Offering solutions at the Engineering Design Showcase

04/28/17

Engineering students from a variety of disciplines displayed their senior capstone design projects at the spring 2017 Engineering Design Showcase on April 27 at Penn State's Bryce Jordan Center.

The showcase was the culmination of a semester-long effort by teams of engineering students to create prototypes and solutions to real-world challenges posed by industry partners and sponsors; 128 innovative engineering projects were the result.

Engineering Design Showcase tribometer

A close-up look at a handheld tribometer features a more ergonomically sound and streamlined design by mechanical engineering senior Erin Lahaan and her project team. Tribometers are tools used by contractors to calculate the friction and potential slipping dangers of floor surfaces.

Engineering Design 3D Printer

This adaptable ejection mechanism for 3D printing vending machines — created by a team of mechanical engineering students — consists of a heated, glass build plate that allows for reduced print time, easier mounting and removal, and greater efficiency of the 3D printing process.

Engineering Design Showcase Sandbox

In an augmented reality sandbox, height values are designated a specific color with software that scans the sand's surface and builds a height datamap with height values. Christian Myers' team created a sandbox for Discovery Space, an interactive museum for children in downtown State College.

Engineering Design Sandbox

The augmented reality sandbox becomes an engaging geological experiment as a child plays: When the levels of sand change, the software continuously assigns each pixel a color based on height values. Water level is blue, mountain ranges are green, the soil below the mountain trees becomes brown, and the taller volcanoes are red.

Engineering Design Showcase quadcopter

Jason Kim's team's objective was to create a durable quadcopter using metal additive manufacturing and carbon fiber tubing. Their CIMP-3D, lightweight quadcopter drone illustrates that metal additive manufacturing can create strong, durable and lightweight structures with numerous advantages over current products.

Engineering Design Showcase motorcycle

The Penn State eSportsbike integrates an electric drivetrain into a BMW racing bike — the result of a collaborative effort by seniors in mechanical, electrical, and energy engineering.

Engineering Design Showcase above-ground fuel storage

Energy engineering senior Joel Galtieri works on an above-ground fuel storage tank simulation. These types of tanks are susceptible to rim fires due to lightning strikes, so the team found a solution by using highly conductive copper cable, effectively grounding the current.

 

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About

The School of Engineering Design and Innovation delivers effective engineering education and unrivaled research opportunities through active, collaborative, project-based, and professionally oriented classroom experiences. The school offers a variety of programs that partner faculty, students, and industry in the study of real-life engineering problems. Our programs teach students to solve real-life problems with innovative solutions. 

School of Engineering Design and Innovation

304 Engineering Design and Innovation Building

The Pennsylvania State University

University Park, PA 16802

Phone: 814-865-2952