Previous ASME Award Winner
Recent Departmental Runner Up Awards
Capstone Design Projects
NIWC PAC UAS Launch and Recovery
2024-2025 - Spring
Team: 26
Team Members
Parker Amano
Gregory Garner
Gabriel Lepage
Bhodivista Yohn
This project developed four subsystems for NIWC PAC to support modular, low-cost drone platforms: a rugged transport case, a compact ground control station, a pneumatic fixed-wing launcher, and a recovery net. Three prototypes were built; the recovery net was delivered as a design package. These systems enhance drone deployment, control, and recovery, aligning with NIWC’s shift toward agile, unmanned solutions and away from costly, proprietary technologies.
Resistive Torque Measurement Apparatus
2024-2025 - Spring
Team: 24
Sponsored by the Office of Naval Research and UC San Diego, this project developed the Resistive Torque Measurement Apparatus (RTMA) to support research on robotic movement through granular media. The RTMA measures resistive torque on a rotating intruder submerged in granular media with varying conditions. Designed for field use, it enables efficient data collection to inform the design of bio-inspired robots navigating complex granular environments.
Materials Break Up
2024-2025 - Spring
Team: 16
Genentech, Inc. has a process that breaks down medicinal powder and processes them through their pipes to be able to create drugs. These powders are delivered in sealed bags that can clog processing pipes. This project aims to develop an automated, sanitary, and safe solution for filtering out and breaking down clumps that form due to moisture exposure. It is made up of three parts: the mechanical frame, the motorized mechanism that targets clumps in the neck of the bag, and a filtering clip.
Cell Stretcher 2.0
2024-2025 - Spring
Team: 29
This project aimed to create a device that could apply three mechanical stressors (shear, normal, and stretching) to cultured endothelial cells in a decoupled manner, with the ultimate goal of quantifying their effects on genetic expression to better understand Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension.
Portable TEC-Based Liquid Cooling Garment
2024-2025 - Spring
Team: 30
Team Members
Aaron Lo
Morgan Laney
Fatima Rivera
Karla Ramirez
The rise of extreme heat events from global warming drives an increase in the need for personal cooling technologies. The Portable Thermoelectric Device (TEC) Based Liquid Cooling Garment project aimed to create a lightweight and flexible solution for individuals exposed to extreme heat environments. The system features flexible tubing that delivers cool water circulation from the TEC and heatsink units, user customizability at 3 cooling levels, and is battery-powered.
Thrust Vector Control Module for a Rocket Engine
2023-2024 - Spring
Team: 32
Team Members
Omeed Shahhosseini
Setekh Karaismailoglu
Claire Wang
Georgia Prewitt
The goal of this project is to develop a thrust vector control module that can rotate a rocket engine to guide the sponsor’s Riptide vehicle in the desired directions. The module has to allow 7° radius gimbaling from the central axis of the Nephas engine, withstand 2000 lbf thrust force for 15 seconds while drawing a circle, and use the two linear actuators provided by sponsor.
Enclosed Cell Stretcher
2023-2024 - Spring
Team: 2
Professor Geno Pawlak and the Experimental Biofluidics Lab are studying the genetic expression of biological cells under three biomechanical forces (pressure, shear stress, and cyclic stretching) in order to develop pharmaceuticals that can help manage Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension. The enclosed cell stretcher prototype is able to apply all 3 forces simultaneously, inducing flow and pressure across a cell membrane while also cyclically stretching it.
Mechanoluminescent Material
2023-2024 - Spring
Team: 25
Zinc Sulfide (ZnS) in a silicone base yields an elastomer with mechanoluminescent properties. This means that when it experiences stress, the material emits light! We wanted to use this special property to create a proof of concept application for alternatives to battery-powered light-up products.
Project Tortas: Flattened Duct for Engine Build-Up
2023-2024 - Spring
Team: 28
Collins Aerospace, a subsidiary of Raytheon Technologies, specializes in designing and servicing systems for various aircraft. To enhance the efficiency of turbojet engines, they are focusing on investigating the feasibility of flattening air ducts to route through tight spaces more effectively. The final deliverable is a sensitivity study of the factors that contribute to maintaining the original duct's characteristics while fitting within certain boundaries to support the sponsor's decisions.
Ultrafast Subpixel Resolution Enhancement
2023-2024 - Spring
Team: 3
Image enhancing techniques such as structured illumination microscopy and subpixel resolution enhancement (SRE) are able to drastically increase the resolution of image sampling devices, allowing cameras to surpass the diffraction limit of light or simply increase sensor resolution. This project aimed to apply these techniques to high-speed imaging, or "slow-mo" video. The system was able to continuously move a grating and control its position within ±2.5 µm of the setpoint.
Endotracheal Tube Support Clip
2023-2024 - Spring
Team: 14
Team Members
Jusung Park
Maria Resendiz-Cruz
Michael Usherenko
Madison Whiteman
Brian Yi
The Endotracheal Tube Support Clip is an innovative medical device used to reduce the probability and severity of throat injuries during intubation.
Genetically Modified Mosquito Incubation Box
2023-2024 - Spring
Team: 13
Team Members
Emily Inthavong
Emily Weiner
Keileina Honda
Matthew Amankonah
Samantha Stampfl
The goal of this project is to create a mosquito suppression box that allows for the development of genetically modified mosquito eggs so that the sterile male mosquitoes can easily exit the box while the flightless female mosquitoes are contained.
Single-Cell Microfluidic Chip Design and Fabrication
2023-2024 - Spring
Team: 8
Team Members
Conor Archdeacon
Theo Emery
Wesley Huszarik
Spencer Martin
Trevor Matthews
Microfluidics devices were designed and fabricated to study single cell interactions between coccidioidomycosis and neutrophil at large scales. High efficiency rates were reported, providing valuable data driven insight towards developing cost effective research tools and treatments for Valley Fever. Cell immobilization techniques were considered for extended time scale imaging.
Kidney Transplant Pump
2023-2024 - Spring
Team: 16
The kidney is placed in a sealed transparent chamber with tubing and blood drainage openings, on a perforated stainless-steel platform for monitoring. Perfusate flows to an external reservoir, recirculating nutrient-rich blood cells via a peristaltic pump, simulating natural blood circulation. An oxygenator mimics lung function, while a heating system maintains temperature. Integrated sensors monitor flow rate and pressure, ensuring conditions meet specifications.
Random Positioning Machine
2023-2024 - Spring
Team: 26
Team Members
Andrew Copeland
Manuel Figueroa
Nicholas Maekawa
Nicholas Ratto
Vladimir Rubtsov
Our sponsor desired a machine capable of reproducing microgravity conditions, necessitating the development of a Random Positioning Machine (RPM). Currently, conducting experiments on biological samples under microgravity requirements is extremely costly and time-consuming. A two-axis nested frame design was developed with fixtures to mount a variety of sample types and achieve an integrated acceleration of 0 m/s^2.
Wavetank
2023-2024 - Spring
Team: 17
Team Members
Frank Pham
Justin Le
Alexander Yeh
Ian Tom
Hans Millan
Professor Saha is collaborating with Professor Hao on a research focusing on the understanding of small-scale physical processes at the atmosphere–ocean interface. The sponsor’s goal is to obtain a device that produces effective deep water waves that allow for the study of wave-droplet interactions. The designed wave tank has the capacity to consistently generate custom 1-D deep water waves with wavelengths ranging from 5-105 mm, frequency from 4-63 Hz and amplitude from 0-5 mm.
Syringe Pump for Tissue Expander
2023-2024 - Spring
Team: 23
A motorized syringe pump that uses a stepper motor with a lead screw to move the plunger of the syringe, all enclosed within a frame. The pump has the option to move forward, backward, and hold position per the user's will. To prevent unintended travel, the limit switch can effectively stop the movement during the procedure, giving the user ample time to change the moving direction. On top of everything, it is 39% less expensive than comparable syringe pumps on the market!
Poseidon's Bidet
2023-2024 - Winter
Team: 9
A mechanical cleaning prototype for OceanWell, a start-up focused on energy efficient methods of desalination to supply drinking water to water-stressed regions. This device will be used to test methods for cleaning biofouling off of OceanWell's LifeSafe intake filter. It features a linear motion axis, water jets with 3 degrees of freedom, and interchangeable brushes to try out different cleaning methods.
Autonomous Rail Robot Transportation Network for Spacecraft Servicing and Inspection
2023-2024 - Winter
Team: 1
Current orbital programs lack the ability to economically and autonomously access all parts of a satellite for servicing and inspection. The proposed system is an autonomous, self-constructing rail system that can reach any Point Of Interest (POI) on a host satellite. Single-function robots perform operations at this location, after which the rail is relocated to access another POI. The system enables failure diagnosis, extends host lifespan, and reduces severity of hardware failure.
Sub Sea Sonics
2023-2024 - Winter
Team: 11
Sub Sea Sonics looked to tackle communication issues that come with deep sea fishing. Fishermen had no reliable and cost effective way of logging the dropped positions of their fishing gear. This not only made fishing difficult but allowed some to fish in endangered locations. Team 11 designed a system that can log the telemetry of fishing gear and that can operate under high sea pressures. This device consisted of a pressure vessel, tracking electronics, software, and a battery system.
KickEase Pediatric Swim Trainer
2023-2024 - Winter
Team: 7
The KickEase is a pediatric swim trainer that is worn around the knee, and limits excessive knee flexion in order to promote the development of proper muscle memory for flutter kicking. The final design of the KickEase consists of four major components: a fabric body, restraining hinges, attachment straps and internal grip pads. These components are layered on top one of another and fastened using Chicago screw and snap fasteners.
Precision Jacket for Photoacoustic Imaging
2023-2024 - Winter
Solar Turbines -Turbine Pre-Swirler
2023-2024 - Winter
Team: 4
Team Members
Team Member 1 - Fernando Acuna
Team Member 2 - Jennifer Duong
Team Member 3 - Richard Montalvo
Team Member 4 - Horacio Ramirez-Nunez
Printed Pre-Swirler using Additive Manufacturing (Two Left Images). CAD of entire Pre-Swirler (Right Image)
Development of Cutting Edge Instrumentation for Vision Preserving Surgery
2023-2024 - Winter
Team: 12
Team Members
Hans Chen (www.linkedin.com/in/hans-chen-30b0b6150/)
Joanne Low (www.linkedin.com/in/joanne-low-3b1487205)
Quinn Mullineaux (www.linkedin.com/in/mullineauxq/)
Hanieh Seilsepour (www.linkedin.com/in/hanieh-spr/)
Optic nerve sheath fenestration is a process which requires the surgeon to bluntly dissect through the fat pads in the orbital socket, in order to reach the optic nerve. Once reached, the surgeon can then create a small slit in the optic nerve to release the build up of pressure due to excess fluid. The project's motivation was to reduce the manpower and complexity of this surgical procedure by designing a specialized surgical device to reduce the number of tools required for the operation.
NDT- Endovascular Blood Clot Removal Device
2023-2024 - Spring
Team: 18
Design and manufacture an endovascular blood clot removal tool that is safe, reliable, and effective, along with a test bed for thorough testing.
Underwater Robot Swarm: A Birch Aquarium Interactive Exhibit
2023-2024 - Spring
Team: 20
Team Members
Peyton Cross
Elliot Myers
Aidan Reedy-Schneider
Guy Walters
Adrian Zugehar
This interactive Birch Aquarium exhibit prototype educates visitors about technologies within the world of underwater imaging, featuring a buoyancy control mechanism and water column profiling sensors. Direct vertical motion is achieved through the robot's dome-shaped canopy capturing bubbles released by guests from the bottom of the tank. Once surfaced, pressure, temperature, and UV light sensors relate the tank conditions to images from across the globe captured by the Jaffe Lab.
Spaceflight Honeycomb Panel Depressurization
2023-2024 - Spring
Team: 19
Honeycomb panels are used frequently in aerospace, but trapped air can burst due to rapid depressurization during launch. The cell walls are perforated to allow air flow, but traditional methods for analyzing these perforations are untested and computationally expensive. Our project seeks to experimentally verify theoretical porous resistance coefficients. To collect this data, our project consists of a testing chamber with a variable mounting system and sensors to measure critical values.
Triton AI Autonomous eVGokart
2023-2024 - Spring
Team: 21
Our project aims to enhance vehicle safety and performance by upgrading the hydraulic brake system to prevent rear wheel skidding, ensuring smoother braking. We integrated an advanced rear axle wheel speed sensing system for real-time motor input adjustments. Collaborating with Triton AI, we developed crucial mechanisms for autonomous brake control, optimizing safety and performance through adaptive brake pressure adjustments.
Gradwell Drive-By-Wire Go-Kart
2023-2024 - Winter
Team: 3
DRIVR is a startup that focuses on the idea that combines the experience of VR and Real life. The driver wears a VR headset while sitting in an actual go-kart and views a simulated course and any inputs from VR are translated to the go-kart.
The project focuses on the mechanical/electrical aspect of the go-kart. The aim was to build a fully electric go-kart that incorporates Drive, Steer, and Brake-by-wire.
The project focuses on the mechanical/electrical aspect of the go-kart. The aim was to build a fully electric go-kart that incorporates Drive, Steer, and Brake-by-wire.
Accessible Enclosure System
2023-2024 - Winter
Team: 5
Team Inspiration is designing an autonomous surface vehicle (ASV) to compete in RobotX 2024 International Maritime Challenge. The team’s 2022 overhead mounting solution faced accessibility and signal interference issues. This project seeks to mount and protect the sensors and electrical components with an undermount solution for increased modularity and accessibility, without compromising structural integrity or water resistance.
