Research

Title: Implementation and Actuation of a Fish Replica to Study Schooling in Danio rerio

The zebrafish (Danio rerio) is commonly used as an experimental subject due to its well understood genome and rapid embryonic development in the laboratory setting. These animals exhibit shoaling or schooling in nature, in which the follower fish are thought to maintain hydrodynamic efficiency by swimming in the wake of a leader fish. This experiment examines the response of a single live zebra fish swimming in a flow chamber behind a replica fish at varying flow rates. Replica fish are molded from silicone or lurecraft polymer, the molds for which are 3D printed. The tail of the replica fish is actuated using one of two methods with a frequency and maximum amplitude typical of wild type zebrafish. The tail may be oscillated using an Arduino controlled servomotor or by neodymium magnets embedded in the replica tail in conjunction with electromagnets positioned around the flow chamber. Video of the live fish body is taken and analyzed using MATLAB and ProAnalyst software to monitor the biomotive response in and around the wake of the replica.

Figure: Live zebrafish resting in the flow test chamber

Research

Title: Making Things Talk in the Physical World with the Use of Augmented Reality

Our research focused on creating interactions of physical things with the help of augmented reality. By using augmented reality we created functionality at the physical level between things that otherwise would communicate independent of each other. In our experiment, a regular LED, an RGB-LED, a flex sensor, and a temperature sensor communicated according to user-designed interactions on an app. We used two Arduino Yun microcontrollers as hybrid objects to communicate with a server and our iOS app. We customized a virtual user-interface for the user to interact with the app and connect the interface with physical objects that we had interfaced with and programmed using Arduino. To accomplish our goals, we used a computer, Wifi, Arduino Yun, a microSD card, a micro USB cable, breadboard, various sensors and actuators, and jumper wires. On the software side, we used the Open Hybrid platform, Hybrid Editor software on IOS, HTML editor, and Arduino software.

Figure: Illustrative test-bed for augmented reality based interaction with physical objects

Research

Title: Measuring Energy Expenditure in a Robotic Arm to Determine Optimal Trajectory

This research addresses the challenges of creating the optimal trajectory of a robotic arm. Our research lab is comparing robots and humans’ energy expenditure. Robotic arms depend on mechanical power and heat in a circuit (see Figure) while human arms depend on mechanical power and the heat generated by the arm’s muscles as well as the basal metabolic rate (resting rate expenditure). Understanding energy expenditure in both humans and robots is essential for optimizing energy usage. Knowledge of most efficient trajectories can be applied to many industries to reduce energy usage in robotic systems. In this experiment, 18 static tests and 25 dynamic tests were performed on a 2-DOF robotic arm, consisting of an elbow and a shoulder, to calculate current, voltage, power, and energy. The static tests were at different angles ranging from 5° to 90° in increments of 5°. The dynamic tests included five trajectories at five different speeds for each path. The test results are useful to our research lab because they can be applied to a least squares algorithm to mathematically predict an optimal trajectory in a robotic system. The methodology, results, and discussion in greater details of these tests are documented in the full report.

Figure: Hardware for the experiment

Research

Title: Stroke Rehabilitation Biometry Device

Stroke rehabilitation methods often rely on qualitative data obtained from medical professionals’ observations. Recent advances in technology use various computer programs for therapy, biometry, sports performance optimization, and other human performance assessments. Our proposed system uses flex sensors and Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs) to provide accurate biometric measurements of finger, wrist, elbow, and shoulder positioning for use in assessing stroke rehabilitation progress. Sensor data is processed by a mounted, wearable Arduino and sent via USB cable to a PC running MATLAB software. MATlLAB is used to represent the joint movements graphically. This device is proposed for use in clinical settings in concurrence with traditional qualitative evaluations such as the Wolf Motor Function test.

Figure: Prototype biometry device

Research

Title:Sensing Capillary Action in Soil

Capillary action in soil is the rising of the water level through openings in the soil. The study of capillarity is essential in the field of geoengineering and agriculture. The research objective is to build an interactive capillary chamber that can accurately quantify capillary action in soil. The potential product, incorporating built-in LED, sound, and robotic arms, will be marketable to educators and students. The capillary chamber was designed using a rectangular box made of acrylic and a touch sensor was interface to an Arduino to detect water level increase in different soil samples. The probe was inserted into the soil to test increases in the water level due to capillary action. Once the probe comes in contact with water, the Arduino activates the LEDs and piezo buzzer. A conductivity sensor interfaced with an Arduino was also used to measure current flow at different heights of the sand profile. The rate of capillarity was measured using a straw. At the conclusion of this research, the touch sensor was discovered to have successfully detected water in the soil. The data collected via the conductivity sensor indicates that current increases as the distance to the bottom of the chamber decreases and rates of capillary action occur fastest in coarse sand, i.e. colored crab sand.

Figure: Arduino conductivity sensor with LCD

Research

Title: The Effects of Non-Biodegradable Waste Materials and Glass Microspheres on Cement

This research was aimed at developing a low density, high strength, environmentally friendly cement composite that incorporates non-biodegradable waste. There were two primary goals in mind for the cement composites: 1) develop cement that is environmentally friendly by incorporating the waste materials of human hair and coal fly ash and 2) create a syntactic foam structure that optimizes durability and strength in the cement while minimizing the density through use of glass microspheres and Class F fly ash. To achieve these goals, cement-based composites were created using various percentages of fly ash, human hair, and glass microspheres. The research was aimed at determining the impact of these materials in the composite mixture and to determine a suitable proportion of materials based on a high strength to density ratio. In using human hair and fly ash, we showcase how non-biodegradable waste materials can be repurposed and reused. The purpose of incorporating the glass microspheres into the matrix was to lower the density of the cement even further while increasing its compressive strength. The fly ash also helps to reduce the density and has a positive impact on compressive strength. The human hair aims to reinforce the strength of the cement and to reduce plastic shrinkage and cracking. Using quasi-static compressive testing yielded insight into the stress-strain optimization of these composites. The use of glass microspheres and Class F fly ash reduced the density of the cement by about 50%, however the peak stress of the cement composites was also reduced by about 80% compared to pure cement. The impacts of the human hair on the cement were inconclusive and seemed to have no effect on the compressive strength of the samples. Further testing using a larger sample size could be conducted in the future and yield more accurate data.

Figure: Quasi-static compressive testing

Figure: Cement composite specimen being compressed