The 2-Axis AI Cat Deterrent, also known as Claw Enforcement, is a device that utilizes machine learning to identify, track, and deter cats. Claw Enforcement was designed to give pet owners a low maintenance method of dissuading their feline companions from acting in mischievous ways. The device utilizes a Raspberry Pi to control many of its components such as servo motors, a camera, and a relay. The Raspberry Pi is also responsible for the object detection software used to identify cats. The deterrent dispensed from Claw Enforcement is a low volume jet of water. Software such as TensorFlow Lite and SOLIDWORKS were used in the coding and design of the device. Based on design and geometry, many components were manufactured through either additive or subtractive manufacturing. The technologies used for the deterrent system were based off that of a commercial oral irrigator; using this device, a design was reverse engineered to fit Claw Enforcement.

The project is a 5 Axis 3D printer that will be used in CSU’s Multifunctional Composites and Polymers Laboratory for materials research. We have spent the year designing, building and programming a 3’x3’x4’ printer with a raising and lowering print bed that uses a gantry system for X and Y motion. The head of the printer is able to rotate about both its vertical and horizontal axes, and incorporates a material mixing system. The mixing system allows for two viscous components to combine just prior to printing, and cure as the machine extrudes more material. As a result, unique shapes such as a helical spiral can be printed without using extra support material. The project was built entirely from scratch and will be up and running for this year’s E-days!

The CSU Center for Advanced Photovoltaics located at the Engineering Research Center (ERC) challenged our team with simplifying and standardizing the manufacturing process of thin-film solar cell devices fabrication using the Advanced Research Deposition System (ARDS). The key challenge was the non-uniformity of film deposition in the ARDS and limited monitoring ability to track the causes leading to it. This significantly limited the productivity of the lab as more advanced solar cell structures continued to evolve. This is caused by spatial variations in temperature profile within the substrates and the heating elements, which also affects other thin-film industries. To resolve this issue, our team designed and implemented in-situ temperature measurement and data acquisition systems in ARDS, standardized graphite crucibles and heating elements and implemented a computer UI control to eliminate human error. These solutions enabled the deposition temperature to be maintained within tolerance, improve system control, and create a database for researchers to reliably log process and performance data. Our solutions helped in improving experimental uniformity and repeatability. Advanced monitoring and data collection will also allow researchers to identify and eliminate the root cause of similar issues in the future. This solution is of key interest to funding agencies such as the NSF and the US DOE, as well as other thin-film and semiconductor commercial operations.

The purpose of the Air Valve, Advanced Actuation & High Accuracy Control Project, sponsored by Woodward Inc., is to provide an electromechanical solution to actuate an air valve. The air valve is used on several GE (General Electric) turbine engines and is controlled by a fueldraulic actuator. The fueldraulic actuator is a hydraulic actuator which uses jet fuel as the working fluid. The air valve and fueldraulic actuator are manufactured by Woodward. The air valve modulates bleed air to the turbine cases to maximize turbine efficiency. As the aircraft industry trends towards more electric aircraft, Woodward is considering the development of an electromechanical alternative to control the air valve. The proposed electromechanical solution (which serves as a preliminary method of research and development for Woodward) utilizes an electric motor, a ball screw assembly, and a crank slider linkage to actuate the air valve. The electromechanical actuator increases efficiency and control accuracy while reducing overall engine weight.

Microscopic biological airborne particles, bio-aerosols, such as bacteria, fungi, viruses, are omnipresent in outdoor air. The accurate characterization and better understanding of the aero-microbiome is important for human, animal, plant, and environmental health. Current methods for collecting bio-aerosols do not provide samples of sufficient quality nor quantity for later characterization. The Biology Integration Institute Regional OneHealth Aerobiome Discovery Network (BROADN) is a project at Colorado State University, funded by a National Science Foundation grant, which seeks to better understand the Aerobiome. Questions related to the aerobiome include: what it contains, what external factors impact it, its dynamics, and the unique adaptations of its constituent organisms. To resolve this gap in knowledge, the “Building a Better Sampler” group designed a high flow, radial, two-stage cyclonic liquid collection system in an attempt to collect higher quantities of bio-aerosols for later analysis. The design aims to preserve collected samples, maximize the amount of air sampled, and maximize collection efficiency. Various tests were conducted to evaluate the performance of the device. Further actions to optimize the design are considered in light of these test results.

Current engines used on large ships produce considerably more emissions, such as soot and CO2, than dual-fuel engines. A major drawback of dual-fuel engines is that they require two separate fuel storage systems. A system must be designed and tested to enable on-engine generation of a highly reactive secondary pilot fuel. This would allow dual-fuel engine ships to store a single fuel and generate a secondary pilot fuel for combustion as needed. This technology could be retrofitted onto existing maritime engines in any industry to dramatically reduce emissions worldwide. A system was created using several small-scale components that would take a low reactive fuel to create a high reactive pilot fuel. The system itself had to be scaled down due to the energy requirement being too much for a full-scale version. Equipment and parts were purchased based off specs and data found using different models, equations and simulations to ensure correct results when testing the built system. Safety protocols for emergencies and shutdowns were put into place to ensure the work environment was not a hazard to people working on the and around the system. The research and data from this project will be used as a foundation for future projects and students when creating a full-scale version.

Pulses, or dry beans, are a staple of diets all around the world. Upon being harvested, beans are mixed in with rocks, dirt, and plant matter which must be separated out before the beans can be sold and consumed. Despite their prevalence, the only method available for small-scale farmers to prepare their beans for market is to sort by hand. This project attempts to mechanize this process and make producing beans at a small scale more economical. The clean bean machine includes three stages: polishing/sifting, air classification, and destoning. Existing equipment was repurposed and modified to fit this process. The first stage is a Clipper cleaner, which sifts and air classifies the beans. These processes sort the bean mixture by size and remove any light debris. Next is the destoner, which sorts the bean mixture based on density, removing stones that are close in size to the beans. Because of the functionality of the existing equipment, the polisher was moved to the final stage of the process. This stage will trap and break up any remaining debris and give the beans a quality surface finish. This new method will speed up the bean cleaning process and make small-scale agriculture a bigger player in the bean world.

Traditional golf bags are not accessible or desirable for everyone. Current bags weigh up to 30 pounds and can be bulky and awkward to carry which- inhibits people from participating in the sport of golf. These bags also have little variability in design. The elderly, children, and others who struggle with carrying or dislike full golf bags are disadvantaged by the lack of alternative options. Course Rover aims to reinvent the golf bag, built around accessibility and fun. With a streamlined design to fit eight golf clubs comfortably, Course Rover will be best suited for casual play and par-3 golf courses where a full set of 14 is not necessary. Bag mobility is a crucial factor in golf, which is why Course Rover includes all terrain wheels for easy transportation across the golf course and beyond. This added mobility is especially important for the elderly, people with lifting restrictions, and children- all of whom may want to walk the course but don’t wish to carry a heavy bag.

LogiLube LLC in partnership with Hitachi Mining Company asked us, Senior Design Group 32, to develop a function that would extract a consistent volume (4.88 in³, 80mL) of engine, hydraulic, or transmission fluid from running mining equipment regardless of viscosity, temperature, or pressure. To accomplish this a test cart was upgraded to implement the LogiLube Smart Oil device as well as a pump, radiator, immersion heater, and electrical control system. Experimental data of various fluids was then taken, and fluid constants were generated through extracted volume analysis with varying pressures and temperatures. These constants allowed for a viscosity interpolation using Barr's equation. The calculated viscosity was then implemented into a valve opening program that gave the user the correct valve open time for the selected fluid. During the project some key findings were made, the first and most important was that temperature had very little impact upon valve open time leaving pressure as the dominant input. Another key finding was that at lower pressures and temperatures the fluids would have a longer opening time and therefore needed another constant to create an acceptable accuracy for volume extraction. Overall, this project allowed for us to hold a better understanding of fluid flow systems and forced us to gain hands on experience of experimental data collection.

The FSAE Chassis/Aero Team is one of three different senior design teams to create a Formula SAE vehicle that will be competing in competition in May, 2023. Our team was responsible for creating the space frame and the aero kit for the vehicle. The first semester of the school year was primarily spent on designing and ordering the parts for each of these components in order to start manufacturing at the end of that semester and into this current semester. This current semester has been all manufacturing and making sure everything will be completed in time; passing the tests that we put them through. Both components were modeled and manufactured by our team throughout the course of the year. Each component had to follow all the rules/regulations set by the Formula SAE program and also followed all the restrictions set by our sponsor, Ram Racing. Our chassis will need to be able to house all of the components of the other teams in order for the car to be fully functional and be successful at the competition later this year.

This team is one of three teams sponsored by the Ram Racing Club. The goal of the club is to build a car to compete in the Formula SAE competition in Michigan. Our team was tasked with building systems to compliment the already acquired Yamaha yzf-R6 engine. These include an intake manifold, exhaust manifold, fuel and cooling systems. Last semester, senior design was spent designing our systems to fit within the rules of FSAE and the constraints set by Ram Racing. This semester has consisted of mainly manufacturing and eliminating any conflicts with other teams systems. The project is on schedule and we are confident in the club making it to competition.

Our project objective was to design and build a fully race capable suspension and braking system for Ram Racing's CSU FSAE vehicle. FSAE is an international competition in which students from around the world build race cars abiding by a set of technical rules and guidelines. Teams are then scored in both static and dynamic events. We are one of three senior design teams focused on the development of CSU's vehicle. The suspension and brakes systems were designed to comply with the principals of simplicity, reliability, measurability, and manufacturability. During the fall semester, we created performance specifications based on various customer requirements provided by Ram Racing. We then designed and selected system components to meet these performance targets. In the spring semester, we began manufacturing and assembling the custom components of our systems. Functionality of these systems was checked with various testing setups. The highlight components of our systems include push and pull rod outboard suspension, a rear anti-roll system, custom spindles, uprights, steering, brake rotors, and a complete pedal box. The team is on track to attend the FSAE Michigan competition in May, 2023.

Woodward tasked the team to create a pneumatic trip actuator compatible with general purpose steam turbines to shut down a steam turbine when overspeed occurs. Overspeed protection is an essential aspect of a steam turbine control system. Failure to cutoff steam to the turbine if overspeed occurs causes catastrophic damages that are deadly and expensive. Trip actuators are safety devices that control steam supply valves to turbines. When overspeed is detected, these actuators are initiated and quickly shut the steam supply valves. In response, this project team developed a trip actuator that utilizes 6 custom designed pneumatic valves arranged in a manifold and controlled by 3 solenoids to drain a piston cylinder. This actuator is designed to trip in a fraction of a second, outputting over 1500lbf, and has desirable features such as 2-out-of-3 pneumatic voting logic, partial stroke testability, and elegant internal plumbing. This actuator functions autonomously without the need for manual intervention to open, close, or partial stroke test the piston.

CSU’s Rapid Prototyping Lab has tasked our senior design team with improving the pre-existing heavy-lift quadcopter platform. Under the premise of allowing rapid asset delivery for wildland firefighters and in the future personnel extraction for defense and rescue industries, the team has introduced different components to create a robust and comprehensive unmanned aircraft. In order to improve the previous heavy lift platform, the already existing drone was modified to have a streamlined battery system, payload lifting capabilities, a protective carbon fiber composite shell, as well as high strength landing gear to accommodate any package that the quadcopter may carry. These systems were tested to validate our designs, confirm that the designs met the performance specifications, and that they would reliably perform under any circumstances. From learning how to manufacture composite parts to the integration of different avionics products, the heavy lift quadcopter senior design group has implemented pathfinding to pave the way for future unmanned aerial vehicles that can carry heavy payloads and perform critical missions with greater speed, efficiency, and safety.

Kodak has tasked the team with a project that will be in a section of the receiver roll production area of the facility. A key area in the manufacturing of photo paper. The two goals of the project is to identify roll engagement notches (how the rolls interface with the printers) and reorientation to be picked up along the line. Efficiency, repeatability, and process speed of the system is crucial for a proper outcome. The solution the project team has created uses a specially designed conveyer, fitted with pneumatic gates, seven stepper motors, linear cylinders and actuators, numerous custom aluminum parts and an image recognition system, all constructed to industrial manufacturing standards to last for years of use. The project utilizes both complex physical and software solutions to complete the desired tasks.

Colorado State University’s Rocket Team - Airframe Team is tasked this year with designing and building an airframe that will house a liquid bi-propellant engine and payload (Martian Soil Sampling Drone for Colonization). The purpose of this project is to work collaboratively with the propulsion and payload teams to build a rocket for launch to an apogee of 10,000ft and deploy the payload on descent at the Friends of Amateur Rocketry Dollar Per Foot competition held in the Mojave Desert in June. Using a systems engineering approach, the design of the airframe facilitates all major functions of the craft (integration, ascent, recovery, and payload deployment) and optimizes for performance in these areas. Analytical modeling methods were employed in design to meet stakeholder and performance requirements and empirical testing is currently being used to verify the fulfillment of these requirements. Testing activities have yielded positive results that indicate the future success of launch and work continues to be done to achieve testing and timeline goals. Thank you to our generous sponsors WSCOE, HP, Lincoln Electric, and The Las Vegas Raiders. Thank you to our advisors Dr. Doug Fankell, Dr. Bret Windom, and Edward Wranosky. And a special thanks to Steve Johnson and Nelson Isaacson for their help with manufacturing and testing.

Colorado State University’s Competition Rocket Team’s Payload team is tasked with designing and building a payload that will collect surface soil data on the planet Mars with an unmanned arial vehicle quadcopter. The purpose of the mission is to collect surface soil data of unexplored terrain inaccessible with current Mars rovers due to geographical discrepancies such as ravines or steep craters. To solve this issue, we have designed and are building a drone into a 5U CubeSat volume to interface with the rocket airframe diameter. The drone will utilize folding arms which will unfold when jettisoned from the flight vehicle. Once the drone jettisons from the vehicle, it will be able to hover in place at a specific waypoint while collecting samples and testing the soil. The drone will encounter its final test during a full-scale launch with a liquid bi-propellant rocket. This rocket will reach an apogee of 10,000 ft then begin its recovery. At 500 ft, the payload will deploy out of the vehicle and be able to demonstrate its ability to conduct soil sampling research. We are pursuing this project since we believe drones are the future for planetary exploration as they provide greater capability of surveying. The current industry is also looking towards colonization of Mars in the future, and this device would facilitate part of the research required to get there.

The CSU Rocket Team is divided into three subteams; Airframe, Payload, and Propulsion. We are responsible for developing a bi-liquid engine that will propel the Payload and Airframe teams to an apogee of 10,000 ft. The team decided to completely redesign the entire engine from scratch and thus needed to start at the beginning of the design process. Utilizing NASA CEA code, Open Rocket software, and extensive research, the team was able to arrive at several design points that allows for engine geometry to take shape. The team is also not funded by a corporate sponsor nor the Mech Department (so far) and have worked to raise every dollar that we have received for purchasing. We are planning the ultimate test of our engine, a static hot fire, in the days following E-Days.

By emphasizing practicality and safety, Ruck Moto seeks to develop an electric low-power motorcycle that serves short-distance city commuters. The market currently offers Class-3 E-bikes and 50cc scooters, which lack the practicality of a large, lockable container and the safety of a full-sized motorcycle's tires and brakes. A sizable, lockable central weatherproof storage box will be built into the frame of the Ruck Moto. The team was motivated to consider the shortcomings of earlier bikes on the market by their love of repairing motorized vehicles and the chance to use it as a senior design project. By maximizing safety, speed, storage, and manufacturing costs, Ruck Moto's electric motorcycle will bridge the gap between current E-bikes and electric motorcycles. A decreased carbon footprint, safe, lockable storage, and joyful operation were on the team's wish list and were successfully completed. The best commuter bike puts a smile on the rider's face every time they go for a journey.

Sterling Winnegrad is a student-athlete who participates on the CSU Special Olympics team and is in need of a new walker. His current walker lacks a construction that suits his body and his needs. It does not have stable handlebars, reliable anti-tipping hardware, does not have footrests, or the type of wheels he would prefer. While most walkers are designed to fit a wide array of people, this new model fits one. This custom build removes most adjustable items to provide Sterling with his personal fit in a reliable and ruggedized walker that requires minimal maintenance. Through extensive analysis and testing, the team is confident in all joints, materials, and hardware involved. We are proud to present a ruggedized upright walker that can keep up with Sterling Winnegrad!

The telescope balancing system at the W.M. Keck Observatory would benefit from an improvement from a manual system to an automatic system to increase efficiency, maximize safety, and improve nightly observation time. Every time an observing instrument changes, the 300-ton telescopes must be rebalanced back to within 5-10 lbs. Currently, this is done using steel plates manually bolted to the end of the telescope. Our team designed and built a 1/10 length scale model of an automatic balance system mounted on a simplified 1/10 scale model of the Keck 1 Telescope. The modeled system uses a stepper motor-driven lead screw to move a weighted carriage along the length of the telescope model, providing an accurate proof of concept representation of how the balance system will work at the full scale. The control system was coded with the Keck Observatory’s current software in mind, and measures imbalance using the current output of the DC motors that drive the telescope angle. The control system uses this measurement to calculate the required distance for the weight carriage to move, resulting in a near-perfectly balanced telescope.

Obermeyer Hydro Inc. has tasked our team with creating a benchtop test stand to enable the further development of their new toroidal impeller design. This unique new pump system stands to revolutionize the pumped storage hydropower industry that accounts for 93% of utility-scale energy storage in the United States. Boasting improved efficiency within a smaller footprint, their well based turbine system is capable of being implemented for a lower financial and environmental cost to more communities worldwide. To fine tune their impeller design for final production, our team has created a test stand to monitor dangerous cavitation development during operation in extreme operating parameters. Our project features a transparent acrylic housing enabling the impeller and diffuser system to be visually monitored for cavitation during operation. A motor speed controller working alongside gate and ball valves within the 4” diameter plumbing allows control of the operating conditions. A custom symmetric 24” long venturi tube, tachometer, cradle dynamometer and pressure instruments are in place to measure pump performance. On top of all this, the pump stand also has the added benefit of demonstrating their innovative product to potential investors as well as the general public.

The USDA is searching for an automated and precise method to distribute, count, and track oral rabies vaccinations (ORV) using helicopters. They require a durable, dependable, and user-friendly device to enhance the effectiveness of the ORV baits. Our team has created a device that utilizes a screw conveyor, vibratory motors, and rollers to sort the baits. A mounted laser records the count, altitude, velocity, and coordinates of the baits as they are released from the device. Developing a device that works with the unique characteristics of ORV baits presented challenges that our team handled through extensive research, testing, and analysis. This innovation will help in the fight against the rabies epidemic in the United States.