The Endress+Hauser project is a continuation of last year’s work, where previous technical challenges have been addressed. However, two key issues remain. Firstly, the current design of the machine does not aggregate the output data from various sensors, making data interpretation more time-consuming than necessary. Secondly, the learning curve for operating the control cart is too high, especially for potential student training.

Two primary static seal types used in the fluid power industry are an O-ring and backup seal combination or an “all in one” head seal. Black Hawk Seals is one of the numerous companies that presents their own products in the static seal category. Due to this nature, BHS needs data comparing their seals to competitor seals. The captured data is intended to better understand the performance ranges of their current line of products, while also providing room to make design changes based on the team’s findings.

Salk Institute for Biological Studies is a research institute that focuses on plant biology, neuroscience, genetics, and immunology. One of those areas is monitoring large numbers of plant samples in a controlled environment. Currently, Salk is manually scanning each sample, which is inefficient in both cost and time. Salk is requesting a pick and place gantry system to take the petri dishes from their holder to the scanner and back to their holder.