2024 Mechatronics Engineering Capstone Designs

Symphonic is a wearable silent communicator. Simply mouth out what you want to say, and it does the dictation and vocalization for you. Symphonic will unlock expression for individuals with difficulty vocalizing, and enable new experiences with natural language applications.

We are building a wearable IoT device for wildland firefighters to collect data on air quality during forest fires. This data will be used to assess potential health impacts to the firefighters, in addition to supporting eventual research on effective PPE designs.

SnoMo is an autonomous ice-resurfacing robot designed to tackle the challenges traditional ice-resurfacers face. It offers an affordable, effective, and easy solution for maintaining high-quality ice rinks, both indoors and outdoors. By employing a smart vision system Snomo can tackle even the most unique rinks and challenging conditions, guaranteeing a high quality ice finish every time. With its compact size and adjustable features, it is small enough to take with you on the go! For more information, please check out the SnoMo Project Website: https://24capstone.wixsite.com/my-site-1.

Residential home flooding due to pipe failures is a common issue across the world. The aftermath of a pipe burst can be very costly with an average insurance claim estimated at $12,000. With this project, our team attempts to mitigate flooding damage by developing a system that can detect and respond to pipe bursts. The monitoring is done through flow estimates, and the user is alerted via an app about any abnormalities. The water supply can be turned off by command or upon a timeout.

Flashed is an automated system for monitoring indoor climbing gyms for route changes and facility updates. Our computer vision algorithm automatically detects new bouldering problems and their grades to keep climbers up-to-date on their local gyms and plan their training accordingly. The versatile camera mount is designed to seamlessly integrate into most commercial gyms. With our accompanying app, we also aspire to be the go-to social platform for the climbing community to connect about their shared passion for the vertical realm!

Carpi, derived from the Latin term for 'wrist,' represents our commitment to addressing the challenges of hand and wrist injuries. Our motivation stems from witnessing and experiencing ongoing struggles in physiotherapy, especially in a hectic life where hands are essential. We are developing a mechatronics solution to monitor and promote adherence to physical rehabilitation programs. With a focus on individualized needs, Carpi aims to alleviate difficulties in managing intensity, repetitions, and overall engagement with hand and wrist physiotherapy.

Introducing SmartSip, the ultimate IoT solution for chronic dehydration. Over half of North Americans face health issues due to insufficient water intake. Current hydration trackers lack efficiency. SmartSip's data-driven design ensures precise monitoring, seamlessly integrating with everyday tech. This user-friendly smart water bottle provides consistent reminders, cultivating healthier hydration habits. Say goodbye to dehydration woes - SmartSip is here to revolutionize your well-being, offering a seamless and effective solution for users across North America. Join us on the journey to a healthier, more hydrated lifestyle.

Research and articles have shown that there is a strong correlation between environmental conditions and sleep quality. However, a very obvious problem is that it may be hard to pinpoint exactly which conditions are affecting your sleep (you're in a sub-conscious state). Dreamnest Monitor seeks to find such correlations through analysis of various continuous sensor data to determine which conditions are affecting one's quality of sleep such that users may adjust their own environment.

Up to 80% of women across the world experience menopausal hot flashes, with 20% reporting them to be severely impairing. What is essentially a second puberty is highly stigmatized and under-researched. Our goal is to build a wearable cooling patch that can autonomously detect and alleviate symptoms of hot flashes to improve overall wellbeing. The device, which can be adhered to any preferred part of the body, utilizes biometric sensors to detect oncoming hot flashes and a Peltier module to provide the cooling relief.

Users distance themselves from their bulky mobility aids, increasing fall risks due to improper transfers. Our goal is to create a mobility aid that ensures proper positioning for simple and safe transfers via an autonomous walker capable of navigating around objects. Paired with a bracelet, the user will be able to call the walker to them at their own convenience.

Our goal is to create the next generation of medical robots designed to treat patients with lymphedema, a condition that affects 1 million Canadians. This condition results in severe swelling, especially in the arms and legs, causing discomfort, restricted movement, and irritated skin. Our robot arm is designed to massage the patient by gently moving the lymphatic fluid from the swollen areas in a safe, timely, and cost-effective manner, allowing them to live a happy, healthy, and pain-free life.

Introducing the Elderly-Friendly Smart Cart - an assistive grocery companion tailored for seniors. Designed to alleviate challenges from age-related mental and physical limitations, this cart offers in-store navigation to determine the shortest routes within the store, push-assistance to ease pushing of heavy loads, and on-cart scanning to enlarge item details. Streamlining the shopping experience, these features prioritize user comfort and accessibility, empowering consumers to navigate grocery stores with confidence. The Elderly-Friendly Grocery Cart aims to foster a more inclusive shopping experience for seniors in grocery stores.

Apple Crisp aims to help high-rise building residents divert their organic waste from landfills. These compost dehydrators help promote sustainable living by turning food scraps into a shelf stable item that can be taken to composting facilities at later times. This system will address the issue of food waste management in regions that do not have accessible green-bin collection services.

Elevate security with Lynx Locks, a cutting-edge mechatronics solution tackling inefficiencies in building and hardware access. Leveraging the FIDO protocol, our system seamlessly unifies keyless entry, ensuring cost-effective, secure, and user-friendly access management. Combining mechanical finesse with advanced electrical and software integration, Lynx Locks provides a robust solution addressing key pain points in current access systems. Unlock the future of secure and convenient access with Lynx Locks - where innovation meets unparalleled protection.

Nudge is a system designed to assist visually impaired individuals navigate busy urban settings. Aiming to fill the gaps left by the existing assistive technologies, Nudge focuses on alerting its users of potential threats moving towards them, in a discrete fashion. 
Using computer vision technology, users are alerted via a wristband that will vibrate as soon as a threat is detected, while also indicating the direction it is coming from.
Through our project, we hope to help provide visually impaired individuals with an additional option for navigation.

Communication is a major barrier for the deaf and hard of hearing community, with very few people capable of communicating using American Sign Language (ASL). Visionary seeks to enhance ASL learning experiences with the use of AR glasses to provide quick and accurate translation from ASL to text.

Globally there are 25 million electric cars, and the space is rapidly growing with the number of vehicles doubling every 1.5 years. Despite this electric vehicle technology is still immature compared to the generations of development in the internal combustion engine space. Recognizing this gap the FET-natics team set out to design a very high efficiency EV traction inverter (motor controller) with the goal of beating industry in terms of power density and efficiency.

Our project is a blind spot detection device to warn of oncoming hazards for cyclists. The device features a radar to detect objects surrounding the cyclist, and a camera used for live video feed to display to the user. Computer vision is used to process the objects and apply object recognition to determine if an object is benign or hazardous. A mobile app component supports the features allowing the user to view the visual warnings and live camera feed overlaid on a Google maps application.

CMD (Collapsible Mobile Device) aims to provide people with limited/no use of their legs the freedom to traverse obstacles faced by the average commuter. These conditions include bumps, single steps, inclined or unpaved surfaces, snow, and most importantly small staircases. Accessibility is a persistent issue on our campus and ramps or elevators aren't always available. CMD allows its users to overcome these challenges, ride in comfort, and take the same routes any other pedestrian would while also collapsing for storage when necessary.

Our team is creating a hands-free communication device that fits inside a shoe and that can be discreetly activated by the user in order to send a distress signal by calling or sending text messages to contacts when the user is in an emergency or potentially dangerous situation.

IndePlantent is a project to help people who struggle to take care of their house plants. It is an automated system to grow plants in a home or office setting. It provides water and light, and reports on the plant's current growing condition to users. Further, it monitors the plant's health and uses this feedback to determine if and how much to adjust the resources it is providing the plant, ensuring the plant has the optimal conditions to live its best life.

Introducing the Spicetree, an automated organizing system for effortless spice management. With a compact design, it accommodates up to 24 spices, dispensing up to 4 simultaneously via voice recognition or touchscreen control. This system promotes organization by monitoring spice inventory and providing custom combinations on demand. Featuring moisture-resistant storage, automatic refilling, and easy cleaning, it guarantees a hassle-free seasoning experience. Spice up your kitchen with seamless organization and unparalleled flavor possibilities!

OSCAR is an autonomous unmanned surface marine robot that navigates to a drowning victim in open water and provides ergonomic floatation before bodily harm occurs. OSCAR fuses GPS data with thermal and optical camera data to autonomously navigate to the victim in daytime and nighttime scenarios. OSCAR broadcasts its location to nearby ships and rescue units using a standard automatic identification system, helping search and rescue teams quickly locate the victim to maximize the chance of survival.

The Solar Stillsuit is a tactical vest designed for emergency water filtration situations. Unlike other survival filtration products on the market, the Solar Stillsuit combines the maneuverability of a wearable design with the filtration power of reverse osmosis. Fueled by solar energy and augmented by a battery pack boasting a 194 Watt-hour lifespan, this device consistently delivers a reliable daily output of 6 liters of purified water.

In a world where busy schedules often lead to unintentional neglect of our leafy companions, our team grapples with the challenge of rescuing cherished house plants while saving ourselves from the guilt of killing them. Our solution is to create a plant nanny that monitors soil moisture, automatically waters based on plant preferences, and adjusts UV light according to sunlight intensity to ensure optimal plant care. With this device, we shall turn every household into a guilt-free oasis of thriving greenery.

Hydro Cool is here to aid rural India's struggle against heat with a sustainable cooling mechanism. Engineered to combat rising temperatures, this user-friendly device ensures habitable conditions with measurable temperatures. Tailored for technologically limited communities, Hydro Cool provides easy integration and low maintenance. Powered by a combination of renewable energy and grid connectivity, Hydro Cool ensures uninterrupted cooling. Empower communities with Hydro Cool, the future of eco-friendly and accessible cooling in the face of climate challenges.

HydroTronics provides an automated aeroponics system for personal use. With rising food costs a need has arose for better personal gardening systems. The HydroTronic system tracks and manages light exposure, Ph levels, nutrient levels, and growth rate. With the HydroTronic system you can have vegetables  grown for you in your own home, saving you money and time.

BikeAware is a bike safety system which enhances rider awareness and reduces collision risks. Utilizing LiDAR technology and vibration motors, it alerts cyclists to approaching threats, promoting vigilance. The system includes a user-friendly turn signal switch, improving visibility for drivers and enhancing overall road safety. By integrating advanced features such as blind spot notifications and a rear turn signal light, this design effectively increases awareness for both bikers and drivers, fostering a safer coexistence on the road.

Acoustic stethoscopes have physical and auditory limitations such as distortion induced by the tubing/diaphragm, poor low frequency response and ambient noise. Furthermore, auscultation (the process of listening to chest sounds) skill has been on the decline and can vary between healthcare practitioners. We are designing a digital auscultation device that utilizes computer aided auscultation to screen cardiopulmonary conditions.

Immunotron is an automatic vaccine injector that uses minimal human intervention to administer vaccines in patients as quickly as possible. It uses a gantry system to transport the vaccine from one point to another and utilizes a magazine system to position vaccines onto the gantry carriage. Additionally, Immunotron makes use of image processing to determine the position of the deltoid muscle on the arm.

Traditional ankle braces are stiff and static, which limits the wearer's range of motion and slow down recovery process. In order to solve this problem, our team's approach is to design an active ankle support that can prevent ankle re-injury during physical activity while encouraging wider, customized ankle range of motion.

Consider the following: Meishur: a novel Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) designed for the inspection of high voltage power line insulators (HVPLI). Frequent and reliable inspection of the insulators prevents cascading electrical failures of the grid.
By automating this manual process, our novel combination of VTOL capabilities and onboard Computer Vision (CV) allows for autonomous long-range operations. This makes the system well-equipped for year-round monitoring of critical electrical infrastructure. Thoughts?
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Observation class underwater remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) communicate with the surface through a tether. When entering tight spaces or maneuvering around obstructions, the tether can become caught on edges, creating tension and preventing the ROV from advancing.

Group 44 aims to address this by creating a novel tether management system in partnership with Deep Trekker that will allow the ROV to move into these tight spaces and observe important details in ship wrecks, underwater caverns, and more!

As the current methods of transporting golf equipment across the golf course are not feasible for all, Golf Tom strives to make golf accessible for all. Golf Tom is a golf caddy that follows you on the golf course autonomously. Golfers can pair Golf Tom with their phone via Wi-Fi connection, and the caddy will follow the user throughout the course. Golf Tom uses the golfer's phone GPS and built-in local GPS to track and follow the user in real-time.

Medication non-adherence, the practice of not taking one's medication as prescribed, is an issue affecting roughly 50% of patients with chronic illnesses. It leads to additional hospitalizations, increased healthcare expenditures and has adverse effects on patient health. Our device, the MEDiCAL seeks to eliminate medication non-adherence by ensuring patients get the correct medication at the correct time in the correct dosage. The device and its companion application work to remind patients to take their medication at the right times and disperse said medication.

Poll-e is a robot which aims to provide an alternative to pollination for crops which depend on or are supported by insect pollination. As it drives autonomously down a row of crops, it uses image processing to locate all the flowers ready for pollination and moves its paintbrush-inspired end effector to transfer the pollen grains from the stamen to the pistil. While it's currently designed to pollinate lemon trees, this technology could be adapted to any plant!

Fire Optics is a visual system to help firefighters quickly identify signs of life at the scene of a fire. With the help of thermal imaging and a specialized, lightweight object detection model, Fire Optics accurately identifies individuals in low visibility environments. Essential information is relayed to the firefighter in real-time through a heads-up display.
For more information, visit our website: https://brandon-goh.github.io/fire-optics-website

Our group is sponsored by Activate to ideate a new active gaming room concept. We present "Protect": a dodgeball inspired game with interactive projectiles, buttons, and colorful lights. Players are tasked with protecting the back wall from flying projectiles while completing various other tasks around the room. It's sure to get you active while having fun!

The objective of this project is to improve therapy adherence for rehabilitation patients by "gamifying" rehab. This refers to creating a fun, inviting, and supportive environment that leverages elements of gaming to help patients accomplish their exercises. From research papers and guidance from professors, it was agreed upon that the solution shall integrate immersive technologies including VR to gamify rehab. The chosen solution for this project is a pair of VR gloves that offer sensory feedback to patients and assist with hand sensory reeducation exercises.

We developed a custom robotic system for bimanual manipulation, prioritizing flexibility and adaptability in manufacturing environments. Leveraging developments in imitation learning, our system autonomously executes tasks learned from human demonstrations. It comprises an intuitive teleoperation setup with 'teacher arms' recording tasks and 'student arms' mimicking them. The system captures task trajectories and camera footage, feeding this data into an action transformer that generalizes to these tasks. The goal is to create an efficient, intelligent robotic solution enabling software-defined manufacturing, evolving and gaining capabilities over time.

We are building a revolutionary device for the sport of disc golf that can launch discs a distance of 300 to 500 feet. The launch velocity and spin can be independently controlled, up to 30m/s and 1350rpm. This robot will allow repeatable real-world tests of discs at professional speeds and quantitative analyses of disc flight patterns. It will pave the way for more robust and precise testing and design in the disc golf industry.

We're building an AI/ML powered assistant paired with an electromechanical system to improve the speed, accuracy, and success of Total Knee Arthroplasty surgeries.

This robot is an advanced assistant, designed to enhance workplace ergonomics. The core function of the robot is a posture analysis system, utilizing AI to assess and provide real-time feedback on the user's posture, aiming to treat and/or prevent lower back pain. Additionally, the robot houses environmental sensors that monitor air quality, humidity, and temperature, ensuring optimal working conditions. The robot features displays to provide feedback and a compact design which allows it to be an effective yet subtle addition to any workplace.

Our goal is to bring robotics and automation into the equestrian world, where it is currently limited. The Harrow Robot is an autonomous equestrian riding arena raking robot that aims to reduce the amount of manual labor required around stables. The robot will eliminate the need for staff to drive tractors pulling manual harrows around the arena by automating the process and requiring no human intervention.  The robot will be equipped with sensors to determine the robot's path by detecting the walls of the arena. As well the sensors will ensure that the entire arena is being raked and stop the robot for safety if anything enters its path. This project will not only improve the overall quality of the arena footing for equine riders but also eliminate some of the manual labor required when running an equestrian facility.  

PoyKom is a cutting-edge event ticketing solution powered by cryptography and the Blockchain. By leveraging this technology, the solution will be able to undercut all major ticketing players by decentralizing the computing infrastructure needed, ensuring transparent and secure transactions such as reselling and fraud prevention, all while allowing for events to validate tickets at the door without the need for a stable internet connection. 

TempoTapper consists of a wrist-hand worn device with tap sensing finger sleeves for tracking rhythm and a software application for displaying results. The goal of TempoTapper is to provide a cheap, ergonomic and interactive way to practice rhythm while obtaining feedback.

Amputees face many challenges because the prosthetic hand often provides no tactile feedback to the users and no ability to sense pressure. The goal of SensiTouch is to give force feedback for prosthetic hands. SensiTouch is a sleeve that fits over a prosthetic hand and provides haptic feedback on the arm proportional to the force exerted on the sensors to help a user better control grip strength. Our hope is that SensiTouch will offer an inexpensive modification that extends the function of preexisting prosthetics.

SpinStop aims to increase the safety and efficiency of helicopter rescue operations by stopping the uncontrolled spin of hoisted payloads. Be it rescuers or injured victims, the SpinStop device can connect any rescue payload to existing helicopter hoists, then generate the appropriate counter-torque to completely stabilize the payload during hoisting. 

We're working on creating a clean energy trading platform where everyone can participate within the energy market directly. This means that they will be able to sell and purchase energy based on their demand and consumption, while interacting with a fully free market.