Celebrating innovation: Systems Design and Biomedical Engineering Capstone 2024
Last Thursday, March 21, marked a significant milestone for graduating Systems Design Engineering (SYDE) and Biomedical Engineering (BME) students at the University of Waterloo. The Capstone Symposium showcased the culmination of years of academic excellence and personal dedication, highlighting innovative solutions that promise to shape a better future.
One standout project, "Brain Safe-SYDE," addresses the critical issue of concussions in contact sports. The team developed an athlete-worn device that collects vital data such as acceleration and impact location, alerting players, coaches, and parents to potential traumatic brain injuries. This innovation not only enables prompt medical attention but also aims to reduce the risk of neurodegenerative diseases.
Another noteworthy SYDE project, "Reflect," tackles the environmental impact of fast fashion. With an average of 12% of clothes in closets going unworn annually, and a 60% increase in clothing purchases over 15 years, there is a pressing need for sustainable consumer habits. Reflect is a clothing recognition system that captures a user's outfit and catalogues them in an app, creating a virtual wardrobe. By tracking the usage frequency of each clothing item, Reflect encourages responsible consumption habits, mitigating issues like greenhouse gas emissions, water pollution, and textile waste.
The BME projects showcased at the Symposium demonstrated a deep commitment to improving healthcare. One project, "enBRACE," focuses on rehabilitation for ACL tears. Pre-operative rehabilitation for these injuries is often neglected despite their time-reducing impact on surgical outcomes and recovery. We propose a take-home knee brace capable of measuring the range of motion and hamstrings-to-quadriceps muscle strength ratio, to increase the efficiency of pre-operative physiotherapy sessions. The patient will independently perform knee flexion and extension, enabling the smart knee brace to measure and sync data with our online platform, allowing the physiotherapist to monitor patient progression.
A unique BME project, called "SATURN", addresses the challenge of sensory feedback in myoelectric prosthetic devices. By sensing force at the fingertips and delivering pressure information to the user's phantom hand map via inflatable air bladders, SATURN enhances users' ability to interact with objects in their environment. This project offers a promising solution to improve user satisfaction and reduce device abandonment rates.
After a day filled with inspiring projects, engaging discussions, and insightful feedback, attendees left the Symposium with a renewed sense of optimism for the future of systems and biomedical engineering. The Capstone Symposium was a testament to the creativity, ingenuity, and empathy of SYDE and BME students. Their projects not only showcase technical excellence but also a profound commitment to addressing real-world challenges. As these students embark on their careers, they are poised to lead change and make a positive impact on society. We look forward to witnessing their future successes and the contributions they will make to the fields of engineering and beyond.