Below are some of the projects we will offer for the Fall 07 i-Teams class. Please note that we have not yet finalized the list, and we expect to add additional projects. We will send notices to the i-Teams mailing list when we add projects. Also, to help give you a sense of the types of projects typical to the i-Teams class, you could consult last semester’s pool of the projects. Please click here: last semester's projects.
Summaries
of each project are below.
Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics
When we walk on a surface, we almost instantaneously estimate a large number of surface properties. These include: granularity, slipperiness, slope, traction, compressibility, hardness, and temperature. Wearing shoes or boots reduces the amount of information presented to our feet in some way, but does not exclude them completely from our experience. However, astronauts walk on extraterrestrial terrain which could have very different surface properties than on Earth. How can we capture this valuable information? The answer: Smart Boot!
The smart boot is equipped with an array of sophisticated internal and external sensors which present task relevant information about surface properties to the astronaut, which include foot-slippage, depth of the dust-layer, properties of deeper rock layers, energy expenditures of walking on this surface, etc. The smart boot would allow one to obtain geographical information about the terrain as well as data about the astronaut’s performance, energy expenditure, and safety while walking on an extraterrestrial surface. Another application of the Smart Boot is in helping patients with locomotive disabilities. The smart boot could provide information about the floor contact and slippery surfaces. The i-Team will focus on finding the right application for this technology; terrestrial or extraterrestrial.
Computer Science & Artificial Intelligence Lab
Until very recently, robots have only been used in controlled environments, such as large-scale manufacturing operations. It is only in the last few years that we have seen commercially available robots designed for use in more complex human environments.
In particular, robots are now capable of assisting people with a few ordinary household tasks; like mopping and vacuuming.
The introduction of these “household” friendly robots has had great impact. However, there are still obvious limitations to what robots can do. People might imagine a day where robots can grab, lift, and move objects to clean a room, organize shelves, or help unload and load things into a car. However, these capabilities are very difficult to achieve when robots are placed in the human environment where conditions are constantly changing.
This project seeks to improve the functionality of robots in human environments. We have developed a robot, OBRERO, capable of successfully grabbing, lifting, and placing objects. OBRERO uses a novel tactile sensing technology and a low mechanical impedance hand which allows it to rely mainly on tactile feedback, as opposed to vision.
The low mechanical impedance of the fingers in the hand allows the robot to gently and safely come in contact with objects. The tactile sensors have properties similar to those of the human skin such as high sensitivity and deformability. In addition, the range of applications of the sensors can be extended to other domains, beyond robotics.
Department of Materials Science and EngineeringDepartment of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
In recent memory, there have been numerous oil spill or leakage accidents which have drawn attention because of the serious environmental hazards they present. The clean-up of these disasters come at a high price and can take months to clean. In addition, existing clean-up materials are not as absorbent and as selective as necessary. Addressing the need for more efficient oil-spill cleanup is an important step in limiting the environmental devastation caused by these types of accidents.
This project explores the properties of a new super-hydrophobic material derived from a macroscopic nanowire-assembly for selectively absorbing oil from water and separating different liquids. Initial results have demonstrated significant potential in such applications. The fabrication of these materials is simple and rapid, and the surface wetting properties can be tuned such that the materials can change from super-hydrophobic to super-hydrophilic reversibly. Such an approach could allow for the continuous absorption of hazardous materials, significantly impacting how hazardous accidents are cleaned. The i-Team will focus on establishing markets and the potential of commercialization.
Department of Chemical Engineering
Molecular diagnostics is a multi-billion dollar market that directly impacts progression in biological research and medical diagnostics, ranging from cancer to genomics. Despite the current use of microarrays in research labs; the technology is expensive, lacks versatility, has reproducibility issues, and is not well suited for applications in global medicine and point-of-care diagnostics. The development of a portable, cheap, simple multiplexing tool that can characterize DNA, RNA, and/or protein targets in a single patient sample would enable bedside diagnostics in clinical settings.
This project will complete proof-of-principle experiments on a new method for multiplexed analysis using multifunctional microparticles. This technique has already been used for multiplexed DNA detection, offering many advantages over existing technologies including: high multiplexing capabilities, cheap 1-step particle fabrication, high sensitivity and specificity, and versatility. The i-Team will explore potential markets for this platform technology, which may be suitable for applications broadly ranging from basic science research to diagnosis of disease in developing countries.
Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering
The basic principle of x-ray imaging; relying solely on the difference in absorption as the source of contrast, has remained essentially unchanged since 1895 when Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen coined the word “x-rays.” Whether done with film or with digital methods, the fundamental limitation of current x-ray technology is the tradeoff between contrast and dose. Phase contrast x-ray imaging uses the wave nature of x-rays to form images based on small differences in the x-ray refractive index of materials. As a result, images created by this method may be formed even for materials which can not easily be imaged or distinguished conventionally. Development of a practical phase contrast technology would enable more clearly distinguishable images at a lower dose.
This proposes a new approach to phase contrast x-ray imaging to improve both medical procedures as well as security screening. For medical imaging, particularly in mammography, the technology could enhance the contrast of images while reducing the dose of the patient. For security screening, the approach could help airport security screeners distinguish between explosives and benign materials in passenger luggage.
Department of Materials Science and Engineering
Large-scale storage of electrical energy is a huge problem in an array of fields from leveling loads on power grids to providing uninterruptible power supplies. Energy storage is also a crucial technology to enable alternative energies such as solar power and to improve the environmental efficiency of existing energy systems. Battery technologies have improved in recent decades, but they do not have the cycle-life, nor the low-cost required for these applications.
This project seeks to build a proof-of-concept system. The data gathered at this stage should also provide enough information to design and build a device for a pilot project in an industrial setting.
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