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. 

Goal and Objectives

• Team Organization and Project Definition (Week 2)
• Break down the functions of the robot into smaller individual tasks and find the optimal parts and sensors for our robot’s functions. (Week 3-4)
• Create a virtual prototype of the robot with every required component and optimize how those components will work together. (Week 5)
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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.

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.

Background

The UC Irvine Rocket Project (UCIRP) is an undergraduate led team of students looking to design and fabricate a liquid-fueled rocket. With faculty advisor Professor Mark Walter the team is competing in the Friends of Amateur Dollar Per Foot Challenge, a competition between universities to create a single stage liquid propellant rocket with a $1 per foot of altitude above the end of the launch rail reward for teams that can complete this challenge. So far the team has been able to reach a point where they can run static test fires for their Preliminary Test Engine (P.T.E.) using a test stand. The team is currently looking to redefine the rocket's subsystems to be able to better optimize the launch vehicle's mass. The main rocket team has found issues with the mass of the current bleed valves and are looking for this team to create a Bleed Valve Actuation...

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.

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.

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.

“VTOL tailsitters deliver usability and reliability that is hard to match. Simple and light construction reduces the potential for human error and mechanical failure, ensuring a faster, more reliable, and safer drone survey mission.” - Wingtra

Goals and Objectives:

In the 2 quarter time frame, we as a team aim to achieve to:

• Have a functional prototype capable of vertical take-off, hovering, and transitioning to horizontal flight like a fixwing aircraft.
• Have a maximum altitude of 10 feet and a flight time of approximately 10 minutes.
• Test flights on a specified path to fulfill competition requirements.
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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. 

Goal and Objectives:

The goal of this project is to research Radio Frequency Identification and the possible applications it can have with a focus in search and rescue scenarios. Using passive RFID tags that require no power this will allow for countless applications regardless of the area or lack of a signal. This quarter will create an algorithm that allows a robot to locate the said...

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.

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.

How to Join Anteater Formula Racing

If you're a UCI student and interested in joining our team, feel free to contact electric.antearracing@gmail.com for more information.

Members will enroll in MAE 189 or MAE 93 for credit.

Team Contacts

Fiona Chu, Project Manager chufl@uci.edu

Joseph Chen, Chief Mechanical Engineer

Timothy Teng, Chief Electrical Engineer

Background

The goal of this project is to design, build and evaluate the performance of a six-legged walking machine that uses one drive motor for locomotion and a second drive motor for steering.  An RC transmitter and receiver will be used to provide user control of the drive and steering motors.  The walker should be constructed from parts that are readily available for on-line purchase or can be manufactured remotely using UCI facilities. Assembly should require tools available to the hobbyist. It should be sized so that it is portable, and can move at approximately 1.5 fps.

Background information is available at the YouTube site:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5ZQHc5wBkzqhG5TpsZYGwg

Deliverables: A demonstration of the six-legged walking machine moving through a set of obstacles under RC control.

Goal and Objectives

The goal of this project is to design, construct, and demonstrate a six-legged steerable mechanical walker. The walker will be minimally actuated with 2-4...

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.

Our project was focused on exploring the resources available in the public knowledge space for creating advanced robotics. We specifically focused on the open source technology and guidance that would allow a small team or individual to create a versatile, efficient, and low cost robot that could be customized to act intelligently and effectively in as many different situations and environments as possible.

The result of the past 9 months of work is a robot dog in the sub $250 range that is both cute, powerful, and intelligent in how it receives and carries out commands. Given more time, we know our robot could acheive even more and we are excited to see how far it goes in the future.

This project was to make a robotic quadruped in the form of a dog.  It should be able to be voice-controlled using recognized commands to move via servo-controlled leg joints as well as perform speech output.  To achieve this, we utilized 3-D printed material for the chassis and legs as well as bearings for structural support.  These parts hold a “Raspberry Pi 4” connected to a servo hat that leads to 12 different servos, three for each leg.  As far as software, we imported a voice recognition library, taking advantage of Google’s voice recognition taking input from a USB microphone and outputting from a speaker.

this is a test

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Background:

Drones (often referred to as unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)) are unpiloted aircraft or spacecraft that can be autonomously or remotely controlled. They are used for a wide variety of applications such as the military, space exploration, and for commercial use, which allow ordinary people and companies to fly these vehicles for all sorts of purposes. Drones usually run on lithium polymer batteries (lipo Batteries) but hydrogen fuel cells can also be incorporated. 

Hydrogen fuel cells are renewable energy systems that have the following key characteristics:

• The fuel they run on, hydrogen, is easily accessible since hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe.
• Do not cause pollution or danger to our environment as they do not release greenhouse gases as opposed to burning fossil fuels.
• When it comes to drones, they help maximize productivity and longer flight time in a single drone flight.

The Long-Range Drone project incorporates a hydrogen...

Background:

FUSION's year-long engineering project serves as an introduction for our club members on how engineering projects are handled in both school and the real world. This year each team researched, designed, and built an affordable, voice-controlled quadruped robot pupper. Students had the creative freedom to explore different sensors, materials, and designs to complete their goal, which includes CAD designs/drawings and finished paperwork documenting the process, materials, and tools used. The project culminated with each team showcasing their creations in a dog show competition that tested their pupper's speed and abilities through some creative doggo tricks. 

Goals & Objectives:

• Develop an affordable, voice-controlled quadruped
• Fall Quarter: Gantt chart, UROP Proposal application, brainstorm designs
• Winter Quarter: Finalize design, software application, frame construction
• Spring Quarter: Quality assurance, optimization, video, presentation

Requirements:

• $1,500 budget for each team
• Must be reminiscent of a dog (head, eyes, or tail)
• Must be able to receive input from voice
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Background: 

Under high stress, the axle in SUPER73 e-bikes grind into the dropout, and deform, ultimately leading to failure over long term usage. The goal of this project is to redesign the axle or dropout to be able to handle the impact loads and torque regularly experienced, so as to not fail.

The team researched existing vehicle axles, and used that as a baseline to brainstorm new ideas. Calculations of the load cases and use cases of the original design created a standard by which the team compared the viability of new designs. In addtion, the team visited the company site to gain real life engineering experience during pandemic. 

After narrowing the brainstormed ideas down to 3 final designs, FEA analysis in CAD software showed us that a torque arm design, a collet gear axle design, and a full floating axle design are all reasonable alternatives to the current axle...

UCI Zephyr project plans to bring electrical power to the great outdoors. Taking inspiration from global climate change and large wind turbines, our team is developing a wind turbine small enough to fit inside a hiking bag and capable of charging multiple devices overnight in 10 m/s winds. The project will challenge the team to utilize the skills learned throughout our undergraduate careers to develop an efficient and affordable power source. UCI Zephyr project is composed of two teams, mechanical and electrical, working together with our sponsor. The Spring 2021 team will create the design plans needed for manufacturing during the 2021-2022 school year.

UCI Bike Builders is a senior project devoted to the design and manufacturing of bicycle frames. The frame being developed for 189 will be constructed using carbon fiber tubes and metal 3D printed lugs, bonded together with a high strength two part epoxy. The project is also manufacturing a more traditional steel frame using oxy acetylene brazing. In order to achieve this, a modular welding jig was designed and machined in house.

Background 

When a fracture in a bone occurs, bone plates are used to facilitate the healing of the bone. Orthopedic surgeons attach these plates directly onto the bones of the patients. However, there have been a number of documented cases where the bone plate ends up failing, causing damage and requiring additional surgeries for the patient. When bone plates shift, there is micromotion and shearing between the bone and the metal plate, which compromises the stability of the plate. With the assistance of Professor McCarthy and Hoag Orthopedics, testing of the new re-designed textured metal plates will be conducted to analyze the improvement in the interface between the bone and the plate.

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Goal and Objectives

The ultimate goal of our project is to physically prove that a textured bone plate has a significantly greater coefficient of friction with the surface of a bone than a smooth bone plate. We aim to achieve this goal...

Background

CartDynamic is creating an easier and more efficient way to shop by modifying shopping carts to act autonomously. Firstly, an installed tablet will allow customers to enter their grocery list. After the tablet reads the list, a robotic map will be used to locate the items and plan an efficient route. Depending on the items, the route will prioritize different pathways. With the usage of a GPS and motors, the cart will be able to maneuver around the store with ease. The cart will also be incorporated with sensors and cameras that will allow the cart to stop for other carts and people. Once the cart reaches a designated location, the cart will stop and wait for the customer to scan and place the object into the cart. Once the customer finishes their grocery list, the cart will begin going towards the entrance. With the built-in tablet, the customer will...

The Pressurized Rocket Ejection Testing (PRET) team is designing the testing device that will be able to complete the objectives described. The design will be able to hold prototype nose cones, test different moutning methods, test different ejection system configurations, and measure velocity of deployment, pressure inside the nose cone, and shock force due a mass ejection.

Background

The current model of the shopping cart does not offer any advantages to the customers in their experience shopping in market places in terms of speed of processing payment. Some customers may have difficulties finding the items around the marketplace and need a way to find their specified goods in an efficient manner. A shopping cart that serves as a personal assistant for customers and checkout point can dramatically improve customer experience, reduce labor costs, and improve shopping and checkout times allowing for a higher turnover rater of customers, which in turn leads to higher revenues for store owners.

Goal

Our goal for this project is to design an autonomous cart robot capable of automating a part of the shopping experience in order to optimize shopping time for customers and eliminate the need for long queues on registers.

Future Plans and Improvements

• Possbile brake system to allow for more stability
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Background 

Fixed Wing Test Bed (FWTB) is a project team contracted by UCI’s UAV Forge to assist in designing a new UAV model separate from the current UAV Forge’s hexacopter. UAV Forge participates in a yearly competition called AUVSI SUAS and is required to fly a UAV that can complete an airdrop task or an object detection and mapping task. The airdrop task requires the UAV to drop a 4 lb UGV from a height of at least 100 ft. The object detection and mapping task requires the UAV to take pictures of the area, detect objects and classify them, and use the pictures taken to create a map of the area. FWTB was tasked with the objective to design and test a fixed-wing testbed that can implement and complete both sets of tasks so that it can be used in future AUVSI SUAS competitions by UAV Forge.

Goal and...

Ford Automotive Company partnered up with UCI students to redesign the current HVAC duct in a Lincoln Navigator. As of today, the manufacturing process of the duct utilizes injection molding where a large initial investment is needed. To make up for the high initial cost, large volume production is required in order to lower the unit cost. However, to lower costs for low volume production (<20,000 units), UCI students will redesign the duct for Additive Manufacturing. The engineering design process will be implemented to create at least 3 designs that maximize nesting efficiency of a Multi-Jet Fusion 3D printer, with the overall goal of lowering the unit cost and minimizing performance loss compared to the current injection molded design. Students will present these proposed designs with an associated business case benchmarking against conventional manufacturing and identifying production volume opportunities.

Whoopy Wipes is a sanitization device capable of dispensing warm, moist towelettes at the touch of a button.

Background:

Due to the recent COVID-19 pandemic, a higher standard of sanitation is required to safely navigate the world. This problem is particularly concerning because it affects almost every aspect of our lives. As indicated by the CDC, COVID can last on surfaces from hours to days. In order to satisfy the increased demand for a sanitary environment, we aim to design an autonomous sanitation device capable of sanitizing an entire surface to limit the risk of transmission.

Goal:

Create a fully autonomous robot that sanitizes a table surface.

Company Sponsor & Liaisons:

Sharper Image®

Pip Tompkin, Adam Gromfin, Adam Sbeglia, and Keith Covey

Faculty Advisors:

Farzad Ahmadkhanlou (farzad.a@uci.edu)

Vince McDonell (mcdonell@apep.uci.edu)

Thermal management systems, involving the use of technology to control and maintain temperature within a certain range, have applications across many industries. With the continuing advancements in electronics and other high power density producing systems such as spacecraft, the power they generate is expected to increase. These systems are projected to exceed a power generation of 1400 W/cm2. The absence of efficient cooling systems and power dissipation, however, will lead to the degradation of the system and short term use of components. The Air Force Research Laboratory is actively researching thermal management solutions and have partnered with universities for research and development. The High Heat Flux Project hopes to collaborate with AFRL in the future by relaying data.

The overall goal of the project is to design and manufacture a test bed that will demonstrate a controlled production and dissipation of heat flux. This is achieved by utilizing a heat cartridge...