2008 EXPO Project Descriptions
Code Turmoil Collection Tool (Team 49) (Team 53)
Knowing the amount of change being introduced into a product's code base is an important piece of information that helps manager assess the status of a software development project and plan when and where to apply resources. Two teams worked with Hewlett-Packard to develop a set of tools to extract code change information from a Subversion code repository. The first team demonstrated a proof of concept, while the second team addressed performance improvements needed for a production environment.
Sponsor: Hewlett-Packard, Boise, ID
Data Encryption with a Cell Processor
As engineers push the computational power of CPU chips, chips are now appearing with multiple, interconnected processor cores on a single piece of silicon.Computer scientists are faced with how to modify computational processes, designed to execute on a single processor, so they efficiently execute on multi-core chips. In this project the team investigated the design and implementation of software in a parallel processing environment using the multi-core processor of the Sony Play Station 3. They parallelize an AES encryption and decryption operation, then studied performance of the implementation to learn more about the effects of parallelizing the algorithm and the limitations imposed by the hardware architecture.
Sponsor: Schweitzer Engineering Labs
GUI Front-end for Multiple Databases (Team 51) (Team 55)
Information analysts are often confronted with a difficult problem - how to relate the information contained in one data source with the information contained in another independent source. These sources may be stored using complete different structures and representation. Analysts know what information they are looking for but not how to program complex database queries. In this project, one team tackled the problem of how to generate an effective display of information using an XML specification of the data and how to display it. The second team built on their results to incorporate additional user interface capabilities and to make the solution platform independent.
Sponsor: Department of Defense
RadSat Enhancements
When electronic equipment operates it emits electromagnetic interference (EMI). Knowing the characteristics of this interference is important to the equipment designers. Our project team designed and implemented a system to automate most of the equipment setup, gather measurement data, process and display the data, with the overall objective to minimize the amount of human intervention required to complete an EMI test profile.
Sponsor: Criterion Technology
RADICL Lab Extensions
Several years ago faculty and students in the Computer Science Department designed and implemented a Reconfigurable Attack Defend Instructional Computer Lab (RADICL) to provide an environment in which to perform security-related education and research. This year, another team of CS students designed and implemented a new approach which uses the capabilities of a high-end server to virtualize the laboratory computers and network environment resulting in increased teaching and experimental capabilities that are rapidly reconfigurable.
Sponsor: Computer Science Department
Team QuEST
Fuel Cell to Battery Powered DC System Interface
TeamQuEST has been working with the US NAVY to design a destroyer prototype that will be able to silently travel through the water. The current design is powered by a diesel generator, which transmits an excessive amount of vibrations which can be detected by enemy craft. This project has been built around the use of fuel cells as a clean, reliable and efficient alternative energy.
Sponsor: Bayview
Skyhook
Space Elevator
Skyhook is a space vehicle capable of ascending a flat, vertical tether powered by a ground-based, wireless energy source. This project is phase one of a design that will be entered in the fall 2008 Elevator 2010 competition sponsored by the Spaceward Foundation. This competition is designed to encourage the development of innovative technology that could be applied to the construction of an elevator capable of ferrying material and even human beings into earth's orbit.
Sponsor: College of Engineering
Team RUSH
Transformer Faults and Inrush
Transformers are a vital and expensive element in the power system. Damage to a transformer can disrupt service to customers and cost a utility millions of dollars. Thus, it is very important to limit any factors that might harm or disrupt a transformers operation. Team RUSH will build a switch and associated controller that will allow energizing of each phase of a three-phase transfer at a specified time of the source voltages. The motivation for this project is to decrease damage of large transformers due to large in-rush currents following energizing the transformer.
Sponsor: SEL
Thermal Exposure
Wireless Thermal Protection
Thermal protection systems (TPS) are a critical component needed for safe atmospheric entry of manned and unmanned spacecraft. The TPS systems currently flying on the Space Shuttle Orbiter are ceramic tiles and temperature resistant blankets. The development of wireless thermal protection system (TPS) sensor technology continues to be a key area of interest for the TPS community and NASA. The project is an extension of 2006-2007 ThermaSense senior design team. Thermal Exposure has continued to design, develop, and test of wireless sensor technologies for TPS applications. The project goal is to create a system to acquire and store science and engineering data acquired from instruments embedded in a spacecraft heat shield during high speed planetary entry.
Sponsor: NASA
BENDER
Knee CPM Machine
Stiffness of the knee joint develops following surgery. Continuous passive motion (CPM) of the joint can be effective in preventing stiffness. Full motion CPM must be properly applied immediately following surgery and continued until swelling that limits full knee motion no longer develops. The objective of the Knee CPM Senior Design Project is to design and build a demonstration model that improves upon performance of available machines.
Sponsor: McKelor Technologies
Mainstream
Sediment Trap
The Center for Ecohydraulics Research Stream Laboratory (CERSL) is a 2500 square foot lab located in the Idaho Water Center in Boise, Idaho. The CERSL features a high gradient sediment flume designed in close collaboration with state and federal agencies and several of the major research laboratories in academia. Mainstream is a proposed sediment trap system capable of trapping and weighing sediment that is traveling down the bed of the flume. The design includes a waste removal system to transport the sediment from the trap to a waste bin located in the alley behind the laboratory.
Sponsor: Center for Ecohydraulics Research
Hot Rod
Hot Cell Manipulation Equipment
The Idaho National Laboratory (INL), which supports the U.S. Department of Energy in nuclear and energy research, is beginning to process spent nuclear fuel rods. Prior to treatment and disposal, fuel elements need to be disassembled. The separation of individual fuel elements goes on inside a "hot cell," a room filled with argon gas and radioactive materials making it dangerous to humans. Hot Rod is a robotic device used in the "hot cell" environment capable of separating the 169 fuel elements from each hexagonal grid plate assembly.
Sponsor: INL
Weather On Demand
Rain Chamber
Itron is an industry leader in the design and manufacturing of gas, water and electric meter reading technology. Itron's customers are utility companies, and as such place Itron's products in all environments, including wind and rain. To ensure their products can survive, Itron performs much of this testing in house. The chamber currently used for testing does not meet the MIL or IEC standards. Weather On Demand is a water-tight chamber designed to measure temperature, mass flow rate, pressure, wind velocity, depth, rainfall rate, and time, while meeting both sets of standards.
Sponsor: Itron
Moonavators
Non-Prehensile Lunar Manipulator
The Moonavators present the re-design of a non-prehensile robotic manipulation device tested for excavation operations such as trenching/digging, soil collection and transportation, rock flipping and chipping, and soil compaction. This project is the second phase of a project completed by a capstone team last year. This mechanism will test operational concepts involved in NASA's lunar exploration missions. Much information is already known about excavation on Earth, but the NASA Ames Research Center is looking to provide small scale robotic manipulators to be used to test the operational concepts for lunar rock and soil manipulation.
Sponsor: RLEP/NASA
Vandal Racing
FSAE Vehicle
The 2007-08 Vandal Racing team has come together once again to make improvements to the FSAE hybrid vehicle. This year's focus has been on designing and fabricating a new exhaust header and new intake manifold. The formula car is developed according to the FSAE competition rules and point breakdown. The team plans to take the car to competition in June 2008 at the SAE Formula West in California.
Sponsor: ME Department
Team COP
Outboard Emissions Clean-up
Due in part to stringent air pollution control measures recently imposed on the outboard engines industries, Bombardier Recreational Products (BRP) has developed the industry-leading E-Tec two-stroke direct injected engine. While a very clean engine which meets current standards, BRP wishes to explore further reducing engine emissions. Team COP explored the use of a catalyst as a means to further reducing the pollution emissions from a BRP E-Tec two-stroke direct-injected outboard engine. The team designed a catalyzed DI two-stroke engine with the intention of using catalysis to meet the next generation of regulatory requirements for pollution emissions.
Sponsor: BRP
French Fry Fuel
Potato waste conditioning for biodiesel fuel production
Nearly 2 million pounds of oil are rendered each year as a waste in the production of 4 billion pounds of French fries. Simplot would like to take this waste oil, clean it and send it to a nearby biodiesel manufacturer. The biodiesel could then be returned to Simplot to offset the use of diesel in the transportation fleet. The French Fry Fuel team designed a technique to clean the waste oil to the specifications of the biodiesel manufacturer in an efficient manner.
Sponsor: Simplot
Clean Key Designs
Sanitary Gate Design
Vibratory shakers are used to distribute food products in factories for sorting, cleaning, seasoning and packaging. When transferring the product from one vibratory shaker to another, the product is often dropped through a swing or slide gate. Clean Key Designs have created a new gate that will provide a more sanitary alternative to the current design.
Sponsor: Key Technologies
Terra Creations
Soil Compactor/Dehydrator
Potting Shed Creations, Ltd., is a small, locally owned business in Troy, Idaho that produces various products for gardening, specifically those for the small-scale gardener. Several of these products have been designed for the convenience of the gardeners by providing seeds, soil, and fertilizer all in one bag. Terra Creations have designed a soil compactor to create compressed discs that will ease the shipping and handling of the soil.
Sponsor: Potting Shed Creations
O.A.R.
Educational Robot
The University of Idaho currently does not have any course curriculum that primarily focuses on robotics and robotics learning. The field of robotics can teach engineering students a large variety of lessons from gear ratios to circuits, but current marketed robotics kits are either limited in usefulness or are too expensive. The Open Architecture Robot Senior Design Team has designed an affordable robotics kit that allows not only college students but also high school students to learn the fundamentals though more advance techniques of robotic, electrical, mechanical, and computer engineering.
Sponsor: EE Department
D.E.A.D.S.
Deer & Elk Automated Deterrent System
The Deer and Elk Automated Deterrent System is designed to detect the presence of wildlife near crops and automatically activate a propane canon deterrent to scare but not harm the wildlife. The D.E.A.D.S. team has created a motion detecting device that will wirelessly signal existing propane cannons used by the Idaho Department of Fish and Game.
Sponsor: Idaho Fish and Game
Driven Precision
Nanopositioning Drive Project
Manning Applied Technologies, inc. builds interferometers for the purpose of spectroscopy. Currently, MAT is developing a handheld spectrometer to detect the presence of harmful airborne chemicals. Spectrometers operate on the principle of wave interference induced by varying the position of a mirror. The Driven Precision project has developed an automated solution for positioning a mirror within an interferometer. The design will eventually aid in the production of a handheld device capable of performing quick, easy, and accurate measurements as they apply to spectroscopy.
Sponsor: Manning Applied Technology
Read My Lips
Voice Recognition Hardware Development
Advanced Input creates keyboard and panel interfaces for customers who have needs in the office and medical settings. One of the elements that Advanced Input would like to see developed and incorporated into their future keyboards and panels is voice control. The Read My Lips team has developed and integrated a voice translation component into Advanced Input Systems current keyboards and control panels. This product will deliver a whole new experience to the customers who use AIS devices, allowing for greater productivity and ease of use.
Sponsor: EsterLine