Projects

The solids treatment options in wastewater treatment facilities are at a crossroad. While recent technological advances provide opportunities to increase resource recovery concerns about emerging contaminants pose challenges for beneficial use. For example, addition of non-sludge organic wastes to the anaerobic digesters has the potential to increase biogas production while diverting organic wastes from disposal in landfills where they produce greenhouse gases. However, there are emerging concerns about the presence of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) that can render land application of biosolids unviable. The biosolids would then have to be disposed of in landfills which is associated with a large hauling costs with no beneficial use. To address these concerns, existing WWTP can be retrofitted with new technology that can minimize solids production and produce alternate beneficial products.

Co-digestion is an anaerobic digestion option where food waste is added into the sludge feed to the digester...

Water scarcity and inefficient irrigation practices continue to pose challenges for agriculture and small-scale plant management, as traditional watering methods often rely on fixed schedules that fail to adapt to real environmental conditions. This project addresses the need for a smarter irrigation solution by developing TeraFlow, an autonomous irrigation system that integrates environmental sensors, IoT communication, and AI-based image analysis to make informed watering decisions. By collecting real-time data on soil moisture, temperature, humidity, and light conditions, the system helps users monitor plant environments and automatically control irrigation when necessary. The project matters because it promotes more efficient water usage and provides accessible tools for gardeners, small-scale growers, and plant caretakers who need reliable and data-driven irrigation management.

A tiltrotor VTOL fixed-wing UAV engineered for search-and-rescue — currently undergoing airframe surface coating and final systems integration before flight testing.

The Mission
Modern search and rescue (SAR) operations face a critical tradeoff: ground teams are slow, and conventional fixed-wing aircraft require runway infrastructure that doesn't exist in disaster zones or remote terrain.

The Anteatairs solves this by engineering a tiltrotor VTOL UAV — a hybrid platform that takes off and lands vertically like a multirotor, then physically rotates its motors forward to transition into efficient fixed-wing cruise flight. No runway. No infrastructure dependency.

Built on a COTS fixed-wing airframe retrofitted with custom tiltrotor propulsion, with a scale fuselage modeled in Fusion 360, a purpose-designed payload delivery bay, FPV telemetry, and autonomous navigation — this platform is designed to rapidly deploy, survey large search areas, and deliver emergency first-aid supplies to survivors....

The Toy Ball Cannon Project is a mechatronics-focused design that redefines recreational fun. The system launches lightweight projectiles using flywheel technology while coupling RGB-oriented object detection and navigation to track fast-moving targets. This project heavily involves collaborative design, research, prototyping, performance optimization, safety considerations, and extensive testing, allowing us to apply critical engineering principles in a dynamic way to meet our stakeholder needs and expectations.

Inspired by the Nerf Rival Nemesis blaster, our team aimed to create an autonomous turret that sprays a volley of balls to hit a moving target a minimum of one time per firing cycle.

Plasma Vapor Deposition (PVD) is a technique used for applying thin coatings on applications such as door knobs, drill bits, and decorative plating on phones and watches. The target material that creates the coating is connected to a conductive backing plate by a bonding layer. In order to deposit and sputter the material to create a film, the target material is heated in an electric field to move atoms of the target onto the desired material. Because heating makes it easier to remove atoms from the target material, the deposition rate is therefore limited by the melting temperature of each layer. Indium is traditionally used as a bonding layer, and compared to the other layers has the lowest melting temperature of 156°C. 

To improve upon the current bonding layer and ultimately decrease the processing time of PVD, a new alloy must maintain the thermal conductivity and softness...

Home security remains a important concern for residents in the United States, with millions of residential burglaries reported each year, yet many existing security systems are expensive, complicated, or difficult to customize. Because of this, many households do not have access to reliable protection for their homes. The Guardian Home Security System addresses this problem by creating an affordable system that combines motion detection, camera monitoring, door locking, and fingerprint authentication into one easy-to-use platform. The Guardian shows how modern technology can make home security more accessible to everyday homeowners and renters who want a simple and effective way to monitor and protect their property.

Phase locked loops are a critical component in modern communication, sensing, and imaging systems. While computer automated design tools allow for accurate simulation, they often take weeks of design and computing time. Our project's research intends to model a specific non-ideal performance of analog phase locked loops, previously not studied, as closed form equations. This allows designers to observe their system's performance in seconds, rather than weeks. 

The capstone design project involves the creation of a schematic design for a three story school building to be built on the UCI Campus. The team was hired to design gravity and seismic structural components for this three-story building based on Architectural constraints. By following ASCE 7-22 and ACI 318-25 building codes, and using steel specifications from AISC 360-22 and 341-22, the building was designed as a steel structure, with steel decking on the roof level, and a composite beam with concrete-filled decking on the 2nd and 3rd stories. The framing of the entire structure was built using A992 steel with a strength of 50 ksi. The building is designed with isolated concrete spread footings. All concrete elements of the building consist of normal-weight concrete with a strength of 3 ksi. For its Lateral Force Resisting System, Special Moment Frames were designed with pre-qualified Side Plate connections. Seismic resistance...

The Palm Springs Visitors Center operates an on-site wastewater treatment facility that is currently in noncompliance with upcoming effluent Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) concentration regulations, which take effect in June 2026. The current on-site wastewater treatment facility does not account for TDS removal. The Palm Springs Regional Water Quality Control Board established a new TDS limit of 500 mg/L for 2026. 

The focus of this project is to determine the best available treatment technology to lower TDS levels within compliance of these upcoming regulations. Multiple treatment technologies were analyzed and an effluent fate analysis was conducted in order to decide the best design strategy. Moreover, regional constraints such as permitting and environmental regulations were researched to verify compliance. Finally, a mass balance was conducted to calculate how much effluent water needs to be treated to meet the MCL.

This project is designed by UCI MAE department with the goal of creating a cannon system with the ability to discern, track and shoot at RC cars. The system should be able to hit targets in a 360 degree area from a range of 5 - 15 feet, all while in a safe manner. The three step process is autonomous requiring humans only to power the system on and reload after firing. This project addresses the current inability of off the shelf cannon systems to discern the targets it is firing at, while providing a meaningful learning experience for UCI students.

Students designed a new transit station that enables pedestrians to safely cross the train tracks at the Tustin Metrolink Station Area. The new station consists of three structural components: an elevator tower on either side of the train tracks, a pedestrian bridge spanning between the elevator towers, and a set of stairs wrapping around the exterior of each tower that descend to ground level.

Students completed preliminary gravity, wind, and seismic designs, conceptual 3D models, and conceptual detail drawings for all three structural components.

Our purpose:

The UCI Solar Airplane Project is dedicated to exploring the potential of solar-powered aviation as a more sustainable alternative to conventional flight while also developing technology that can support humanitarian aid and disaster relief efforts. As concerns about climate change and reliance on nonrenewable energy continue to grow, our team aims to demonstrate how renewable energy can be integrated into aerospace systems in meaningful and practical ways.

During the 2025–2026 academic year, the team focused on designing and building a solar-powered aircraft from scratch. Through research, prototyping, and subsystem development, team members worked to create an aircraft capable of extended flight through the integration of solar energy, lightweight structures, and efficient propulsion systems. This work required close collaboration across aerodynamics, fuselage, propulsion, and operations to move the project from concept toward a fully realized aircraft....

This project addresses that gap by converting an off‑the‑shelf RC boat into a functional, depth‑capable submarine using readily available components, open‑source microcontrollers, and accessible design tools. The scope includes redesigning the hull to support waterproofing, integrating a ballast system for controlled diving, and developing a multi‑Arduino control architecture capable of managing pumps, sensors, and propulsion. SolidWorks is used to model structural modifications and 3D‑printed components, while ThinkerCad provides a virtual environment for simulating electrical circuits before physical assembly.

Commercial RC submarines and underwater robotics platforms are often expensive, limiting access for students, educators, and early‑stage researchers. By demonstrating that a functional, depth‑capable submarine can be built from an affordable RC boat and readily available components, this project lowers the financial barrier to hands‑on learning in marine engineering, robotics, and control systems.

VascXpand

Expanding into the future of healthcare

The increasing demand for autonomous video systems in sports analysis, broadcasting, and recreational activities has created a need for advanced platforms capable of dynamically capturing footage with minimal user input. Current camera and tracking systems are often limited in their ability to capture footage from multiple perspectives or require significant manual operation to function effectively. While drones provide a promising solution due to their ability to track fast-moving objects and capture unique aerial viewpoints, existing platforms have their own limitations. Conventional multirotor drones offer precise hovering and maneuverability but are constrained by limited flight endurance and coverage area. Conversely, fixed-wing aircraft provide greater speed, range, and efficiency but lack the ability to hover and operate effectively in confined environments.

To address these challenges, this project integrates computer vision, autonomous flight control, and hybrid VTOL (Vertical Takeoff and Landing) aircraft design to create a system capable of continuously...

The expansion of this wastewater treatment plant involves the addition of a new wastewater treatment train capable of 10 MGD. During the process of evaluating the expansion alternatives, our team considered three methods of achieving this expansion: conventional activated sludge treatment, an MBR train, or the conversion of existing tanks to SBRs. Ultimately, KELG Consulting selected the MBR train because of the high effluent quality and low land usage, because we had to consider the site constraint of 550 by 170 ft. The MBR train consists of primary clarifiers, which leads to fine screening just upstream of the MBR. We chose to include these two pretreatments before the MBR to remove any solids upstream of the MBR to prevent fouling and damage within the aeration and membrane tanks. The MBR effluent is then directed to a chlorine contact basin where it receives a dose of chlorinee to provide residual...

The "Wheel of Deception" project, sponsored by Derek, addresses a gap in the professional entertainment market for compact, high-tech rigging hardware. Existing "off-the-shelf" rigged wheels are typically large, stationary floor units costing upwards of $10,000, making them difficult to transport and unsuitable for close-up environments like bar-top performances. The scope of this project was to engineer a portable, high-performance alternative that maintains all the functionality of a full-sized unit while fitting within a desktop footprint. This project matters because it provides a cost-effective, mobile solution for performers who require professional-grade mechanical deception in versatile, small-scale settings.

Currently, commercial air travel lacks proper accommodations for wheelchair users and presents significant financial and emotional challenges for the individual during the duration of the trip. In 2023 alone, commercial airlines reported damaging or destroying 11,527 wheelchairs and mobility scooters (Smith). Because custom wheelchairs frequently cost upwards of $30,000 (BraunAbility), many wheelchair users report their reservations with flying. Coupled with the current boarding process requiring multiple physical transfers on and off their personal wheelchair, aisle chair, and airplane seat, wheelchair users lack autonomy and dignity throughout this experience. The statistics and lived experiences of wheelchair users point to a clear conclusion: there is a critical need for better accommodations for wheelchair users during air travel.

To address the critical shortcomings in wheelchair accessible air travel, our team has engineered a specialized solution designed to ensure the continuous comfort and safety of wheelchair users throughout their flight. To...

Zot & Go Transit Co. conducted a traffic impact and intersection improvement project. This study is conducted at two intersections near UC Irvine, namely California Ave & Innovation Dr and California Ave & Academy Way. These intersections are chosen as they have a big impact as gateway access points for a proposed 2,500+ unit housing development near the UCI Research Park. This will create additional future traffic from a nearby cumulative research building project. The problem discussed in this project is that future growth is expected to increase all kind of traffics, including vehicle, pedestrian, and bicycle demand along California Ave. This will worsen congestion, delays, and intersection operations. The project is important because both intersections failed to achieve the minimum acceptable Level of Service D during future opening-year conditions. This will cause drivers, pedestrians, cyclists, UCI users, and nearby residents, to experience greater delay and reduced transportation efficiency.

Zot-onomous is a Senior Design Project focused on building an autonomous drone from the ground up. The goal is to design a student-built unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) capable of vertical takeoff, forward flight, and a controlled rapid descent for accurate payload delivery. Most delivery drones descend slowly, noisily, and predictably. Zot-onomous takes a different approach: the drone climbs to 100 feet, then dives rapidly, safely pulling out of the descent 5 feet of the ground. This makes it faster, quieter, and harder to detect than conventional designs. That capability opens doors across three real-world applications: rushing medical supplies to hard-to-reach areas, supporting military logistics stealthily, and delivering packages to neighborhoods without the noise and privacy concerns drones typically bring. At its core, this project exists to move a 0.5 to 2 kg payload safely and reliably to its target. Onboard autonomy reduces human error and keeps every delivery consistent and repeatable.

Litter and debris accumulation in outdoor pedestrian areas poses significant environmental, aesthetic, and economic challenges, driving up municipal maintenance costs while degrading public spaces used by communities daily. Zpotless addresses this problem by designing a fully autonomous, solar-powered cleaning robot capable of detecting, retrieving, and storing trash in outdoor public spaces with minimal human intervention. The system is built to be entirely self-sustaining by leveraging photovoltaic (solar) energy, eliminating dependence on external power infrastructure and enabling extended operation. This project matters because it targets a recurring, labor-intensive problem that affects residents, pedestrians, and facility managers in both residential and urban commercial environments.