This project implements a Spiking Neural Network controller on a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) to control an autonomous vehicle which follows a guidance line while avoiding obstacles in front of it. The purpose of this project would be to implement the controls of the vehicle with a more natural logic system formed by patterns and associated weights. The result of this project will be twofold. The research provided by this project could further develop hardware implementations of natural logic systems in other research or scalable applications.

The goal of this project is to design and construct a portable and detailed demonstration unit for Endress+Hauser’s measurement sensors in collaboration with the Capstone team, the school, and the company sponsor. The unit will be easily interactive and aesthetically comprehensible for K-12 and college students in demonstrating the functionality of different sensors and the principles of fluid mechanics. 

We designed a detailed display that demonstrates Endress+Hauser’s automation process. This design will be transportable and ergonomic so Endress+Hauser can promote their  sensors easily and efficiently to career fairs and trade shows to effectively demonstrate the flow, level, pressure, temperature, pH level to show K-12 and college students the fundamentals of fluid mechanics on a small scale.

Lower back pain is a common health problem prevalent in many manual labor occupations. As a result, back pain is considered to be the 6th most costly condition in the United States[4]. Worker absentee rates due to lower back problems is estimated to affect productivity and cost the economy an estimated $635 billion [2]. As well as direct healthcare costs estimated to be $12 billion yearly[4]. Conditions that contribute lower back pain are due to poor form during the lifting process or over exertion of the lower back muscles.

This team was focused on creating an analytical model to simulate a future neural network thermostat as well as creating a physical box model that can be used to test said thermostat as well as competitors to compare to.

The current Optical CAN transceiver, known as the OPTOCAN, includes Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) rechargeable batteries to power the device. The product comes with a wall charger that can be used to charge the batteries and perform a periodic discharge to preserve the full battery capacity. 

The charger provided with the product fails to meet the desired performance requirements for the user. Specifically, it does not include charge level indication, the discharge feature does not always function, and the charger occasionally needs to reset. 

Due to the nature of die casting, it is an aggressive process for the dies. With every shot, a force of several tons is enacted on the steel dies to close them, followed by the rapid heating to 1221℉ and then cooling to approximately 392℉ of these dies to make and remove the aluminum blocks. As seen from prior experiences, this process will cause the dies to deteriorate over time, causing defects such as sinkholes, cracks, plus and minus stock, etc., on the product. The current solution for finding these defects at Stellantis is by human visual inspection.

The Automated Computer Vision Inspection System for Conveyance is an application that monitors the condition of a conveyor belt used at Amazon Fulfillment Centers. The system is a web application designed to automate the process of monitoring the condition of the conveyor belts. This system uses computer vision to analyze images captured by a camera mounted above the conveyor belt to extract key features such as the straightness of the belt, the number of rips on the belt, and the number of vertices on the belt surface.

The purpose of this project is to provide a reliable monitoring solution for pneumatic systems in Amazon Distribution Centers. Pressure leaks within the system lead to hours of downtime for maintenance. The root cause is unknown, so a monitoring solution would be a useful implementation to help the maintenance teams reduce repair times.

Team 12 has brought wireless communication and lock security together with the sponsorship of Allegion to make changes to the Schlage Touch lock, a residential keypad lock. Team 12 has implemented Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) technology and an iOS App Clip to allow for a simpler process of adding and removing entry codes to the lock. The BLE allows the user to connect to the lock from their smart device and the iOS App Clip is the interface for how users complete the task without needing to download an actual app from the App Store.