated vehicle (ROV) capable of maneuvering and object retrieval. Our ROV is nicknamed Archelon and it features applications of modern technology derived from underwater ROV research.

Our team's senior design project is a design of a 6-axis wind tunnel force sensor developed for use in the University of California, Irvine's (UCI) wind tunnel facilities. The sensor is engineered to measure forces and moments exerted by the wind in six degrees of freedom: three linear forces (surge, sway, and heave) and three rotational forces (roll, pitch, and yaw). Its design and implementation are critical for accurately assessing the aerodynamic properties of various objects, ranging from aerospace components to automotive parts and even sports equipment. The sensor is a vital tool for UCI laboratory classes, as it allows students to observe interactions in real time.

Utilizing advanced materials and sensor technology, the project aims to design a reliable and affordable device for wind tunnel testing at UCI. By providing detailed data on how objects interact with wind currents under various conditions, the sensor will enable researchers and engineers to optimize designs for improved performance and efficiency. This project not only represents a significant technological advancement in aerodynamic testing but also the interdisciplinary requirement of complex engineering design.

Background

By orienting air foils in a unique manner, downward forces can be generated on a car, providing it with the ability to increase its cornering speeds due to enhanced grip, improving its overall performance. The aerodynamics sub-team of Anteater Formula Racing (AFR) will use the foam airfoils as a base to layer composite materials on top to create a final design. 

Goals and Objectives

Summary

In this project, we developed a Physics-Informed Neural Network using PyTorch in Python to solve a specific Partial Differential Equation (Burger’s Equation in our case) under defined initial and boundary conditions. Our approach involved optimizing various parameters crucial to the neural network's performance, such as the choice of activation functions, optimizers, the configuration of neurons and layers, and the selection of an appropriate loss function.

To enhance the model's performance, we introduced a customized loss function that is divided into two components: one addressing the loss incurred by satisfying the PDEs, and the other handling the loss associated with meeting the Boundary and Initial Conditions. Through parameter tuning and training, we achieved a notable Mean Absolute Error of approximately 0.0533, surpassing the required threshold of 0.06.

Visualizations, including both 3D and 2D representations, were utilized to effectively illustrate the outcomes of our machine learning model. Our future endeavors involve refining the model further by incorporating weight coefficients into our customized loss function, aiming for even higher levels of accuracy and efficiency.

The UCI Design, Build, Fly team has been tasked with designing a plane that can complete three flight missions and one ground mission. The variance in flight missions means that the aircraft must be designed with modularity as a key focus. The flight missions for the competition this year are as follows:
Flight Mission #1: The airplane will fly with a pair of crew members made of wood dolls. It will need to complete 3 laps in a 5-minute flight window. 
Flight Mission #2: The airplane will fly with the crew members, EMTs, patient on a gurney, and medical supply cabinet in the fuselage. It will also need to complete 3 laps in a 5-minute flight window.
Flight Mission #3: The airplane will fly with the crew members and passengers as the payload. It will need to fly as many laps as possible in a 5-minute flight window.

Besides the three flight missions, the airplane also needs to perform a ground mission. The ground mission for this year is as follows:

Ground Mission: A timed mission to demonstrate efficiently changing mission configurations.

In a market predominantly led by smart lock giants such as Ring and Nest, our senior design project aims to revolutionize home security. Current solutions face susceptibility to power outages, hacking threats, and intricate installation procedures. Our innovation introduces sensors that provide a superior, cost-effective alternative. These easily installable devices empower users to remotely monitor door lock status, offering a more reliable solution at a fraction of the cost compared to traditional smart locks. This approach not only simplifies the user experience but also addresses vulnerabilities present in existing systems, marking a significant advancement in home security technology.