Seniors present multidisciplinary engineering design projects
Projects range from artificial limb equipment to all terrain vehicle improvements
A. Sue Weisler
Ashley Shoum explains how the team developed the Automatic Shift Controls for an ATV to Mark Kempski, professor of mechanical engineering.
A sign of spring is often the robins and returning geese. For RIT engineering students it’s a review of senior multidisciplinary design projects. More than 30 teams of students in the Kate Gleason College of Engineering presented both completed and mid-project reviews at the end-of-quarter program.
Engineering students are required to participate in the multidisciplinary senior design course, a two-quarter sequence. A poster session took place last week in the Erdle Commons complete with exhibits of robotics designs and all-terrain vehicle engine improvements.
One of the noisier, but more impressive presentations was the Air Muscle Artificial Limb Next Generation project. Eva Ames and Jim Breunig, both fifth-year mechanical engineering students, explained that the life-sized hand and arm is a tool to be used in surgical procedures.
Many gathered around Ashley Shoum, team lead for the Automatic Shift Controls project and the Polaris all-terrain racing vehicle. She and her team from mechanical, electrical and industrial and systems engineering explained the intricacies of developing ‘intelligent shifting’ for manual transmissions for the high-performance race ATV. Intelligent shifting is an automated process designed by the team to allow for automatic shift control with manual override for race as well as general use. Shoum and several others from the ATV team are also part of the Formula car team. (The 2009 Formula car will be unveiled in spring quarter.)
Recommended News
-
November 13, 2024
![a young indian woman stands beside R I T president David Munson holding a plaque in front of a set of cement steps..]()
Ph.D. student finds joy in carbon composite 3D printing
Sai Sri Nidhi Munaganuru, from Hyderabad, India, anticipates completing her Ph.D. this summer from RIT’s mechanical and industrial engineering program. Her work extends the capability of carbon fiber technology through a new manufacturing approach that could eliminate high production costs, waste, and dependence on skilled labor.
-
November 11, 2024
![Arthur Deane walks through a park like setting in front of the capitol building wearing a dark polo shirt and khaki pants.]()
Amazon executive supports new path for cybersecurity students
Arthur Deane broke into the cybersecurity industry and he hasn’t looked back. Now, he’s helping others unlock opportunities in cybersecurity, paving the way for a more diverse and inclusive tech industry
-
November 4, 2024
![A professor standing between two students and in front of a white board, explaining something to the students.]()
Computer Engineering faculty awarded to advance the compilation process in quantum computing
Dr. Sonia Lopez Alarcon has been awarded a prestigious grant from the National Science Foundation's Expanding Capacity in Quantum Information Science and Engineering (ExpandQISE) program.
-
November 1, 2024
![the words AI Cluster Hire Initiative appear ona black background with an orange arrow pointing down to the lower left.]()
Upcoming cluster hires in artificial intelligence solidify RIT as a leader in the field
As RIT continues its drive to become a leader in the higher education artificial intelligence space, more than 40 positions spanning multiple disciplines are expected to be filled as part of the university’s commitment to expand its AI expertise.
