mie capstone design projects: 2015-2016

MIE CAPSTONE DESIGN PROJECTS

2015 - 2016

MIE CAPSTONE DESIGN PROJECTS 2015-2016

INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING PROJECTS

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THE “BARC” BOX

DATAPET: CANINE ANTHROPOMETRIC DATA

IMPROVING SANITATION SERVICES IN INDIA

INFOMANAGEMENT IN AN OUTPATIENT CLINIC

CAMH ADDICTION MEDICINE SERVICE

FORECAST ACCURACY IN OUTBOUND FORECASTS

REDESIGN OF PATIENT REGISTRATION SYSTEM

JANSSEN DATA MANAGEMENT PROJECT

UNTAPPED SAVINGS: AN ANALYSIS OF LABATT’S

LOBLAW PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE

WAREHOUSE COST MINIMIZATION FOR LOBLAW

MECHANICAL ENGINEERING PROJECTS

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LOBLAW LOGISTICS MOBILE TRACKING

SIMULATION OF THE ORNGE DISPATCH PROCESS

CANCER RADIATION THERAPY PROCESS

IMPROVING REACH CLINIC PERFORMANCE

EMPLOYEE MANAGEMENT APPLICATION

SUCCESS FACTORS FOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES

CONTEXTUAL MOBILE BANKING APPLICATION

RADIOLOGISTS’ EYE TRACKING SYSTEM

TRIDEL SMART BUILDINGS

OPTIMIZATION OF FREIGHT SHIPPING COSTS

AUTOMATION OF MASS TRANSPORT IN A MANUFACTURING

LIFELIKE AND FUNCTIONAL PROSTHETIC HAND FOR INFANTS

LIGHTWEIGHT POWER ASSIST WHEELCHAIR (BXC)

BDLC MOTOR TESTING AND PREDICTION PLATFORM

AVIATION CORROSION TESTING APPARATUS

CENTRE FOR ADVANCED COATING TECHNOLOGIES (CACT)

SMA STANDING STROLLER

CARBON CAPTURE AND COOLING

ULTRASOUND BEACON FOR MINIMALLY INVASIVE DEVICES

IRIS: THE SOCIALLY ASSISTIVE ROBOT

OPTIMIZATION OF ENGINE PERFORMANCE

FORMULA SAE FUEL SYSTEM SLOSH REDUCTION

FORMULA SAE RACE DYNAMIC AIR INTAKE MANIFOLD

OVEN OPTIMIZATION: COMPONENT INTEGRATION

PRE-FALL ALARM SYSTEM

DEVELOPMENT OF A FILL TUBE MANUFACTURING PROCESS

HANDHELD CELL CULTURE INCUBATION SYSTEM

DESIGN OF A BATTERY ELECTRIC VEHICLE: THE AMP

HUMAN-ROBOT INTERFACE FOR MULTI-ROBOT TEAMS

MACHINE SHOP BANDSAW POWERTRAIN SYSTEM REDESIGN

ADDITIVE MANUFATURING VS TRADITIONAL TECHNIQUES

VIRTUAL FLUID DYNAMICS SOFTWARE

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FLUIDIZED SILICA GEL PHYSICAL ADSORPTION CHILLER

RSME - RECONFIGURABLE SHARED-USE MOBILITY SYSTEM

ALT MATERIAL: INDUCTIVELY COUPLED PLASMA TORCH

HEAT EXCHANGER DESIGN AND TESTING

NON-DESTRUCTIVE TESTING - PHOTOTHERMAL RADIOMETRY

SIMULATION OF METAL INSERTS FOR THERMOPLASTIC

IMPROVED PROTECTIVE COVER FOR A ROTATING SHAFT

HIGH PRESSURE SYRINGE PUMP MICROFLUIDICS

IMPROVING CATALYTIC CONVERTERS FOR DIESEL ENGINES

SPROCKET QUALITY CONTROL

MOBILE MAKER LAB

DESIGN FOR MOBILE STORAGE & TRANSPORTATION

HIGH-SPEED, BEARING TEST UNIT

ENERGY HARVESTING FLOOR TILE

PORTABLE PARTICLE COUNTING DEVICE FOR PARTICLE SIZING

THE DESIGN OF A LUG TESTING MACHINE

REACTION WHEEL DESIGN FOR SPACE SATELLITE CONTROL

SINGLE REAR-WHEEL STEERING HIGH EFFICIENCY VEHICLE

CELLULAR PVC MANUFACTURING PROCESS OPTIMIZATION

WINDS OF CHANGE WINDMILL WATER PUMP SYSTEM

WINDS OF CHANGE CONTROL AND SAFETY SYSTEM TEAM

MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR

This is the exciting time of year to celebrate the design achievements of our students in the MIE capstone design course.

The course represents the culmination of our fourth-year students’ engineering studies, that challenge them to work together to create real solutions to real-world problems, presented by top industry clients. It is a course that embodies innovation, engineering know-how and collaboration. We are proud to watch our students rise to the challenge. To our students: congratulations on your outstanding achievement.

Our students’ design achievements would not be possible, however, without the support of our industry clients. On behalf of mie , I extend my heartfelt gratitude for your contributions to MIE, and for helping shape the next generation of engineers.

JEAN ZU, Chair & ProfessorDepartment of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering

MESSAGE FROM MIE 490/491 COURSE COORDINATORS

The MIE capstone design course continues to nurture the innovator within each of our fourth-year students. Faced with real-world problems, our students are asked to design solutions that address the complexity of contemporary engineering challenges. The projects are diverse – from creating a device to aid nurses caring for the elderly, to developing a 3D modular solution to improve sanitation services in India. The results are truly astounding.

This year, 254 students worked in teams to successfully complete 66 projects. Through these projects, the students have benefitted from hands-on, collaborative learning in a professional setting. These skills will impart the design skills and industry exposure needed to not only succeed in their engineering careers, but to make positive, lasting contributions to our society.

To our industry partners, we thank you for your commitment to our students and to our mission of providing them with the knowledge and skills to practice engineering design. Their successes, on display this evening, would not be made possible without your continued, unwavering support of our department and students. We would also like to extend our appreciation to all of our faculty supervisors for the guidance and expertise you provided to this year’s capstone student teams, as well as staff who helped coordinate the course and the showcase. We look forward to yet another year of academic-industry collabora-tion, and once again celebrating our students’ achievements.

KAMRAN BEHDINAN, ProfessorNSERC Chair in Multidisciplinary Engineering Design Director, U of T Institute for Multidisciplinary Design and Innovation (UT-IMDI)Coordinator, Multidisciplinary Capstone Design Course

GREG JAMIESON, Associate ProfessorClarice Chalmers Chair of Engineering Design

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THE ‘BARC’ BOX

TEAM MEMBERS: Tina Raisifard, Alexandre Crupi, Abby Pollock, SUPERVISOR: Greg JamiesonCLIENT: BARC

The team was assigned the task of creating a user-friend-ly dog restraint that minimizes dog-related distractions while driving. Throughout the design process, the team decided to draw back on restraints that are currently on the market for inspiration, and came up with a modified booster seat-harness hybrid. After creating three low-fi-delity prototypes of the design for testing purposes on small, medium, and large dogs, the team chose to focus on creating a more sophisticated prototype that catered to medium-sized dogs only. This prototype will serve as a physical demonstration of the final design at the project showcase.

First, the design should minimize anxious behaviour in the dog; the team determined that it would not be sufficient for the dog to be restrained without it being comfortable, as this could create new distractions for the driver. Secondly, the design should be user-friendly and intuitive, and require minimal time and effort to install. This was one of the client’s key objectives as drivers may be less compelled to use a complex or tedious restraint. Finally, the design should be durable yet affordable.

ii) The multi-point harness: In addition to the box, there will be a separate harness component. The harness has been designed to be compatible with the existing seat belt and buckle system present in all cars. The harness is similar in design to the Sleepypod ClickIt Sport. We made this decision since this is the only harness certified by the Center for Pet Safety. That said, we have made a couple modifications: we changed from a traditional flat buckle collar to a buckle-free Martingale collar piece, switched from two leash D-rings to one, and increased the overall size of the D-ring. The completed design will be sub-jected to 5 various tests in order to ensure it meets the design requirements. A total of twenty drivers/dog owners and their dogs will be required for the tests. These are 1. Pre-screening Test, 2. Distraction Test, 3. Dog Anxiety Test, 4. Installation Test, 5. Crash Test.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION & OBJECTIVES

ENGINEERING DESIGN PROCESS & FINAL DESIGNi) The booster seat: A box that is to be placed in the back seat of the car and occupy one to two passenger spaces, depending on the size of dog. The box has been designed to be compatible with existing anchor and tether points within all cars. The design will have 2 straps on either side of the base that attach to lower anchor points in back seat. There will be a single upper strap connecting the two sides of the box to the tether anchor point. Upper strap length will be adjustable to fit the specific tether configuration of the car. The corner edges of the box will be secured with heavy-duty Velcro, such that the box can be collapsed flat when not in use. The base of the box will be sufficiently thick and cushioned to raise the dog to be within the driv-er’s main field of view.

IMPACT

This restraint will be focused on increasing the safety of vehicle passengers from their canine becoming projec-tiles in the event of an accident or a distraction while op-erating the vehicle. Ontario has been progressing through a safety ‘movement’ to remove distracted driving off the roads. The restraint will indirectly protect the canine as well, as it will not fly out of its seat in the event of a crash.

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DATAPET: APPLICATION FOR COLLECTING CANINE ANTHROPOMETRIC DATA

TEAM MEMBERS: Aslan Aslanli, Mujin Park, Siyang Xu, Shiv Baijal, Akshay Jain SUPERVISOR: Greg JamiesonCLIENT: BARC

A mobile application that provides a user-friendly interface, and stores data reliably.


Pet restraints ensure safety for pets and passengers in cars by preventing pets from becoming projectiles in an accident or being distractions while driving. Currently, there are many pet restraints available in the Canadian market. However, the client has identified that these re-straints have not been tested by a Canadian safety stan-dard. Last year, BARC2 attempted to create a test method to assess the safety of canine restraints. However, they did not have enough data on the anthropometry of dogs. Hence, this year, she requested the team to design an ergonomic tool or app that can be used for collecting canine anthropometric data easily, quickly, and reliably.

ENGINEERING DESIGN PROCESS & FINAL DESIGNAfter gathering the client and user requirements, our team proposed two possible solutions: a website and a mobile application. These alternatives were compared by setting design objectives as criteria. The team felt that a mobile application would best meet the requirements. So the team built a mobile application that provides a user-friendly interface, and stores data reliably. It is also time-efficient, cost-effective, and accessible for all intended users, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

IMPACT

Sufficient canine data has not been collected yet, but the team has provided a web interface to the database which allows the client to analyze the collected data. The database will be used to create canine data standards in the future.

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IMPROVING SANITATION SERVICES IN INDIA

TEAM MEMBERS: Lauren Howe, Amanda Persaud, Eashita RatwaniSUPERVISOR: Mark FoxCLIENT: Biopolus

An aerial view of the WaterHubs sanitation facility, providing toilets, showers, and laundry services to users.


Biopolus’ subsidiary, WaterHubs, is developing a commu-nity structure that provides basic needs to individuals living in high-density, low-income global communities. This proj-ect aims to design a 3D modular solution for water-based services that incorporates specific design features tailored to meet the personal needs and preferences of users. As WaterHubs seeks to implement a pilot project in India, the team travelled to Mumbai in order to gather information directly from potential users.

ENGINEERING DESIGN PROCESS & FINAL DESIGNIn order to determine key design features, existing sanitation solutions were researched and a human-centered design process was established to conduct with users in the Dharavi and Santacruz slums of Mumbai. Methods included receiv-ing guided tours of affected areas, conducting interviews with experts, facilitating focus group sessions with toilet block users, and gathering user feedback on preliminary prototype concepts. Key design features and environmental considerations were extracted from this information in order to develop a final design.

The final design includes a 3D model of a sanitation facility that provides toilet, shower, and laundry services to users while leveraging Biopolus’ waste-recycling systems.

IMPACT

Selected design features address a range of issues in-cluding privacy, smell, and lighting, improving the overall conditions of this community block. In addition, a supple-mentary implementation guide was developed to outline environmental considerations and critical steps required of WaterHubs, both before and after the block is intro-duced into a community.

The 3D model and implementation guide will provide WaterHubs with knowledge of key design features and environmental considerations for a successful facility that maximizes the likelihood of user acceptance.

WaterHubs will be able to install their pilot project in Mumbai and the design may serve as a template for future initiatives around the globe. It is estimated that a single WaterHubs community block will help 5,000-50,000 individuals.

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PROCESS IMPROVEMENT: ANALYZING WAIT TIMES & INFORMATION MANAGEMENT IN AN OUTPATIENT CLINICTEAM MEMBERS: Anna Kotlov, Jaquelyn Monis R., and Madeleine WhiteSUPERVISOR: Michael W. CarterCLIENT: CAMH - Temerty Centre for Therapeutic Brain Intervention

The Temerty Centre for Therapeutic Brain Intervention at CAMH provides ECT treatment to patients diagnosed with a variety of disorders and they were facing efficiency challenges while running the clinic. The two main areas of improvement of the clinic’s processes were: the efficiency of their scheduling system, and the information manage-ment processes.

The design solution should have achieved the following without compromising patient safety:• Be efficient and easy to use• Be clear by providing accurate and timely information• Promote patient attendance by allowing flexible and

efficient scheduling

Modeling tools:Simulation and Business Model Process Notation (BPMN) were used to represent the clinic’s patient and information flows.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION & OBJECTIVES ENGINEERING DESIGN PROCESS & FINAL DESIGN

IMPACT

Appointment Scheduling Process: assign some patients with time blocks to arrive at the clinic and increase the accuracy of appointment information in their current tool. This was estimated to reduce the overall patient wait times.

Documentation & Guidelines: transfer knowledge from the head into the world by documenting key clinic processes and sharing them with staff members in order to improve organizational efficiency.

Wait Room Processes: organize and streamline processes around patient arrival to the clinic and information dis-played in the waiting area. This increased the accuracy of patient arrival queue and information shared with patients

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CAMH ADDICTION MEDICINE SERVICE: BOOKING A BETTER FUTURETEAM MEMBERS: Nadim G. Barakat, Brendan K. Leung, Krystle C. Pang, Danielle A. RipsmanSUPERVISOR: Michael W. CarterCLIENT: CAMH

The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) is Canada’s largest mental health and addiction teaching hospital. CAMH’s Addiction Medicine Service (AMS) clinic provides services for patients with substance abuse and al-cohol addictions. Our team was brought in to look at AMS’ patient flow, determine whether it was operating efficiently and propose potential solutions to any problem areas.

Concerns include:• Patients spending long times in waiting rooms• Lower than desired acceptance rate for new patients• Frequency of follow-up appointments• Inconsistent physician scheduling methods

Objectives:A. Operational (scheduling day-to-day activities)• Physician booking and appointment procedures• Allocation of different appointment types

B. Planning capabilities• Weekly appointment capacity• New patient acceptance rate


ENGINEERING DESIGN PROCESS & FINAL DESIGNOur team’s design process includes the formulation of a simulation model for recommending booking methods. Applicable booking methods were shortlisted from best practices found in the literature. These methods, along with the current booking method, were tested using the simulation model. They were compared to determine each method’s performance and feasibility. The top performing booking method has been recommended to AMS.

Analytical methods were used to determine the other recommendations, including the weekly appointment ca-pacity and new patient acceptance rate. We also identified existing phenomena such as no-show and appointment type allocation rates.

IMPACT

Our recommendations will assist AMS in taking a da-ta-driven approach to increasing the accessibility of their services. Improved booking methodologies will allow for increased doctor appointment planning efficiency. At the same time, planning metrics will be used to provide insight into obtaining and implementing sustainable treatment targets for staff and patients.

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DATA VISUALIZATION AND INVESTIGATION OF FORECAST ACCURACY IN OUTBOUND FORECASTSTEAM MEMBERS: Yunsheng Chen, Xinyu Lan, Shirley Xiao, Rong Yao SUPERVISOR: Daniel FrancesCLIENT: Canadian Tire Corporation

The accuracy of the outbound forecasts have a direct impact on the revenue and operations of the business. Although there is currently an optimization system in place that helps to forecast and plan the transportation of products, it is difficult for the system to stay accurate for longer planning horizons.

The capstone team’s objective is to use data visualization on historical data and future forecast data to identify trends and insights that will help improve outbound forecast accuracy. By representing data in an interactive, insightful manner, the team aims to find key factors that affect order trends, and to identify areas of improvement.


ENGINEERING DESIGN PROCESS & FINAL DESIGN IMPACT

The anticipated impact of this project is that it will help improve outbound forecasting accuracy, and minimize operating costs due to errors in forecasts. The final design displays trends in forecasting data, and compares metrics that can be broken up by filters such as years, distribution network, and regions. This will allows outliers and abnor-malities to be identified and investigated into.

The elimination of these factors will reduce forecast errors. In addition, the investigation of weather impact on demand help provide ground breaking insights to correlation be-tween weather and regular replenishment.

The team started the project with a series of discussions around the project scope and requirements. During this time, the team visited the client on site in order to learn about the current operations and distribution network. After several iterations of revision, a set of preliminary project requirements were decided. The team researched and generated a number of alternatives based on these requirements, including explorations of different coding languages and different existing tools. An alternative was decided on between the client and the team. A list of detailed project requirements were then identified by the client, and the team designed the final product that strives to fulfill these requirements.

The final design leverages an existing software called Microsoft Power BI. The team designed an informative report using this software, split into an overview page and 9 insight pages, each focusing on one factor of interest. The report is completely interactive, and intuitive to use. Users are able to filter data to different levels of specification with simple clicks. The database that feeds into this report is pre-processed using a series of SQL queries.


REDESIGN OF PATIENT REGISTRATION SYSTEM FOR MUSIC & ARTS PROGRAM

TEAM MEMBERS: Jonathan Lee, Patanin Kowittayawong, Satyender Sahota, Yazan AlaboudiSUPERVISOR: Daniel M. FrancesCLIENT: Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital

Screenshot of the online registration portal homepage.


Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital was solely employing a paper-based registration process for the Music and Arts program. The client wished to digitize their operations onto an online-based registration platform to reduce time, effort, and paperwork dedicated by families and program staff towards the activity, and provide families with easy access to their information, program suitability, and registration status.

ENGINEERING DESIGN PROCESS & FINAL DESIGNDirectional Planning:• High level analysis (interview with staff from various

departments)• Findings included: complexity due to flexibility; overlap

in responsibilities; unnecessary rework; and need for patient accountability

Business Process Analysis:• Process mapping of current state• Aim: to better understand the program’s operations and

to ensure that all vital processes were captured Business Process Redesign and Improvement• Alternative design generation• Findings: focus on resolving design process

complexity and adhering to core values

IMPACT

• Design selection and modification• Findings: change in business process;

implementation of a web portalDesign Selection and Implementation• Process mapping of future state to depict the

envisioned business process• Proof of concept development: patient and admin

portal• Continuous improvement initiatve with best practices

template

The final design was an online web portal that allowed patients to register, pay, and self-service where possible while enhancing the administrative capabilities of the program administrators.

The impact of this project was an overarching change in the existing program business process and a shift from a physical registration process to a digital registration process. Beyond the immediate impact of the project was the development of a set of best practices to be used by the hospital for future business process redesign projects and setting the stage for future technological changes and innovation in a typical healthcare system’s infrastructure.

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JANSSEN DATA MANAGEMENT PROJECT

TEAM MEMBERS: Ao Tang, Weiyao Wang, Xiang Zhang, Eddy Zulkifly SUPERVISOR: Michael GruningerCLIENT: Janssen Canada Inc.

The client, Janssen Canada Inc. is a pharmaceutical com-pany of Johnson and Johnson that supplies and markets various pharmaceutical products for all of Canada. The Commercial Analytics team is responsible for the production and management of various performance tools that provide insight into product performance in the market and sales team efforts in marketing each brand.

The Janssen Commercial Analytics Department works with 3 data sources which provide call data, prescription data and customer data. The goal of the team is to provide solutions to standardize the data evaluation process and automate several internal reports.

Objectives:• Identify data issues in call reports and customer list• Refine data for call reports and customer list• Capture current reporting process issues• Enhance current reporting process with automation


ENGINEERING DESIGN PROCESS & FINAL DESIGNThe team adopted an Iterative design methodology. Pro-cess mapping was used to capture the workflow of inputs, outputs and roles of each stakeholder in a process. After performing a gap analysis, solutions were generated to leverage object oriented programming concepts and data modelling software. Bi-weekly office meetings were held with the clients to ensure conformance to design require-ments. Elements of usability testing and user acceptance testing were used to evaluate and validate the design.

The final design(s) include a series of macro files which is able to highlight potential errors in data tab and generate a summary table with all the issues listed for all reports is also provided to our client. In addition, several processes were automated using VBA/ Microsoft Access to reduce manual workload and process time..

IMPACT

• Automated reporting system will save over 109 hours and $3,771 CAD per year for the commercial analytics team

• Accurate datasets will support the commercial analytics team to make daily critical decisions

• Error flagging system will help the commerical analytics team identify root causes of database system issues


UNTAPPED SAVINGS: AN ANALYSIS OF LABATT’S INVENTORY MANAGEMENT SYSTEMTEAM MEMBERS: C. Vinelli, D. Biancolin, M. Iannarelli, T. Young SUPERVISOR: Chi-Guhn LeeCLIENT: Labatt Brewing Company Ltd.

Labatt has identified a problem of holding excessive inventory in their supply chain and has requested an analysis on their inventory management system. Labatt’s multi-echelon network creates redundancies in inventory holding, specifically in Quebec. The objective is to reduce inventory levels by at least 5% while ensuring the fill rate metric of 98.5% is still achieved.


ENGINEERING DESIGN PROCESS & FINAL DESIGNThe team identified the problem as a multi-period stochas-tic inventory modelling problem. Based on the complexity of the network the team decided to apply an (s,S) inven-tory model to the three tiers in the Quebec network. The (s,S) model best addresses the complexity of the situa-tion including Labatt’s periodic review of inventory levels, uncertain demand, and the 98.5% fill rate metric provided as a constraint. Due to the seasonal nature of the Corona brand, a differentiation was made between peak and non-peak time periods. The team developed a MATLAB code to calculate the peak and non-peak values in the (s,S) model.

The team developed a simulation of the Quebec region on Labatt’s network to test the new ordering policies. The first step was developing the as-is system which would be used as a benchmark for comparing the existing inventory policy with the recommended changes. The as-is simula-tion was verified and validated with historical data in order to ensure that it was an accurate representation of Labatt’s current inventory management system. In comparing the as-is system to the new inventory model, the team was able to provide quantifiable results in terms of inventory levels, fill rates and total cost savings.

IMPACT

The new (s,S) policy was successful in reducing the inventory levels (and inventory costs) at two of the three warehouses. However, the inventory holding costs at the upstream warehouse increased more than the combined savings at the other two. Increasing inventory being held upstream is usually not an issue, but given the unique regulations surrounding alcohol, Labatt’s inventory costs are higher upstream. In addition, Labatt’s current system performs better under higher demand variability. The team proposes that Labatt maintain their current inventory system, but should inventory costs change throughout the network, the (s,S) policy could provide savings.

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LOBLAW PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE PROGRAMTEAM MEMBERS: Orynbassar Agbayev, Saba Khan, Ting-Cheng Kevin Chao, Jeajin Kim SUPERVISOR: Michael KimCLIENT: Loblaw Companies Ltd.

Maintenance costs can account for up to 20% of a company’s operating budget. Therefore, preventative maintenance or, the ability to correctly identify when a breakdown will occur and to take appropriate actions according to company objectives, can reduce maintenance costs dramatically. The Loblaw supply chain analysis team, in the search for a suitable preventative maintenance program, approached the capstone team to develop an optimal maintenance policy.

Objectives • To improve the data collection and management of all

transportation equipment to improve analysis and be able to identify trends in maintenance costs

• To improve efficiency in the maintenance process of Loblaw distribution vehicles. This includes identifying ways to reduce maintenance related costs and min-imizing downtime of vehicles after they experience a breakdown.


ENGINEERING DESIGN PROCESS & FINAL DESIGN

IMPACT

RCM methodology allows Loblaw to choose the best strategy for maintenance reliability and improvement and provides them with the concrete steps to implement it. The impact of this project goes beyond the current scope of the project upon the implementation of the methodology. In the future once the methodology is successfully implemented and integrated into the Loblaw’s current maintenance program, the impact of this project is that there will be substantial increase in detecting the failures and possibly, the maintenance related costs would be significantly.


WAREHOUSE COST MINIMIZATION ALGORITHM FOR LOBLAWTEAM MEMBERS: Yi Chen, Frank Chi, Mengchao Zhang SUPERVISOR: Viliam MakisCLIENT: Loblaw Companies Ltd.

The team is required to design an algorithm that can determine a slotting configuration plan and assist in future warehouse design. The slotting configuration should pro-duce an optimized total cost. Total labor work volume in warehouse operations will have direct impact in the costs, including replenishment and order assembly costs. In or-der to reduce the labor cost, a proper picking bay for each product needs to be considered. The bay assignment will influence the frequency of product replenishment and the travel distance for assembly process. The bays are catego-rized into four different sizes, and named as slot A, B, HR, and RR. Based on the products’ dimension, volume, and demand, the team needs to assign them into feasible slot types. However, when labor cost is idealized by products’ slot type assignment, warehouse area cost might be influ-enced by these assignments, and produce a huge cost for the area usage.

Goal: Develop an algorithm that could functioning the follows:• Able to come up with an optimized warehouse oper-

ation cost by considering labor cost and warehouse area cost

• Able to output the total count for each slot type, and track each product’s slot type

• Able to know about the warehouse area usage• Able to apply in general warehouse situation



IMPACT

Design solution• Outputs: total number of bays assigned to each slot

type, total estimated cost, total area• Comparison with current situation

Testing results• Comparing the new total warehouse operating cost

with the original cost• Implement tests for multiple scenario

Cost Analysis • Seek possible alternatives in variable selection, and

slot / position assignment• Identify existing tradeoff relationships between the slot

assignments and warehouse area usage. For example: Large slot type means more storage space and less requests for the replenishment, but cost more in area usage aspects.

Operations Research Optimization Model• Linear Integer Programming, solved by AMPL Solver

• Seek for minimized cost of labour especially in replenishment work, in terms of total replenishment moves, as well as labour work intensity

• Improve utilization of the given area.

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LOBLAW LOGISTICS MOBILE TRACKING

TEAM MEMBERS: Hafizul Faiz Mohd Azizi, Vinay Gera, Yuxuan Tang, Ling Zhang SUPERVISOR: Viliam MakisCLIENT: Loblaw Companies Ltd.

Goal: Implement a mobile app to facilitate potential im-provements for Loblaw’s groundtransport operations

Functional objectives Phase I• Be able to certificate identification of the user• Be able to record tractor number and trailer number

inputted by the driver• Be able to export data to Loblaw through messaging

service or email• Be able to record Bill of Lading (BOL) number by

scanning barcode• Be able to display the user’s current assignment

information• Be able to record the timestamp for all activities• Be able to track multiple BOL in a single work day• Be able to trigger clockin/clockout and starting/ending

BOL by driver’s input/prompt

Functional objectives Phase II• Be able to track location information periodically by

using GPS• Be able to record the Store/Vendor Number• Be able to record Load/Unload start and end times• Be able to record stops and departures• Be able to record actual time based

Be able to record delay time



IMPACT

• Collect information and requirements about the proj-ect through client meetings, drive along activity and research

• Design the UI, prototype, and database structure based on the relevant information

• Implement the design into Android platform• Test the performance of the mobile app and refine it

according to the feedback

• Assist company’s operation management to reduce pretrip and posttrip time

• Provide detailed information on drivers’ daily activities during trips

• Data collected by the app can be used to improve driver utilization and the overall

• efficiency of the operation such as reduce unproductive time and waiting time

• Assist in planning and forecast


SIMULATION OF THE ORNGE COMMUNICATION CENTRE (OCC) DISPATCH PROCESSTEAM MEMBERS: Weiqi Jiang, Bilal Sindhu, Liping Jiang, Daniela SotirakosSUPERVISOR: Christopher BeckCLIENT: Ornge

Ornge medical transport is a not-for-profit organization that provides air ambulance and medical transport services to more than 18,000 critically ill or injured patients across Ontario annually. The Ornge Communications Centre (OCC) is responsible for all patient communication and medical transport coordination for the 13 million people across Ontario.

A discrete event simulation model of the dispatch process of the OCC was developed by the 2014-2015 capstone team, which showcased the series of actions, procedures, and several decision making subprocesses which span across several entities within the OCC. Since June 2015, a new dispatch system, Flight Vector, has been implemented in the OCC. Validation of the new data being captured by the newly implemented system, and its impact on the OCC was required to be done.

This requirement was to be completed by using the data in the Simul8 model which accurately represented the OCC processes. Since the implementation of Flight Vector, OCC processes have been altered therefore the simulation model developed last year had to modified to fit the current processes at OCC. The analysis of these changes and the accurate representation in the simulation model is required.Furthermore, it has to be determined if there is adequate amount of data to be able to use the simulation model to identify and recommendation areas of improvement for the OCC. If adequate amount of data is not available, areas where data is still needed are to be identified.



IMPACT

• Investigation of the new OCC dispatch process was conducted and a detailed process map was put together and vetted of said new process (Figure 1 shows the simplified process map).

• Changes as such reflected in the approved process flow map were made to the Simul8 model.

• The incorporation of the newly gathered data into the model was the next step.

A combination of analyzing scatter plots, quartile ranges, probability density functions, and the simulation results once the new data points were plugged comprised of our data validation process. Furthermore, a statistical software, Stat::Fit, was used to fit distributions to the data points in order to use the data points in Simul8. After the analysis of the data currently available to us, it was concluded that in order for the simulation model to provide results, which the client can use to improve the transport process at OCC, the model required further data sets. It was then agreed upon that the project outcome will focus how to collect data for the areas where data is missing. The final design will include a detailed list of data points which are not easily recorded for the required processes and a working simulation model which accurately portrays the current dispatch processes.

Figure 1: OCC Process Flow Map

Identifying data that they are not currently capturing or not effectively capturing will in turn allow them to modify how data is currently being capture, and to ensure that they are capturing all data required to accurately capture their KPIs and to use the simulation.

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CANCER RADIATION THERAPY PROCESS ANALYSIS & OPTIMIZATIONTEAM MEMBERS: Hassan Anis, Massimo Gordillo, Nader HaddadSUPERVISOR: Dionne AlemanCLIENT: Princess Margaret Cancer Centre

Due to the large number of patients arriving at the Princess Margaret as well as the highly complex nature of the work performed at the hospital, a lengthy, complicated process of assessment and planning exists in a system that has been added to in a patchwork fashion, has legacy issues, and has not been designed proactively. The team is expected to create a model of the treatment planning process which identifies the steps required, information flow, checks, and bottlenecks. The project will identify any existing issues with the current process and recommend solutions to eliminate redundancies and issues, focusing on improving patient safety and treatment quality.



IMPACT

Figure 1: Business Process Map

Identifying data that they are not currently capturing or not effectively capturing will in turn allow them to modify how data is currently being capture, and to ensure that they are capturing all data required to accurately capture their KPIs and to use the simulation.

The design team has generated a process flow diagram using Business Process Flow Notation (BPMN) which in-cludes information gathered through interviews at the Prin-cess Margaret. The team is currently working on analyzing historical data to create a representative simulation model of the current state. Concurrently, the team is using LEAN analysis, and multiple systems and organizations design heuristics to conduct an analysis on the current process to identify any bottlenecks and areas of improvement.


DETERMINING OPTIMAL ALLOCATION FOR IMPROVING REACH CLINIC PERFORMANCE BYDEVELOPING, IMPLEMENTING A SIMULATION MODELTEAM MEMBERS: Michael Lu, Huda Bilal, Matthew Jamieson, Isis GutierrezSUPERVISOR: Michael W. CarterCLIENT: Princess Margaret Cancer Centre - REACH Urgent Care

The objective of this project is to determine potential beneficial changes to the current operations of the REACH Urgent Care Clinic (REACH) at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre (PM) by analyzing a simulation of the clinic’s operations. The goal is to reduce the number of patients refused service due to overcapacity situations and suboptimal operating hours.



IMPACT

Identifying data that they are not currently capturing or not effectively capturing will in turn allow them to modify how data is currently being captured, and to ensure that they are capturing all data required to accurately capture their KPIs and to use the simulation.

The team collected data on REACH operations and pro-cesses, REACH operation times, and REACH resources by conducting stakeholder interviews and clinic observations. A Simul8 simulation model outline of the clinic’s current state operations was drafted based on our findings, and verified with the client.

The team analyzed patient arrival data captured over a span of a year, to determine the patient inter-arrival rate on any given date and average time spent in clinic. The raw data was manipulated to determine patient arrival rate per hour on any given day. The team assessed the data for any statistical correlation between different days of week, and for seasonality trends. Patient arrival data was then fit to an exponential distribution to determine an exponential mean arrival rate.

The current state simulation model was validated against 2016 REACH data on the following metrics: number of pa-tient arrivals, number of patients treated, average time in system per patient, and number of patients rejected due to capacity. Upon successful validation, the model was used to test clinic performance in the following scenarios:• Increasing patient acceptance cut-off time from 3:00

pm to 5:00 pm• Opening the clinic to walk-in patients• Both scenarios combined

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EMPLOYEE MANAGEMENT APPLICATION

TEAM MEMBERS: Rashid Muhammad, Tarek Rahman, Khandker Shayekh ArjanSUPERVISOR: Christopher BeckCLIENT: Regenesis

The application will greatly simplify the jobs of administrative staff which will allow organizations to employ a smaller number of core staff members.


Most of the not-for-profit and community organizations comprise of volunteers as their main workforce. Manag-ing these volunteers and making best use of their skills is one of the key problem that these organizations face. Our client Regenesis is a non-for-profit environmental organi-zation that focuses’ on community development. Currently Regenesis administrative staff members have to manually call each volunteer if they need them for an event. Additionally, the current registration process is also manual and new incoming volunteers have to visit the Regenesis office and fill out a paper form to be part of Regenesis.


The two primary users for this application are volunteers and administration staff members. The volunteers will use this application to register themselves, provide their avail-able time slots and select events which they would like to attend. The administrators from Regenesis would be able create events, search for volunteers based on their specific skill-sets and contact them about specific events. They will also be able to keep track of what events the volunteers are attending and manage the events. The construction of this application was divided into four phases. In phase 1 an Operation Experience Review was conducted to gather information to form a low fidelity prototype.

IMPACT

In phase 2 the low fidelity prototype was transformed into a high fidelity prototype using feedback from the stake-holders. In phase 3 the prototype was tested and stan-dardized according to web application design guidelines. Finally in the final phase a Java Web Application was created which is accessible from any desktop computer, tablet or mobile devices with internet connectivity.

This application will greatly simplify the jobs of administrative staff which will allow organizations to em-ploy a smaller number of core staff members. In addition volunteers will be easily able to manage their availability and sign up for events that they are interested in. Even the general public will benefit from this application since they will be able to see the upcoming events that Regenesis is hosting.

As this is an open source application any organization can also utilize this to manage their workforce. One of the key improvements that should be made in future up-grades is the addition of a reminder functionality that will notify volunteers of events they signed up for.


EXPLORING SUCCESS FACTORS FOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVESTEAM MEMBERS: Michael Beaini, Kevin Chan and Mariana Gomez ArrunateguiSUPERVISOR: Daniel FrancesCLIENT: Salesforce

The University of Toronto Salesforce project team has been tasked with determining the key indicators that characterize a successful Account Executive, and thus driving recruitment and promotion decisions.

The problem can be broken down into three components:

1. Developing metrics that measure performance of Account Executives given differences in customer seg-ments and prospect opportunities.

2. Determining measurable indicators that are predictive of future success as an Account Executive.

3. Developing a model that determines the relative im-portance of the identified indicators in determining the success of hired/promoted Account Executives.



IMPACT

Based on the project requirements developed with Salesforce, the team explored three different strategies that could potentially be used to achieve the desired solu-tion. More specifically, in order to develop a model which would be insightful with regards to evaluating Account Executives, the team considered the methods of Logistic Regression, Decision Tree Learning and Support Vector Machine (SVM). Through extensive research and client input, the team settled on using Logistic Regression Analysis to help meet Salesforce’s needs.When selecting a classification model, the team evaluated the following criteria:

1. Handle continuous and categorical predictors: Only models that can handle the required data types can be considered.

2. Results easily interpreted: The relative importance of the predictors identified must be easily interpreted.

Through determination of the key indicators that drive success at the Account Executive position, the project team will aid continued growth in Salesforces’ market position by driving more effective talent sourcing, advancement and training amongst its sales team.

The impact of the findings are important to Salesforce because it provides them with the opportunity to make better educated hiring and promotion decisions. This means that they are retaining and hiring Account Exec-utives which are expected to perform well and generate substantial revenues for the organization.

3. Speed of computation - Models should be able to run and produce results on a standard Salesforce issued laptop.

4. Not prone to overfitting - Should be confident that the results produced can be easily generalized outside of training data.

5. Speed of Implementation - The faster the algorithm is implemented, the earlier the team can start providing results.

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CONTEXTUAL MOBILE BANKING APPLICATION

TEAM MEMBERS: Mohd Asher, Lavinia Hui, Sanchit Mathur, Syed RabSUPERVISOR: Mark ChignellCLIENT: Scotiabank

The goal was to enhance the user experience of Scotiabank’s mobile banking application by presenting contextually anticipated information tailored to specific users. The design team focused on designing for Canadian millennials, as more than 70% of millennials use mobile banking, making up a large portion of the users.



IMPACT

Enhancing the user experience of Scotiabank’s mobile banking application by presenting contextually anticipated information tailored to specific users.

The new functionalities are aimed at enhancing user experience, which will potentially attract new customers. The addition of the collaboration functionality, which includes a new payment method, will allow for easier money transfers.

This will provide monetary benefits to Scotiabank, as more transactions will potentially occur throughout the day. The push-notifications will allow users to quickly detect any incorrect or fraudulent activities occurring in their account.

The team conducted literature reviews to determine how contextual factors affect user behavior. Using the literature review, a four level conceptual framework was developed with levels consisting of: Need, Task, Activities, and Contextual Factors. The need for Canadian millennials was determined by surveying 72 participants and interviewing 12 individuals. Using the data collected, the team determined that the main underlying user need was to have convenience while banking.

From that need, the following functionalities were established:

• TransNotify - Optional push-notifications that summarize changes in accounts

• ScotiaPool - A collaborative functionality which enables multiple users to pool money


EYE TRACKING SYSTEM FOR RESEARCHING RADIOLOGISTS’ SCANNING BEHAVIOURTEAM MEMBERS: Judy X. Zhu, Iris Y. Wei, Rachel Z. Guo SUPERVISOR: Paul MilgramCLIENT: Sunnybrook Hospital, Department of Medical Imaging

1. To create a prototype research tool that can record radiologists’ eye movements when they examine medical images, process and present the eye gaze data recorded, save and retrieve the visualizations of recorded data.

2. To provide recommendations on procuring eye trackers for future stages and practical advices for measuring data quality and setting up experiments.



IMPACT

Design Solution Part I: Software Design DeliverableThe design and implementation of a software system in MATLAB that allows the user to:• Load a set of medical image slices• Record eye gaze coordinates and the current slice the

user is scanning• Process the eye gaze data and match it with

corresponding slice number • Display the visualization of the gaze data 1. Scanpath: eye-movement data where information is recorded about the path of the eyes when scanning the visual field 2. Area of Interest (AOI): obtain the number of fixations, fixation durations and the percentage of fixation durations within an user selected area• Retrieve previously saved gaze data visualizations

Design Solution Part II: Recommendations & Practical AdviceAlternatives and Recommendations for Procuring Eye Trackers:

The eye gaze data collected from the research tool can assist the Client with clinical research such as analyzing and understanding radiologists’ search patterns. This is the key to improving radiology training procedure and optimal search strategies. The prototype system explor es the potential of applying eye tracking technology to radiology improvement projects. It is the first stage of a larger project, in which more comprehensive functionalities can be developed including: pattern analysis (stage two), reminding recently examined region after interruption, prompting to check missed region in real time to support the daily diagnosis work of radiologists (stage three).

• Eye tracking types: Remote vs head-mounted, monocular vs binocular

• Specification recommendations: sampling rate, accuracy, precision

• Eye trackers used in other literatures, including products from SMI, SR Research, Mirametrix, ASL & Tobii

• Market Research: list of commercial eye trackers for comparison

Design of Experiments on Data Quality: • Precision and accuracy testing for remote eye trackers Measuring data quality with artificial eye(s)/real participantsAdvice for Eye Tracking Experiment Setup:• Advice for setting up an eye tracking laboratory (room,

illumination, vibration, software competency) • Advice for setting up the eye camera (position of eye

camera and participant, effect of mascara, glasses and contact lenses)

Design of Eye Tracking Experiments: • Recommended procedures and project timeline

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TRIDEL SMART BUILDINGS

TEAM MEMBERS: Sara Aghsaei, Carolina Pradilla, Sina Souresrafil and Dawood Raees SUPERVISOR: Greg JamiesonCLIENT: Tridel

In the past few years, technology has been growing at a faster pace. However, there has been a gap between the technologies available in hand and their implementation in our daily lives. Tridel has been looking for a solution to narrow the gap between development of network technologies and the implementation of the Internet of Things (IoT) within multi-family residential buildings. Even though there are many different technologies available which simplify the living experience, there is no unified platform or presentation layer that integrates all of these different technologies. Therefore, the team has been asked by Tridel to gather and come up with new ideas to develop a technological presentation layer for the new condominiums buildings. Focusing mainly on security and access features, the following objectives were kept and adjusted to meet the client’s needs:• Introduce automated features to increase the

convenience and security for all the residents of the building.

• Allow residents to monitor their unit and access en-suite video cameras.

• Develop an efficient and easy to use application for residents and other stakeholders (take into account users will have different technological backgrounds).

• Ensure controlled access to the building and unit.• Align appearance and functionality with Tridel’s brand

and core values.



IMPACT

The team will design a prototype of a mobile application which will potentially integrate different features of the building.

For any concerns regarding the building, the resident can just use the app, eliminating the face-to-face interaction. This will help Tridel technologically revolutionize the condominium industry.

The flowchart below summarizes the design process which the team will follow, in order to develop the high fidelity prototype requested by the client.


OPTIMIZATION OF FREIGHT SHIPPING COSTS

TEAM MEMBERS: Zachary Doucet, Matthew Frade, Kristian Correia, Yik Chi PhoonSUPERVISOR: Chi-Guhn LeeCLIENT: Xerox Canada

Xerox Canada is a business technology product company that offers a large breadth of products and services (office supplies, document management software, etc.). To support their products, Xerox offers a Metered Supplies service to Canadian businesses where supplies are provided to customers on a cost-per-copy basis. Currently, Xerox Canada seeks to make cost effective improvements in this area of its operations.



IMPACT

Xerox is looking to minimize shipping costs for the Metered Supplies value chain. They seek to accomplish this goal by analyzing historical shipment data and developing more effective strategies for product deliveries. Specifically, the following approaches will be considered:

Withholding Auto-Replenishment OrdersIf Auto-Replenishment orders are withheld for a period of time and then packaged with future regular orders, can significant cost savings be achieved?

Withholding Split OrdersOrder splitting occurs when an order is received that includes out-of-stock items. If in-stock items are withheld until it’s possible to ship them together with all out-of-stock items, can significant cost savings be achieved?

Consolidating High Frequency OrdersFor customers who place orders with high frequency, can withholding and consolidating shipments lead to signifi-cant cost savings?

Consolidating Across Lines of Business (LOB)Currently, Lines of Business are considered independently from one another. If orders for different Lines of Business being delivered to the same location are consolidated together, can significant cost savings be achieved?

Xerox also seeks to assess the accuracy of their in-house carrier selection algorithm.

Historical order and carrier pricing data (Sept 2014 - Aug 2015) was utilized to develop a cost calculation and carrier selection algorithm. For each strategy, distinct alternatives were generated and evaluated. Alternatives with significant cost savings were selected for further analysis in order to understand the impact of combining strategies.

AUTOMATION OF MASS TRANSPORT IN A MANUFACTURING FACILITYTEAM MEMBERS: Akshay Vishwakarma, Chee Ming Kong, Fady Soliman, and Daniel Mirmilshteyn SUPERVISOR: Matthew MackayCLIENT: Autoliv Electronics Canada (AEC)

Autoliv Electronics is an automotive safety technology company. The facility in Markham, Ontario manufactures electric modules for active and passive safety. Eyeing to improve the manufacturing speed, the facility is facing a problem with the lack of an automated system that can be used to move material in the facility.

Hence, this project is a part of Autoliv’s multistep approach to ultimately achieve an autonomous arrange-ment that can move material in the facility with minimum energy input from their work force. This project will only focus on the movement from one point in the facility to the other (and back) autonomously with least input from their work force. The project will not accommodate a payload.



IMPACT

The project has laid the foundation for future work if mul-tiple rovers are used, then a traffic management system could be built.

Along with that the delivery data from rover can also be sent to the production system if required in the system. In this generation of advanced manufacturing, this rover indeed helps eliminate the head count for material move-ment specific jobs and improves the product quality as a result of reduced material handling.

The project was focused towards the functionality of an autonomous rover, i.e. moving from one point to other and back as per the traffic rules in Autoliv’s facility. For proof of concept, it was agreed with the client that the rover will be custom built, not necessarily ergonomic and will move without any payload. Since the facility layout changes over time, the team developed a solution where engineers can load the new path digitally over the life time of the rover.

The team designed two SolidWorks Models. First the final design that the client may use to implement the rover in the facility and second, that team built a prototype for proof of concept.

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LIFELIKE AND FUNCTIONAL PASSIVE PROSTHETIC HAND FOR SMALL INFANTS

TEAM MEMBERS: James Klein, Ian McKenzie, Gabrielle Sebaldt, Jaeeun (Angela) YooSUPERVISOR: Craig SimmonsCLIENT: Bloorview Research Institute

Develop a low-cost, custom passive prosthetic hand device that is both functional and lifelike at a small size suitable for an average 3- to 6-month-old infant. The design aims to provide functionality in typical daily activities, such as crawling, grasping toys, weight bearing, and pulling to stand, while offering a lifelike appearance in terms of size, weight, texture, and anatomical features.



IMPACT

The results of this project will allow children with upper limb differences to better engage in daily activities and meet their developmental milestones, by providing a pros-thesis tailored to their needs and consequently improving their long-term quality of life. The project also utilizes a novel and low-cost method of producing custom prosthe-ses and may result in a general advancement of the field of prosthetic design.

• Benchmark & Research• Generate Candidate Designs• Create Proof-of-Concept Prototype• Iterative Prototyping• Benchtom Testing• Clinical Pilot Test• Final Design

The final design consists of a 3D-printed hand body made of a flexible thermoplastic elastomer reinforced with steel wire in each digit. This design allows for each finger to be positioned individually and maintain its shape. A series of notches are included on the fingers, palm, and wrist to facilitate bending in the desired positions. The printed device is housed inside a cosmetic glove for improved appearance. This design can be customized to a particular client and can be manufactured quickly and at a low cost since it 3D printed. Additionally, 3D printing allowed the team to iterate quickly between prototype versions, which was invaluable in continually improving the design.

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LIGHTWEIGHT POWER ASSIST WHEELCHAIR

TEAM MEMBERS: Marie-Eugenie Kamie Arabian, Laura Bridgette Burton, Lee-Anne Cole, Caitlin ElliottSUPERVISOR: Professor Kamran BehdinanCLIENT: BionX Canada Inc.


The goal of the project is to provide wheelchair users with a lightweight and compact power assist alternative which repurposes the BionX e-bike powertrain accessories (hub motor, battery, and console) for wheelchair applications. The use of a single hub motor allows the design to be 20% lighter than the lightest commercially available power assist wheelchair, and the target compact size is such that it should fit in the trunk of a car.

ENGINEERING DESIGN PROCESS & FINAL DESIGNThe final design was developed with an iterative design process utilizing a modular design approach where alternatives were developed for each key component. The best alternatives were selected by comparison against key objectives and combined to produce a preliminary design. Stress analysis of the frame determined that the stresses were below the yield strength by a safety factor of ~5 for a wheelchair capacity of 250 lbs. For the overall wheelchair, it was determined to be safe for use since failure mode analysis returned low risk for the user and static & dynamic stability calculations determined stability within 21.4° of tipping, which is 4 times greater than the minimum requirement. A proof-of-concept prototype was constructed, which passed testing in accordance with

IMPACT

A hurdle that often prevents users from purchasing a power assist wheelchair is the increased weight from the battery and motor. Where a typical lightweight manual wheelchair weighs 11 kg, the lightest power assist wheelchair is 25 kg. In the final design with an overall weight of 17.5 kg and a lifting weight of 11.1 kg, these weight-related hurdles are eliminated as it becomes comparable to lifting a lightweight manual wheelchair.

The project aims to produce an innovative power assist design utilizing a single hub motor

the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) testing procedures for powered wheelchairs.

The final design weighs 17.5 kg and is 30% lighter than the competition. The lifting weight can be reduced to 11.1 kg with disassembly and can be compacted to ~6 cubic feet which fits in the trunk of most compact sedans. The design utilizes the BionX S-Series motor, RL battery, and G2 console. It also incorporates a custom designed frame combining both aluminum and titanium components to ensure that it is both lightweight and strong. The frame can be compacted through both folding and disassembly. The design also utilizes an innovative powertrain comprised of a differential and sprocket & chain drive, which allows for the torque from the single hub motor to be transmitted to both wheels.


BDLC MOTOR TESTING PLATFORM AND BLDC MOTOR PREDICTION TOOL

TEAM MEMBERS: Di Zhang, Tsuyoshi Yokoyama, and Yi XuSUPERVISOR: Kamran BehdinanCLIENT: BionX Canada Inc.


Our client, BionX tasked us to develop a prediction tool which can predict the torque and velocity performance of the BLDC motor that they are currently developing. This tool will help BionX to prototype the new motor with desired performance. In addition to the prediction tool design, a testing platform needs to test a motor and verify the result with the prediction tool. For the prototyping purpose, the two designs need to produce a reasonable accuracy within a 5 to 10 percent of error.

ENGINEERING DESIGN PROCESS & FINAL DESIGNThe first challenges that the team need to overcome are how to model the BLDC motor and how we could handle multiple inputs at the limit amount of resource. Therefore, the team focused on the couple main factor that is affecting the motor performance, and by using an energy conservation equation to model the BLDC motor. Another challenges the team encounter is the budget problem. The torque transducer in the market is at a high price with high accuracy, and they are often over thou-sands of dollar. Because of the high cost, the team need to develop a way of low cost and sacrifice some of the | accuracy. The final design is composed of the testing prototype and a numerical model of the BLDC motor.

IMPACT

The final design will have an effect on the BLDC motor industry since the prediction tool will reduce the cost of the prototyping the motor. Also, the testing method will also help to lessen the cost since the current torque transducer is quite expensive.

This prediction tool will help BionX to prototype the new motor with desired performance.

The testing platform utilized a load cell to measure the force applied by the motor on the belt and get a speed read reading from a speed sensor.

The model is based on an energy equation, and the main input variable is the number of the poles, slots, etc.

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AVIATION CORROSION TESTING APPARATUS

TEAM MEMBERS: Ahsan Saeed, Khandoker Ahamed, Salman Fazal, Zohab ParachaSUPERVISOR: Kamran BehdinanCLIENT: Bombardier Aerospace

Figure 1: Final Design Isometric View


Bombardier is seeking ways to reduce the corrosion on its products. Bombardier has recently changed the composition of corrosion inhibitors due to new requirements in health and safety laws, and has since noticed some aircraft components corroding faster than normal. The anti-corrosion properties have remained the same as per Bombardier’s materials department require-ments; therefore, the reason for the increased corrosion is not known. To determine the cause of increased corrosion, Bombardier requires an on-site accelerated corrosion testing apparatus to conduct further tests.

ENGINEERING DESIGN PROCESS & FINAL DESIGNThe engineering design process was iterative and required the team to extensively research all the acceptable corrosion test standards and choose the most applicable parameters as per the requirements to propose the specification’s for the design. Figure 2, shows the overall design process summarized in a flow chart.

IMPACT

Our design allows the aviation industry to test any variety of coatings to objectively determine which material would fare better in the construction of their aircraft. The testing procedure our apparatus incorporates is an upgrade from of the simple ‘salt spray test’ that has been used in other industries, such as the automotive industry, for several decades. Instead, our testing protocol uses the cyclic corrosion testing methodology which is a more realistic approximation of what the aircraft would exhibit.

Furthermore, it will no longer be required for a person to manually spray the sample material, rather the process has been automated with the use of a microcontroller in a closed control loop system. The design also has several safety features which makes it ideal for long term testing and may last for a significant amount of time.

Figure 2: Engineering Design Process


CENTRE FOR ADVANCED COATING TECHNOLOGIES (CACT)

TEAM MEMBERS: Marvin Ferreira, Yuchen Li, Saad Suleman, Songheng Han SUPERVISOR: Javad MostaghimiCLIENT: CACT


The objective of this capstone project is to improve the performance of a ytterbium oxide surface coating so that it can maintain its superhydrophobic characteristics under a saturated vapour condition.

A superhydrophobic coating is where a water droplet will maintain its spherical geometry on a surface and will roll off automatically. The lotus leaf is a great example of superhydrophobic surfaces occurring in nature. The coating’s superhydrophobicity is achieved by the ytterbium oxide material which has nano-structure features.

ENGINEERING DESIGN PROCESS & FINAL DESIGNYtterbium oxide was applied to the samples using a solution precursor plasma spray (SPPS) technology. Testing was conducted on multiple ytterbium oxide samples made with different spray parameters.

IMPACT

Ytterbium oxide coatings can be applied to heat exchangers to improve their heat transfer characteristics; thus, improving their efficiency. Our team has contribut-ed to the improvement of Ytterbium oxide coatings which will result in greater efficiency ratings and energy cost savings.

Left: Ytterbium Oxide Coating

Right: Coating exhibiting superhydrophobic characteristics

This resulted in samples that varied by surface roughness, porosity, and thickness. Tests were conducted to see how hydrophobic each sample was by measuring the contact angle of the water droplets on the surface coating. Additionally, a scanning electron microscope (SEM) was used to measure the coating topography at the nano-structure level in order to make a direct comparison amongst the different samples. Next, saturated water vapor was applied to the surface of each sample and the contact angles were measured again. A relationship was found that a higher surface roughness is better at retaining hydrophobic properties of ytterbium oxide coatings. To improve the coating, our recommenda-tion for future work is to increase the surface roughness of the ytterbium oxide. This can be achieved by chang-ing the SPPS spray parameters which will have a direct effect on surface roughness and porosity. Alternatively, a denser coating can be applied which will reduce the porosity. Finally, a filler material could also be introduced that would fill in the pores.

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SMA STANDING STROLLER

TEAM MEMBERS: Chia Chang, Alex Du, Jiawei Fan, Chawin VajanopathSUPERVISOR: Eric DillerCLIENT: CDE

The team aims to design an affordable and easy-to-build standing stroller for children with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), a neurological disease that causes neuron loss and muscle deterioration, making the patients unable to support their own weight. Standing strollers do currently exist on the market; however because of their price, they are not widely accessible to the average family. Also, these standing strollers are unsuitable for transportation and outdoor usage. The main objectives for the team’s standing stroller design are as follows:

• Able to safely transport a child between 2 to 4 years old and 20 to 35 lbs in the standing position both indoors and outdoors

• Can be constructed using simple power tools and inexpensive, easily accessible materials

• Compact and lightweight to facilitate transportation



IMPACT

The success of this project will provide an option for a more affordable standing stroller for families that have children with SMA, significantly lessening their financial burden.

Also, the design will have a major positive effect on the quality of life of affected children, providing them with a means to travel and spend greater amounts of time outdoors, which is currently not feasible with the existing strollers in the market. Additionally, the introduction and promotion of the design will raise awareness for children with physical limitations beyond SMA.

After establishing the project’s objectives and timeline, the team researched the functionality and physical features of existing standing strollers as well as transportation products such as wheelchairs, baby strollers, and trolleys to create three conceptual designs. Pairwise comparison and weighted decision matrix were used to determine the best candidate design based on how well each met the project’s objectives. Additionally, improvements were made on the selected candidate by taking components and features (i.e. material selection) from the other candidates.

Force and moment calculations were done to determine the dimensions of the design that would ensure stability and safety. Solidworks, a CAD software, was then used to create a model of the proposed design to determine component placements and operation. After sourcing and gathering materials, an initial prototype was created, and preliminary tests were completed to assess the stroller’s stability and functionality. The testing results identified components that required redesign, which lead to the construction of an improved final prototype.

The final prototype was subjected to more rigorous testing to ensure that factors such as safety and comfort are met.


CARBON CAPTURE AND COOLING

TEAM MEMBERS: Daniel Powell, Jobin Puthuparampil, Balavignesh Krishnamoorthy, Prakash MurugesanSUPERVISOR: David SintonCLIENT: Carbon Engineering


Almost 50% of CO2 emissions are from dispersed or distributed sources, where CO2 cannot be effectively captured using traditional methods found on industrial plants. In order to mitigate the environmental and health effects of atmospheric CO2, our client, Carbon Engineering, has developed a system to capture atmo-spheric CO2 using liquid sorbents. However, as a stand-alone process, direct-air CO2 capture (DAC) | requires sizeable inputs of energy and monetary costs. One method to improve the economic viability of this sys-tem is to utilize the evaporative cooling that is intrinsically produced as part of the capture process. Our group’s goal was to quantify the amount of cooling produced as part of this process and to determine the degree to which this would decrease the client’s cost of CO2 capture.


IMPACT

This project is a proof-of-concept and intends to demonstrate how the economic value of Carbon Engineering’s CO2 capture system can be increased. By doing so, more DAC systems can be implemented globally, and a greater amount of atmospheric CO2 can be captured, resulting in a healthier environment and population.

This project demonstrates how the economic value of Carbon Engineering’s CO2 capture system can be increased.

We began by investigating the current cost of capturing carbon dioxide as well as the potential economic impact of utilizing evaporative cooling in a number of scenarios. To validate our analytical models we produced a prototype direct air CO2 capture device. We tested the unit by simulating a variety of environmental conditions and determining the performance of the system at these settings. Using the results of this testing, we developed a cost optimization model to determine the system settings that minimized the cost of CO2 capture per ton.

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DESIGN OF AN ULTRASOUND BEACON SYSTEM FOR MINIMALLY INVASIVE DEVICES

TEAM MEMBERS: Harrison Chen, Shuja Khalid, Chris Kovach, Nauman SohaniSUPERVISOR: Hani NaguibCLIENT: Conavi Medical Inc.


Conavi Medical Inc. develops image guidance technologies specifically for minimally invasive cardiac procedures. Conavi hopes to complement their existing 3D ultrasound imaging catheters with new technology to assist with performing a procedure-specific task (e.g. an atrial ablation). Conavi seeks to provide physicians with an imaging and secondary device to be used during minimally invasive cardiac procedures; commonly these procedures are performed using techniques such as fluoroscopy, which requires X-rays for visualization. Prolonged exposure to radiation poses risks to both the patient and medical staff. Therefore, developing the secondary device improves the utility of existing imaging systems and circumvents a source of risk to both the patient and medical staff.

The capstone team was tasked with creating an ultrasound beacon system along with its host secondary device to operate with an existing imaging catheter. The design should actively communicate its position using ultrasound will allow the imaging catheter to localize and visualize the secondary device. The design must conform to standard 8-12 French catheter sizes, which corresponds to an outer diameter between 2.67 mm and 4 mm.


IMPACT

The strides made in development of this design will provide Conavi with a strong foundation for continued development of the PVDF transducer for use in MICP’s. The results of this project will move Conavi past the proof-of-concept phase and provide confidence that PVDF ultrasound transducers in this application provides many unique advantages that can be realized with careful implementation.

Final design rendering of an ultrasound beacon system.

The final design features 360° ultrasound reception to detect procedural device orientation and position. This information can be used by physicians to quickly and precisely carry out operations, thereby minimizing procedure time and patient risk. The beacon system will operate in concert with existing ultrasound imaging sys-tems, creating an integrated platform with greater utility for the user.


IRIS: THE SOCIALLY ASSISTIVE ROBOT

TEAM MEMBERS: Shaun Choy, Michael Chiou, Timothy NgSUPERVISOR: Goldie NejatCLIENT: CrossWing Inc.

The problem?• The prevalence for seniors above the age of 70 to live

alone increases over time.• A social concern over the well-being of seniors living

alone who may be experiencing Mild Cognitive Impairment or dementia.

• Reluctance and financial difficulties to obtain home and specialized care services.

• A need for affordable assistive devices in aiding the elderly to conduct their day to day home activities independently.

What can we do?• Design an improved 2nd generation Socially Assistive

Robot (SAR) prototype - IRIS• An affordable substitute home caregiver that promotes

mental health, healthy eating habits, and handling of daily challenges of dementia.



IMPACT

Project Scope• Demonstrates functional capabilities of IRIS i.e. inter-

action with a user via audio and visual communication; performing social gestures such as waving and pointing.

• Design focuses on the Head, Torso and Arms.• Mechanically and electrically integrated to the 360°

vision virtualME holonomic mobile platform supplied by CrossWing Inc.

• Incorporates several additional features such as aesthetically appealing, minimal noise pollution, ease of assembly and maintenance, and is user friendly.

• Arms with 3 DOF for gestures and prompting; LCD screens for eyes and mouth capable of showing multi-ple emotions; Head that can nod and rotate according to user interaction.

• Incorporates off-the-shelf components and 3D printing of mechanical components to reduce cost, complexity and maintenance work.

• Designs are based on the high level functions, objectives and constraints contributed by the client such as robot capabilities, motion, height, weight and safety features.

IRIS, the socially assitive robot. An affordable substitute home caregiver that promotes mental health, healthy eating habits, and handling of daily challenges of dementia.

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OPTIMIZATION OF ENGINE PERFORMANCE WITH INCREASED SOUND ATTENUATION

TEAM MEMBERS: Ajit Sreenivasan, Luke Fregonese, Julian Pires, John Sakellaropoulos SUPERVISOR: Anthony SinclairCLIENT: Formula SAE (FSAE) Team


The University of Toronto’s Formula SAE (FSAE) Team designs, builds, and races an open-wheel, internal combustion, race car. Recent changes to FSAE rules have imposed more stringent sound intensity requirements for teams partaking in FSAE competitions. The U of T FSAE Team requires an exhaust design that will meet the sound requirements (under 110dBC) and optimize engine performance (40hp).

This was completed through the re-design of the engine exhaust system, which includes the following:

• Header – Allows for integration of exhaust system into vehicle engine and to ensure proper fit on vehicle body

• Diffuser – Improves engine performance in a specific torque band, highly influenced by length and draft angle

• Mufflers – Function as the major sound attenuation component, this design utilizes a packed muffler (packing inside muffler “absorbs” sound, therefore attenuating it)

• Exhaust Tip – Acts as a final restrictor to attenuate sound and direct exhaust fumes away from vehicle driver


IMPACT

This project has ensured that the FSAE has the ability to compete at national and international events, and do so in a highly competitive manner. Testing results have been benchmarked against theoretical results of the Ricardo simulations, this confirms the accuracy of Ricardo’s simulation. This allows the FSAE Team to utilize, with confidence, the models, simulations, and theories associated with Ricardo WAVE for future design activities.

After a thorough review of the field of exhaust system design, conceptual designs that meet the team’s requirements were developed. Then, utilizing Ricardo WAVE (simulation software) alternative designs were compared to determine the optimal design. This lead to recommendation of using a dual packed-muffler exhaust system with diffuser, this design balances both engine performance and sound attenuation.The exhaust system was fabricated using the FSAE Team’s and MIE departmental workshops. The image below to the left is the final fabricated design. The graph on the right shows how the final design outperformed the old exhaust design, in terms of sound performance by 6-7dBC. And finally it should be noted that the simulations showed that the exhaust will produce on average 39.5hp with a peak of approximately 45hp.


FORMULA SAE FUEL SYSTEM SLOSH REDUCTIONTEAM MEMBERS: Mark Rajakariar, John Palumbo, Kaho SuzukiSUPERVISOR: James Wallace CLIENT: Formula SAE Team

Our client, the University of Toronto’s Formula SAE team, seeks to update their racing vehicle’s fuel system storage tank. With their current fuel tank design, fuel sloshing oc-curs inside the tank during hard acceleration, braking and cornering. This starves the engine of fuel and eventually leads to stalling. Our objective is to create a new fuel tank design that minimizes sloshing while minimizing the size, weight and cost of the tank.



IMPACT

The implementation of the final design will have a positive impact on the FSAE racing results. Due to the reduced sloshing, the race car’s engine will have less risk of engine stalling, and will have better racing performance as a result.

The team started the design process by researching existing fuel systems and creating three candidate designs that satisfied the client’s needs: baffle/trap-door tank, bladder tank and fuel surge tank. Upon evaluating the three candidate designs based on three parameters: weight, cost and fabrication difficulty, the team decided to move forward with the baffle/trap-door design as it scored the highest in all three metrics.

Autodesk Simulation CFD software was used to apply accelerations of 13.12m/s2 in the lateral directions of the tank to simulate the sloshing in racing conditions. Different baffle tank designs were created by changing three parameters of the tank: 1) height of the baffles (H), 2) width between the longitudinal baffles and the centre line (W) and 3) distance between lateral baffle from back wall (DFBW). Two metrics were created to evaluate the degree of slosh reduction: 1) Time taken for the fuel to settle down to less than 0.15 m/s after impact, and 2) maximum fuel velocity during sloshing movements. Simulation results showed that this design will allow 31.3% reduction of settling time and 11.2 % reduction of the maximum slosh velocity.

As the final step of the design process, the team created a Plexiglas prototype of the final design. The prototype function was tested by sloshing the tank in lateral directions to compare the movement of the fluid between the tank, with and without the baffles. The prototype conclusively proved the results of the simulations.

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DYNAMIC AIR INTAKE MANIFOLD FOR THE UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO FORMULA SAE RACECAR

TEAM MEMBERS: Vivek Subbayya, Adrian Muntean, Krishna Yogarajah, Thushy VigneswaranSUPERVISOR: Anthony N. SinclairCLIENT: Formula SAE Team


The University of Toronto Formula SAE (FSAE) Racing Team is a student-run club which designs, builds and races a new car in Formula SAE® competitions around the world every year. They have requested our capstone team to increase the engine power of their race car, by designing a “variable” length intake manifold, which is capable of offering peak engine performance over a broad RPM range.


IMPACT

The final design, consists of three tube sections nested within one another, in which the tubes can slide relative to each other to vary the effective length of the runner. Since the intake utilizes sliding surfaces to achieve different lengths, the effective length can be varied continuously to improve the engine power output over discrete-length alternatives.

Over the course of 7 months, the project progressed through the following phases:• Identification of specific functions, objectives and

constraints based on information accumulated from key stakeholders

• Formulation of four conceptual designs, based on research and brainstorming

• Selection of the final design by evaluating each of the four alternatives on design objective targets

• Optimization of the final design using Ricardo and CFD simulations, ANSYS stress analysis, and CES material selection software

• Fabrication of the prototype using carbon fibre and aluminum components

The telescoping intake design can be considered as a state of the art lightweight, compact, and customizable variable intake for future Formula SAE racecars. It optimizes engine performance and has the potential to be upsized and developed for high-performance race cars in major racing series, such as Formula 1 or IndyCar.


OVEN OPTIMIZATION: COMPONENT INTEGRATION & FOOTPRINT REDUCTIONTEAM MEMBERS: Eric Chong, Zain Nasrullah, Kyle Sia-Chan, Aeric (Chun Yin) SiuSUPERVISOR: Sanjeev ChandraCLIENT: G. Cinelli Esperia Corporation

G. Cinelli Esperia Corporation (est. 1972) is a Canadian bakery equipment manufacturer looking to enhance the thermal efficiency of their existing CG/2D/4S rotary-rack oven while maintaining a competitive footprint. Our Cap-stone team is responsible for redesigning the layout and integration of sub-assemblies within the oven.



IMPACT

The final designs will be used for CFD analysis in the next stage of the project. The client will then construct a proto-type for validation of performance.

Design considerations identified in the Final Design Spec-ifications document will be implemented in subsequent iterations of the CG/2D/4S oven line.

Both models incorporate vertical planar airflow, a radical departure from the existing horizontal planar oven, to minimize footprint. Design 1 focuses on enhancing the accessibility of components, while Design 2 focuses on width reduction.

38

PRE-FALL ALARM SYSTEM

TEAM MEMBERS: Andrew Pelegris, Jung Park, Naveena Pandillapally, Zacks PanSUPERVISOR: Jean ZuCLIENT: North York General Hospital

As Canada’s population continues to age, the Pre-fall Alarm System is designed to assist nurses in meeting a major challenge to providing quality care to senior citizens - falls. The Pre-fall Alarm System provides nurses with real-time patient monitoring by notifying them of the patient’s current state. In particular, data garnered from in-bed sensors is sent to mobile devices used by nursing staff.



IMPACT

The early phases of the design process, including defining the problem, and brainstorming have been completed. Currently, a scaled down version of our solution has been developed as a prototype to test the validity of our concept. A single 3-axis accelerometer is mounted on a chair cushion and is connected to a microcontroller. Data is transmitted to a computer via a wire, where a program analyzes the data with a learning algorithm to infer whether or not the test subject is seated. The program updates a local website with that information and can plot the sensor data.

For the final design, four accelerometers with a wireless transmitter will be attached to a hospital bed. A computer server will be set up for providing the data to portable devices. A mobile application will be developed for multiple platforms to maximize accessibility and pro-vide more integration with each platform. Thus, when an alert is generated, the server will notify the mobile users via notifications.

Once in place, the Pre-fall Alarm System can effectively warn the nurses or caregivers of whether the patient is at a risk of falling. As the fragility of bones increases with age, preventing the fall from happening can prevent the possi-bility of bone fractures, and may save lives.

Ultimately the costs incurred due to falls and physical and mental stress involved will be effectively reduced.

Four accelerometers with a wireless transmitter will be attached to a hospital bed. A computer server will be set up for providing the data to portable devices.


DEVELOPMENT OF A FILL TUBE MANUFACTURING PROCESS

TEAM MEMBERS: Alan Vuong, Arthur Gabrys, Brett Lipson, Jonathan EdwardsSUPERVISOR: Jean ZuCLIENT: Hibar Systems Limited


Our client, Hibar Systems Limited, manufactures high precision dispensing equipment which can dispense fluid accurately in small volumes from a stainless steel fill tube at the outlet of the pump. As shown in Figure 1, the fill tube requires a specialized entrance and exit profile in order to function properly. The current process to manufacture these fill tubes is time consuming due to the large amount of tooling and equipment involved. Therefore, the client has requested that a new process be developed.


IMPACTThe prototype will pave way for a fully fledged design to be utilized by Hibar’s manufacturing facilities. If the current issues of the prototype are resolved, the time it takes to prepare various fill tubes for their dispensing pumps will be greatly reduced by approximately half (from an original time of an hour); it is expected for these time savings to directly translate to cost and labour savings for Hibar.

By being able to serve more clients due to the design allowing a larger range of fill tubes to be formed, the implementation of the servo-motor system will ultimately allow them to focus their economic resources in other competitive areas, as well as company expansion.

The design team started by analyzing the current process and identifying the forces required in the process. Based on further research, four different means of generating the forging force were determined, which evolved into four potential designs. It was determined that utilizing a motor and ball screw combination would allow for fast operation, ease in changing fill tube diameter, good control over manufacturing tolerances, and allow for horizontal forging, enabling the manufac-turing of longer fill tubes.

Figure 1 (above): A section view of a completed fill tubeFigure 2 (right): The prototype

In order to test the design concept, a prototype was developed which served to address issues regarding workholding and forging force requirements.

40

HANDHELD CELL CULTURE INCUBATION SYSTEM

TEAM MEMBERS: Jeremy Cheung, Andrew Effat, Itto Kornecki, He ZhangSUPERVISOR: Edmond YoungCLIENT: Laboratory of Integrative Biology and Microengineered Technologies

PROJECT DESCRIPTION & OBJECTIVESIt is sometimes necessary to transport a cell culture, such as for collaboration between labs or for diagnoses of diseases in areas where fully equipped labs are not available. Although current state of the art solutions are successful in creating a living cell environment they are limited in their portability.

The client therefore requires a method of maintaining mammalian cell living conditions while in transit. The problem is comprised of two parts.

The first part is to create ideal mammalian cell living conditions by regulating CO 2 concentration, temperature, and humidity. The second part is to maintain these conditions while in transit.


IMPACT

Our prototype will be used by the client and possibly by other faculties and students from University of Toronto to transport living cells between labs.

The UofT invention disclosure process has already been started and is the first step towards the commercialization process.

Moving forward, since university labs are currently working collaboratively with hospitals in Toronto, a natural next step would be to service labs in the city. Lastly, the client expressed interest in the utility of our design in remote regions and developing countries lacking proper medical resources.

Prototyping and Testing

Having confirmed the final design with our client, we are currently creating a usable prototype which meets the client’s requirements. Once the prototype is complete, testing will be conducted to determine its performancein the field.

Candidate Design Generation

The conventional design generation approach is to brainstorm a handful of candidate designs and to compare the performance of these designs. However, in our case, this approach is not comprehensive enough to cover the vast number of possible combinations of components. To solve this problem, we mathematically characterized each objective of the design and used a software model to compute the performance for all combinations of components. In essence, instead of a handful of candidate designs, this software model runs through thousands of designs in order to find the best one.

Final Design

The output of the model showed the best possible combination of components. This was used as the basis for the final design. Based on these components, our team made additional decisions to complete the design, such as the placement of components and the mounting mechanism.


DESIGN OF A BATTERY ELECTRIC VEHICLE: THE AMP

TEAM MEMBERS: Amr Shafik, Aiham Hatem, Omar Haggag, Ibrahim AshqarSUPERVISOR: Shaker MeguidCLIENT: Mechanics and Aerospace Design Laboratory

Increasing stringent regulations on emissions, fuel economy, global warming, and depleting energy sources have shifted interests towards accelerating the development of Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs). Today’s market only offers electric cars that are either too expensive or unappealing to environmentally friendly young professionals. The Mechanics and Aerospace Design Laboratory has recognized the need for the development of an aesthetic and affordable battery electric vehicle. The objective is to ensure the viability and competitiveness of BEVs as urban and rural transporters over conventional ICE vehicles.



IMPACTDesigned an aerodynamic, aesthetically appealing BEV with state of the art safety features.

A functional prototype was built that highlights some of the main aspects of the BEV.

The engineering design process placed an additional focus on the aerodynamic performance, dynamic modelling, crashworthiness, and battery configuration. ANSYS Fluent was used to simulate the design’s interaction with the surrounding air and analyze its aerodynamic performance.

Dynamic modelling was carried out on a range of parameters including road grade, drive terrain,

aerodynamic drag, and accelerating force. The BEV’s chassis and safety features were designed through an iterative analysis using ANSYS and LS-DYNA.

The design takes into account criteria including material selection, structural integrity and cost. Lastly, an optimization model was written using MATLAB to create the ideal battery arrangement.

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HUMAN-ROBOT INTERFACE FOR A MULTI-ROBOT TEAM

TEAM MEMBERS: Elias Barker, Rafik Bichay, Carlos El Chami, Owen GillettSUPERVISOR: Goldie NejatCLIENT: MDA


Individual robotic systems have become very advanced in the last decades. However, as engineers tackle more complex systems, an ongoing interest has grown in the use of Multi-Robot Teams (MRTs). Teams of robots may provide an overall improvement in system performance and may allow for robotic systems to achieve new feats.

Objectives:• Design a Human-Robot Interaction (HRI) Interface

that will allow for seamless control by an operator of a MRT.

• Display real-time feedback of all robot operations and display combined 3D map.

• Switch seamlessly between autonomous and manual robot control.


IMPACT

Teams of collaborative robots could be deployed on the field on search and rescue missions. Effective collaboration between rescue workers and robots could substantially improve efficiency in search and exploration tasks in order to cover large areas of searching environments.

Before beginning the design process, the team had to familiarize itself with the Robotic Operating System (ROS). This is a set of software libraries and tools that help you build robot applications. The engineering design process consisted of building a Graphical User Interface (GUI) workflow, designing the physical layout of the GUI itself, and finally designing the HRI interface using ROS.

Final Design Overview:• Custom team initialization window• Real-time 3D and 2D point cloud of entire MRT • Real-time POV video of each robot• Sensory feedback status indicators• Robot Status Indicators• Provides a complete overview of all MRT operations

in a simple easy-to-use interface

MRT Control Window

Semi Autonomous MRT Control Architecture


MC-78 MACHINE SHOP BANDSAW POWERTRAIN SYSTEM REDESIGNTEAM MEMBERS: Hanfeng Guo, Zhou Zhou, Boyu Liu, Yilin Yang

SUPERVISOR: Anthony Sinclair

CLIENT: MIE - Machine Shop


Our client had been concerned with an easily broken transmission gearbox of a bandsaw located on the shop floor. Redesign of the powertrain system was requested by our client to overcome this issue. It was expected that with the new powertrain system, the bandsaw was able to cut at a speed anywhere between 50 and 3000 fpm while maintaining its cutting forces at the original level. In addition, the new powertrain system was expected to be easily manufactured and equipped with a single electromechanical control.


IMPACTOverall, the final design achieves a 1:30 cutting speed variation ratio, which is equivalent to 50 to 1500 fpm on the saw blade. It reduces machine failures and downtime, lowered the maintenance costs and increased productivity.

Original Design Function

AC motor VFD-controlled AC motor Provides a 1:5 speed variation ratio

Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT)

Replace its manual operated ad-juster shaft with a stepper motor

Provides a 1:6 speed variation ratio

2-speed transmission gearbox Fixed-ratio reduction gearbox Allows the bandsaw to achieve the required base cutting speed of 50 fpm

Manually handle control Integrate the control of the VFD and the stepper motor into a single speed knob

Provides easy user operation

44

ADDITIVE MANUFATURING AS A REPLACEMENT FOR TRADITIONAL TECHNIQUESTEAM MEMBERS: Kunal Taneja, Yoel Markus, Shayan SaleemiSUPERVISOR: James MillsCLIENT: Milacron (MoldMasters)

MoldMasters Ltd. (MML) , the current leader in plastics injection technology, produces many small and intricate parts that require multiple machining processes, long machining setup times and possess extremely intricatedesigns and high tolerances. Due to capacity requirements and ongoing need to fill orders for these parts, the designteam was asked for a possible alternative method to manufacture them. The aim of this project was to employadvanced manufacturing technologies that use additive techniques as a possible replacement for the traditionalmethods being used. Advanced manufacturing technologies will not only expedite production times but also increase overall production capacity, while reducing overall manufacturing costs.



IMPACTThis technology will have a significant impact on the future of manufacturing at MML, and our findings haveopened the gateway for rethinking conventional techniques. Although after further inspection it was concluded by the client that our two candidate test parts were not ideal for this technology as yet, we did prove that additive manufacturing is capable of producing intricate and small components. We are currently working closely with them to find a more suitable candidate to begin producing with DMLS. Further testing of addition-al parts will certainly solidify our recommendation, with future potential of capital expenditure in the technology.

Our team concluded that the use of Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS) technology would be the most suitable additive manufacturing technique for the manufacturing of production components at MML. This technology provides numerous material choices, reduces tooling costs as well as the need for multiple setups or machines. The design analysis involved the DMLS production of two small, time-consuming and high-accuracy components, as chosen by the client. Similar to 3D printing, DMLS is excellent for the rapid prototyping and testing of complex components. Intricate features, including those unattainable by conventional manufacturing are possible with DMLS, making it an attractive, advanced technique.

After carrying out extensive research and considering multiple design candidates our team has recommendedthat the client that they seek the services of a third party using EOS M290 machines. Further testing the feasibility of producing batches of components using this technology is required, and the advice of experts will be essential forsuccess. Postprocessing of built components, however, will be done at the MML facility after completion.

EOS M 290• Print Size: 250 x 250 x 325 mm• Resolution: 0.4 mm actual resolution• Laser Power: 400 Watts


VIRTUAL FLUID DYNAMICS SOFTWARE

TEAM MEMBERS: Farhad Keramati, Arman Ghaffarizadeh, Naim IsmailzadaSUPERVISOR: David A. SteinmanCLIENT: NuPhsyics Consulting Ltd.

The goal of this project is implementing Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) software into the pharmaceutical industry. The adaption of CFD software can help reduce the research duration and costs substantially in the firms and the industry as whole.



IMPACTWe believe using CFD in pharmaceutical and pharmacology application reduces the time and cost of preliminary laboratory experiments. In addition, not all the biological phenomena are practically possible to be modeled by experiments either in vitro or in vivo. A soft-ware which is specifically designed for researchers in the field of pharmacology helps the advancement of new research projects by combining the engineering capabili-ties and biological principles.

1. Market Assessment and Problem IdentificationWe distributed a survey and obtained 350 responses from individuals in the Pharmaceutical, Medical and Engineering fields. We understood the main reason why people do not use software that utilize CFD is mainly due to lack of exposure and unfamiliarity. Complexity, number of steps to complete, and trust were the other issues.

2. Developing the Software CodesThe problem with the codes readily present were that they take a long time to set up. The other problem surrounding the available software were the extensive computational power needed to run the software. We modified the code to be refined in areas needed with minimally affecting the accuracy of the generated output. 3.Developing the platform and simulationThe simulation was designed to be accessible through the web to increase accessibility. The other benefits of creat-ing a web-based simulation is that users don’t need high computational power available to run their simulation and get their results in the shortest time possible.

Figure 1. Familiarity with CFD

Figure 2. Software simulation

46

NON-ALTERNATING BEDS FLUIDIZED SILICA GEL PHYSI-CAL ADSORPTION CHILLER

TEAM MEMBERS: Jingyuan Hou, Arshan Singh, Ramon Julian, Joshua KatzsSUPERVISOR: Axel GuentherCLIENT: NuPhsyics Consulting Ltd.


Our daily conventional space cooling and refrigeration technologies have proven to be neither sustainablenor reliable. The current vapour compression air conditioning technology uses a compressor that is veryelectricity intensive. 50% of our summer home electricity bills are due to the cooling loads. Additionally, they also use refrigerants like CFCs and HCFCs that are harmful to the environment as they act as greenhouse gases, warming up the earth and also lead to ozone depletion. Adsorption chiller on the other hand operates on clean refrigerants and utilizes waste or sustainable heat sourc-es to provide cooling with no or only minimum electricity consumption has proven to be a sustainable alternative solution for cooling. This heat can a lso be obtained from solar energy and even the waste heat when a Combined Heat and Power (CHP unit) produces electricity. Adsorp-tion chillers in the world today are around 20 times more expensive than the regular chillers, which is why they are not popular. Our client, NU Physics aims to reduce the price of this technology so that it can compete with the conventional technology. The team was approached by NU Phsyics with a design of a chiller using adsorption they believed could be built to compete with a small size vapor compression airconditioners in the market, in terms of both performance and price. Our job was to analyze the design, offer different solutions where necessary


IMPACT

The current design is still under extensive optimizations. However, this design provides our client a great design direction towards an affordable sustainable chiller for household application that never exists in the consumer market. The value of this product extends far beyond its applications since it could potentially resolve the problem for refrigeration in remote regions and as well as reduce infrastructure cost for municipal powder production.

The design process required a thorough understanding of the current adsorption chiller technologies. During the predesign stage, an extensive literature study towards adsorption technologies was carried out we developed alternative designs and carried out a selection process to choose the design that suits the project requirements the best. Based on the design we then chose components, ordered them and finally assembled the prototype. Our initial prototype did not work. However, we then ran many rounds of modifications and testing which finally lead to a significantly different design that finally gave us promis-ing results.

The design was to be improved and built taking into con-sideration also performance, safety and implementation aspects of the current systems available in the market.


RSME - RECONFIGURABLE SHARED-USE MOBILITY SYSTEM

TEAM MEMBERS: Emmad Ariz, Timothy Rosario, Abdullah Siddiqui, Harinder Singh, James ShanSUPERVISOR: Kamran BehdinanCLIENT: Partners for the Advancement of Collaborative Engineering Education (PACE)

The steering system has been developed such that Ackermann steering is maintained consistently – in any of its modular configurations.


Our client, Partners for the Advancement of Collaborative Engineering Education (PACE), requires the design and development of a reconfigurable shared-use mobility system (RSMS) – a modular electric vehicle (EV). The purpose of the RSMS is to provide a solution to the congestion in the public infrastructure and roads due to the ever-growing human population in urban areas.The University of Toronto has partnered with other Universities in the PACE initiative, Team 7, however the subcomponent of focus for development is the steering system. Furthermore, in collaboration with Tsinghua University, the industrial design has also been explored and developed.


IMPACT

The steering system has been developed such that Ackermann steering is maintained consistently – in any of its modular configurations. The steering mechanism utilizes a rack and pinion, which is commonly used in today’s automotive industry. The innovation of the system is the automatic adjustability of the steering linkages which ensure Ackermann geometry is achieved when controlling the vehicle.

With promising results in the design of the steering system, the RSMS project will require continued research and development to achieve viable implementation in today’s automotive market. The advantages of a modular EV are worth exploring in an effort to keep up with the progressive nature of the automobile industry and growing population.

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ALTERNATIVE MATERIAL FOR INDUCTIVELY COUPLED PLASMA TORCH

TEAM MEMBERS: Tian Kong, Waki Rahman, Wenshan XuSUPERVISOR: Javad MostaghimiCLIENT: Perkin Elmer

The final design is Hexagonal Boron Nitride (hBN) exhibiting high thermal conductivity, low dielectric constant and high thermodynamic stability.


Our client, Perkin Elmer, needs to find an alternate material to substitute fused silica to be implemented in plasma torch. To achieve rapid dissipation of heat to the surrounding without undergoing physical and chemical decomposition, not impede the performance of ICP and prevent interaction of ions formed by the plasma flame with torch material, the following objectives must be met:• High melting point• High thermal conductivity• Low dielectric constant• Prevent devitrification


IMPACT

The final design candidate is Hexagonal Boron Nitride (hBN) exhibiting high thermal conductivity, low dielectric constant and high thermodynamic stability. The prototype consists of one outer tube, one intermediate tube, one gas manifold and two brackets. Experimental technique adopted to measure the thermal conductivity utilizes photothermal radiometric diffusivity measurement and dielectric constant uses capacitor method.

The life of the ICP-MS is going to be extended due to higher melting point and heat dissipation ability. The ac-curacy of measurements will also become more precise because of controlled sources of contamination. The change in its dimension also improves the operating ef-ficiency of ICP-MS and make its usage more sustainable by reducing the amount of Ar gas necessary.


HEAT EXCHANGER DESIGN AND TESTING

TEAM MEMBERS: Anatoly Makarov, Golam Muhaimeen, Szu-Liang Wu, Xin ChenSUPERVISOR: Kamran BehdinanCLIENT: Pratt & Whitney Canada


Pratt & Whitney Canada (PWC), an aircraft engine manufacturer, requested the team to develop a compact and efficient heat exchanger. The purpose of the design project is to develop a modular and scalable heat exchanger which will contribute to PWC’s future research. The Design should achieve the following objectives:

1. Operate in 77°F - 400 °F 2. Allow flow rate of 70 cfm3. Reduce fouling factor4. Withstand a pressure drop of 5 Psig 5. Smaller than 4.5”x4.5”x2.5” 6. High scalability


IMPACT

The two fluid streams will each flow through two layers of fins with one layer in between enclosed. The other stream will pass through in a perpendicular flow direction in order to maximize heat transfer during the cross-flow. Figure 2 shows the test rig that was developed to test this heat exchanger. The manifold was 3D printed using ABS.

This cross-flow plate-fin heat exchanger with its off-set-rectangular fins provides a compact and highly efficient solution that satisfies the design criteria. By off-setting the fins, this heat exchanger allows higher surface area per unit volume and more flow resistance for better heat transfer than previous designs.

After testing, the effectiveness of the design was deter-mined to be 27.93% and its corresponding heat transfer efficiency was 51.72%. In comparison to commercially available products (which is 45% in efficiency),the final heat exchanger design performed very successfully.

As the 3D model of the final design shows, the heat ex-changer has a cross-flow configuration with total of 4 lay-ers of offset rectangular fins. Figure 1 shows the prototype, which is made out of 0.025”-thick AL3001 sheet.

Figure 1: Prototype (Top Plate removed to show structures); Figure 2: Testing Rig

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NON-DESTRUCTIVE TESTING METHOD - PHOTOTHERMAL RADIOMETRY

TEAM MEMBERS: Qiwen Cao, Feng Chang, Lin Sen Mu, Lide TianSUPERVISOR: Andreas MandelisCLIENT: Pratt & Whitney Canada


The main objective of the capstone is to develop and apply the Photothermal Radiometric (PTR) non-destructive testing (NDT) method to measure the material strength of gas turbine components with and without particle coating.


IMPACT

After successful implementation of the modified tensile tester, experiments were run and strong correlation between material strain and signal were exhibited. The phase shift was concluded to have a strong linear correlation with the strain level which is an important finding in qualifying the validity of PTR.

PTR allows stress and defect testing to have exceptionally high repeatability and high reliability. Both of these advantages contribute to a more comprehensive and more economic testing method which will improve the current quality control process and design verification for PWC.

Currently, industry employs other methods to test and inspect components which is not 100% reliable. By utilizing PTR technology, we can: • Revolutionize the way industry executes Inspections

& Testing• Test each part both in isolation and/or in assembly for

which the results can be compared to that of other traditional means more effectively and efficiently

• Make verification and failure cause analysis more reliable and accurate for every part & not by statistical means

The main challenge of the capstone team is to improve the original testing apparatus. The team successfully proposed and implemented three major areas of improvements:

1. Accurate force control,2. Stabilization of axial and Radial movement &3. Leakage prevention.

This allows the team to effectively collect repeatable and reliable experimental results for further analysis.

Currently most of the NDT products in the market are based on Ultrasonic Acoustic (UA) principles. However, the PTR Method studied at CADIFT laboratory is advantageous over UA method. Most importantly, PTR does not require a transmitting fluid which greatly reduces the complexity of testing.

Figure 1: PW2000 Engine; Figure 2: Tensile Tester


DESIGN FOR SIMULATION OF METAL INSERTS FOR THERMOPLASTIC

TEAM MEMBERS: Zahin Rahman, Ashraful Khan, Yuanchen Feng, and Kyle Hangil Lee SUPERVISOR: Kamran BehdinanCLIENT: Pratt and Whitney Canada


The recent transition towards polymer composites in the Aerospace industry has been primarily motivated by their lighter weight and comparable strength and cost versus their metal counterparts. Polymers are plastics which are subjected to creep, or stress relaxation, and when used in a bolted joint, a compression limiter, or a metal insert, needs to be used to absorb the clamping load of the bolt. P&WC has approached the team to conduct a comparative study and research, design, analyze, simulate and test in-situ molded inserts for these thermoplastic composite parts.


IMPACT

The project started off with the client defining the operating conditions. The most crucial part of the design process was the simulation of the anisotropic fiber reinforced polymer composite as shown in the flowcharts to the left. Moldflow simulation was conducted on the CAD models to determine fiber orientations and residual stresses within the bolted sub-assembly, which were then combined with the polymer’s material characteristics before conducting FEA simulation. Five designs were considered and simulated. Design 1 was chosen based on the various parameters defined as shown in the Design Trade Table, shown above.

The project has laid the foundation for future work which would involve advanced research in terms of vibrations, torque and fatigue tests and simulations based on the specific intended application and sub-assembly geometries. The project has facilitated a smoother transition towards polymer composites away from traditionally used metal for a variety of applications.

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DESIGN OF AN IMPROVED PROTECTIVE COVER SYSTEM FOR A ROTATING SHAFTTEAM MEMBERS: Aly Raeia, Errol Coutinho, Mohamed Gaballa, Saayed Agha SUPERVISOR: Tobin FilleterCLIENT: Pratt & Whitney Canada

The client has requested the team to design an improved protective cover system for a rotating shaft. Major project objectives have been highlighted below. The final design should:• Have an operating lifetime of at least 10,000 hrs with-

out maintenance• Withstand fluctuations in temperature ranging from

-60°F to 350°F• Not be adversely affected during/after exposure to

fluids (i.e aviation fluids, hydraulic fluids, oil)• Not interfere with current system• Be easy, quick, and economical to implement,

remove, and replace



IMPACT

As was the intent with this project, the design is meant to decrease potential downtime and repair/replacement costs while improving upon useful life of the design. The team fully expects our design concept to outperform the current design while improving upon the aforementioned areas. Additionally, the new material selection shall offer improved cost savings to the client.

The team completed three primary deliverables for this project, which included the Project Requirements, Design Review, and Final Design Specifications. During the course of these deliverables, the problem was first defined and objectives, constraints, and stakeholders were outlined. Next, the team developed conceptual designs and began analyzing them to gauge performance. The analysis was of a finite element nature, and was completed using ANSYS. Once the analysis was complete, the designs were evaluated based upon their performance as well as their ability to meet our project objectives. The final design was a result of merging the two design concepts of Material Change as well as Optimized Geometry. This particular mix offered us the best scoring in our comparisons between the different design concepts.

The final design consists of the removal of Housing B, and replacing the current boot/shaft cover with one that is optimized in shape with respect to stresses experienced by the design. The change in geometry is further strength-ened by the change in material to VAMAC-GXF. The shaft cover consists of a smoothened geometry to reduce the impact of stress concentrations from edges/corners.


HIGH PRESSURE SYRINGE PUMP MICROFLUIDICS

TEAM MEMBERS: Amirali Alavi, Denys Matvyeyev, Danyal Mohaddes, Alireza ZarghamiSUPERVISOR: David SintonCLIENT: Schlumberger Canada


Microfluidics is a family of experimental methods for studying fluid behavior at the micro-scale. It has been applied to research and development activities in the oil and gas industry because it offers the advantages of precise control of input parameters, reduced experimental setup costs, and small sample sizes. Microfluidic experiments generally involve a microfluidic chip connected to one or multiple positive displacement pumps capable of supplying very small fluid flow rates accurately.

Experiments for the oil and gas industry call for pumps capable of operating in constant pressure and constant flow rate modes, delivering pressures of up to 40MPa at flow rates as low as 1µL/min. There are currently very few pumps available on the market which meet these specifications, and those which are available are highly costly (>$20,000 per pump).

Our team was tasked with the design and manufacture of a pump capable of meeting the required specifications at a significantly reduced cost without sacrificing accuracy or essential features. We were further tasked to create a computer-based user interface to control the pump electronics programmatically.


IMPACTThe user interface was designed to readily provide information pertinent to microfluidic experimentation, such as current pressure, current flow rate, and total volume pumped during the experiment. Safe limits were placed on pressure, flow rate, and maximum displacement of the syringe to avoid dangerous operation and damage to equipment.

A screenshot of the interface can be seen below in Figure 2. Upon completion of manufacturing, the pump will be assembled, linked to the user interface and delivered to the Client and Supervisor.

User safety and costs were improved through design iterations, adding features like concealed mechanical components and an acrylic sliding cover for user safety.

The intermediate designs were analyzed using machine design principles to correctly size all components with relevant factors of safety. Components were simultaneously sourced from vendors to ensure availability and cost effectiveness. In this way, a final design was reached, drawings were developed, and a bill of materials compiled. Components were then ordered and machined by the student team upon receipt.

A CAD rendering of the final design (with some walls removed for viewing purposes) is provided in Figure 1. The total cost for the pump was $2,425.

Figure 1: CAD rendering of final design; Figure 2: Pump control program user interface

Our initial design encompassed all the pump’s essential features, namely a stepper motor connected to two parallel leadscrews via a gear train, pushing a carriage to compress a high pressure syringe.

54

IMPROVING LIFETIME & EFFICIENCY OF CATALYTIC CONVERTERS FOR DIESEL ENGINES IN POWER GENERATION APPLICATIONS

TEAM MEMBERS: Marina Curak, Omar El Moghany, Larry WongSUPERVISOR: Pierre SullivanCLIENT: Safety Power Inc.

Figure 1: Proposed design

PROJECT DESCRIPTION & OBJECTIVES• Improve the lifetime of the catalytic converter by de-

creasing the temperature of catalyst

• Improve the safety of the system by purging the catalytic converter when heated unburned natural gas enters after a failed engine start, to avoid uncontrolled combustion


IMPACT• Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analysis was

conducted using a program called ANSYS Fluent, with the geometry of the catalytic converted modelled in Solidworks

• A blower was introduced at various positions in the converter, and through CFD, the final cooled tempera-tures were determined

• Several different systems and modifications to the converter were proposed and analyzed through CFD to see which system would eliminate natural gas in the converter

• Cooling the catalysts’ temperatures extends the lifetime of the catalyst filters in the converter, which:

Improves efficiency Decreases maintenance of the system Decreases operational costs• Incorporating a purging function removes heated

unburned natural gas in the catalytic converter, which:

Eliminates the risk of an uncontrolled combustion in the converter Increases safety of the system and creates a safe environment for maintenance workers

The Final Design:

• Blower was selected to be used for both the cooling and purging of natural gas

• A tapered edge and a bypass pipe to the converter’s exhaust pipe (shown in Figure 1) was incorporated to conduct the purge and section off the remaining path of the catalytic converter

• Blower and valve attached to the bypass pipe would be operated by a manual control system


SPROCKET QUALITY CONTROL

TEAM MEMBERS: Michael McDowall, Josh Palumbo, Patrick Luzny, Patrick JonesSUPERVISOR: Andreas MandelisCLIENT: Stackpole


PROBLEMImplementation of non-destructive inspection techniques to detect cracks and other defects in the pre-sintered phase of automotive components.

PROJECT GOALDesign a system that improves Stackpole’s quality and efficiency of inspection.

RESEARCH GOALIdentify the optimal testing parameters to adequately identify any cracks in a given part using thermal wave radar (TWR).

IMPACTProve the viability of TWR as a non-destructive inspection method in a manufacturing environmentImprove inspection time from 4 hours to approximately 7 minutesIncrease profits due to lower scrap rate for the clientIncrease exposure for the University of Toronto in the auto-motive industry

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MOBILE MAKER LAB

TEAM MEMBERS: Mohamad Sami Alkanafani, Zhiying, Celia Liu, Emma Pienaar, Andrew PumphreySUPERVISOR: Kamran BehdinanCLIENT: Technovation Academy of Science and Technology (TAST)

PROJECT DESCRIPTION & OBJECTIVESThe client, Technovation Academy of Science and Technology (TAST), aims to encourage youth to discover Science, Engineering, Technology, and Mathematics (STEM) fields in a fun and innovative way. The client approached the University of Toronto to develop a Maker Mobile Lab: a self-contained, mobile workspace that offers space and equipment to conduct workshops that inspire youth to pursue careers in STEM fields.

The motivation for this project is to make STEM fields more accessible to youths by providing relevant hands-on equipment to areas which neither have the facilities nor the expertise to make it available. The team expanded the client’s original project scope from designing a storage trailer to designing a fully-equipped mobile classroom, which can be quickly and easily reconfigured for a variety of STEM workshops and as a Makerspace facility. Some areas include programming and electronics, a makerspace or workshop, and a science lab to support biology, chemistry, and physics experiments.


IMPACT

The Mobile Maker Lab will allow programs such as TAST and other STEM outreach groups to provide students across Ontario with access to a fully equipped classroom and lab. This aims to increase the number of students who can gain experience with various aspects of STEM, and improve student confidence in their abilities to cre-ate, explore, and design.

These materials can then be loaded into the Mobile Maker Lab in preparation for the workshops. Three program specific equipment trays were developed to reduce the setup and inventory needed to ensure all the materials needed are available for the various workshops. Steel channel frames are provided on both trailer walls to create easy attachment points for equipment such as storage containers, tools, and teaching materials such as whiteboards and projectors.

To validate the design of the trailer and ensure it met the requirements of the project, a heat transfer analysis and human factors integration study (for the workbenches and tables) were conducted. The results determined that additional insulation would be added to the trailer to reduce the heating load required, and two sets of benches and tables would be designed to accommodate the wide age range of expected users. The team produced a virtual prototype of the design to show how the labs may be set up according to different subjects and workshop materials.

30’ gooseneck trailer equipped with heat and off-grid electricity, water, storage, as well as workbenches and tables to accommodate up to twelve people.

The final design is a 30’ gooseneck trailer equipped with heat and off-grid electricity, water, storage, as well as workbenches and tables to accommodate up to twelve people. It can also accommodate additional equipment such as tables and chairs that can be set up next to the trailer to support large groups. gggThe trailer is designed to be used in conjunction with an external storage facility where materials for different workshops can be kept.


“TECHNOVATIVE” DESIGN FOR MOBILE STORAGE & TRANSPORTATIONTEAM MEMBERS: Stephanie Cheng, Ronald Chan, Jash Dand, Mathieu MoncalvoSUPERVISOR: Kamran BehdinanCLIENT: Technovation Academy of Science and Technology (TAST)

The main objective of the project was to develop a design that allows secure storage, and efficient loading and unloading mechanism for all the required equipment in order to prepare the STEM workshops/programs. A trailer is therefore selected and both its interior and exterior were redesigned for better transportation and storage of all the teaching resources.



IMPACT

During the project requirement stage, the team defined the problem and scope and analyzed the functions, objectives and constraints for the design. The team then conducted the idea generation: 4-3-5 Brainwriting technique and Multi-voting in order to select alternative designs by using Pairwise Comparison Method to weigh objectives in terms of priority and the Weighted Decision Matrix to select the proposed design. The team then reviewed and evaluated initial proposed design. Due to limited resources and budget, the team decided to build a virtual prototype by Solidworks. After that, the team performed the simulation analysis by Ansys Software in order to evaluate the stress and force applied in the design. Physical prototype will be developed in the future stage. The project team will conduct usability testing, iterations and evaluation, and eventually generate the final design after modification.

The final design consists of a platform with a designed cabinet can slide out from trailer along the rail, which allow simple and efficient handling of the required equipment. A four-bar mechanism stretcher with a mechanical sliding piston is attached to the platform in order to support the weight of the platform and the cabinet. It can extend while pulling out and retract while pushing into the trailer.

The product will enable users to transport materials and equipment to different parts of the city, including shops, restaurants, schools and residential places. It will have a positive impact to the citizens and people who are dependent on mobile storage and transporting devices. The design can also potentially be marketed to moving company, delivery services and other possible businesses, and therefore have utilization and positive impact both at the public, educational and commercial level.

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HIGH-SPEED, BEARING TEST UNIT

TEAM MEMBERS: Eric Andersson, Vivek Chugh, Thomas Medal, Mark UmbrioSUPERVISOR: Matthew MackayCLIENT: Temporal Power Ltd.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION & OBJECTIVESTemporal Power is a local designer and manufacturer of high performance flywheel energy storage systems. Their products have a variety of applications for grid scale operations and can facilitate the integration of intermittent renewable energy sources such as wind and solar into existing power grids. Their flywheel system is one of the largest of it’s kind and contains a vertically oriented mass supported on precision bearings. In the pursuit of optimizing flywheel efficiency, Temporal Power is concerned with the power loss associated with the bearings under various loading conditions.

Temporal Power requested a method of testing their flywheel bearings to quantify power loss and long term performance degradation. The team aimed to design a testing unit that allows Temporal Power to rotate their bearings at speeds that meet or exceed real world condi-tions and simultaneously subject the bearings to axial and radial loads. The device must also replicate the operating environment by testing the bearings in a vacuum and integrating with the existing cooling system. During operation, the testing unit will output several key parameters such as overall system power loss for the given test conditions.


IMPACTThe final design will give Temporal Power the ability to accurately evaluate the performance of bearings under a variety of demanding conditions. The extreme requirements for this test unit represent a current technological gap since not even the bearing manufacturer could provide the desired data. Our unit gives Temporal Power the information needed to increase the efficiency of their design and to determine the service life of their bearings under standard operating conditions.

The durability, adaptability, and precision of our design will allow them to analyze many performance indicators of their bearings and also benchmark other commercial bearings if the need arises. This information will help Temporal Power refine their revolutionary technology and produce better, more efficient flywheels. With some of the highest performance, most affordable flywheels on the market, Temporal Power is poised to make a large impact in the shift to renewable energy. The company’s product is already in the market and providing regulation services for the IESO in the Ontario electricity grid so there is an immediate need for the information our unit is able to provide.

Finally, a unique axially balanced and aerodynamic motor coupling had to be sourced as it would operate at high rpm outside the vacuum chamber. Due to the niche application, many of the components had to be customized and sourced from international suppliers.

The final design features a multi-shaft vertically oriented system supported on two air bearings. The air bearings introduce virtually zero friction and deliver infinite service life allowing for life-cycle testing and direct energy loss measurements. Furthermore, the unit is capable of rotating at speeds of up to 20,000 rpm for accelerated testing. Testing at such a high rpm also posed a problem for sealing the vacuum chamber and shaft interface. Most standard seals would have a service life of a few hours at expected surface speeds. Custom seals had to be sourced for the task. Moreover, to facilitate mounting and unmounting of test bearings, the unit employs a custom Anderson shaft collar. The coupling is a keyless two-piece hub that generates a radial press-fit between the bearings and the shaft from pressure generated by torque on axial bolts.


ENERGY HARVESTING FLOOR TILE

TEAM MEMBERS: Ahmed Anwer, Qiaozhi Liu, Weikai Zhang, Yannan ZhouSUPERVISOR: Hani NaguibCLIENT: Smart Adaptive Polymers


This design functions as a floor tile that can harvest kinetic energy from walking pedestrians and convert it to electricity. The floor tile is to be implemented in the Beijing subway system to make use of large amount of unutilized energy produced by 10 million of pedestrians per day.


IMPACT

The project promotes use of clean energy since the floor tile is self-powered and utilizes the dissipated energy from the pedestrians. Furthermore, it generates little environmental impacts during the manufacturing the use stages. The design can also be implemented in any mass-populated areas such as shopping malls as a solution for sustainable energy.

The design process involves both theoretical and experimental analyses and several iterations. Piezoelectric effects depend on the degree of deforma-tion of the material. Moreover, piezoelectric ceramics have a superior mechanical to electrical coupling factor than other piezoelectric materials. As a result, we chose PZT, a piezoceramic material, to be our main conversion mechanism. In order to optimize the performance of the piezoelectric materials, and at the same time maximize the flexibility, we experimented with different geometries of the piezoelectric ceramics we purchased, as well as different composite configurations. Through several iterations of configuration design and polymeric material selection, we have decided to use the laminate composite of PZT-PDMS, as shown in Figure 1. The design is then connected to a simple circuitry (figure 3) to provide a continuous and steady form of electricity. The full schematic is shown in Figure 4.

Laminate composite of PZT-PDMS, as shown in Figure 1. The design is then connected to a simple circuitry (Figure 3) to provide a continuous and steady form of electricity. The full schematic is shown in Figure 4.

60

PORTABLE PARTICLE COUNTING DEVICE FOR PARTICLE SIZING

TEAM MEMBERS: Daniel Loschiavo, Kaveh Nader-Esfahani, Kevin WangSUPERVISOR: Nasser AshgrizCLIENT: U of T, Multiphase Flow & Spray Systems Laboratory

The device accurately counts and detects water droplets, and is affordable and easy to use.


This project’s idea is to design an affordable and portable particle counter. The eventual objective is to create a household particle counter capable of detect-ing water or air quality for everyday use; however, this is an eventual goal. This capstone project focuses on the fundamentals of this, and it’s objective is the creation a large particle counter using all the same fundamentals as small particle counters. This device accurately counts and detects water droplets, and is affordable and easy to use. With further development, it can be improved and refined to detect finer particles, or to allow for a greater degree of accuracy.


IMPACT

The device has many applications, both for water droplets or for particles of varying size. For water particles, there are applications in counting the amount of rainfall in a small area, and the size of those droplets. This can be used as a weather instrument, or for data collection. It also has applications in detecting the purity and cleanliness of the rainwater; polluted rain is more opaque and will cause a different signal.

Further refinement of this device into a personal small particle detector is the goal and where it has a great impact. If developed for air, it can be used as a personal air quality detector. Small particle counters are conventionally used for air particulate counting, but are designed for industrial purposes and are prohibitively expensive. A personal air quality detector has potential to better health and bring awareness to the dangers of poor air quality. As a liquid small particle counter, it can detect small pollutants or particles in water, which can be used in rural areas and just as holdhold water quality devices. Many countries like australia have been incentivising use of rainwater collectors, for which this device could be vitally important.

Particle detection has three methods: optics, laser scattering, and light obfuscation. Optics uses a high resolution camera to image and count particles. Laser scattering measures light scattered by the particles. Light obfuscation measures light blocked by a particle.

The groups design uses light obfuscation:1. Water passes through a laser, and blocks the laserbeam2. The circuit detects interruptions and counts the droplets3. The collected volume is used to calculate droplet size


THE DESIGN OF A LUG TESTING MACHINE

TEAM MEMBERS: Tina Ma, Lingzi Chen, David Cui, Joseph BanderaSUPERVISOR: Kamran BehdinanCLIENT: UTC Aerospace

Figure 1: The final design incorporates the use of a linear hydraulic actuator to produce tensile loading onto the lug.


The mechanical behaviour of a lug during the landing of an aircraft is critical to landing gear design. UTC Aerospace has asked for the design of an apparatus to test the ultimate tensile strength of lug specimens which model the lugs used in landing gear design. Constraints:• Must apply tensile loads at 0, 45, 90 degrees• Must apply a load to fail materials with min. ultimate

tensile strength of 280ksi• Must have a min 1% load accuracy • Must comply with reg.851 of OHSAObjectives:• Design should prevent fixture component from failing

before lug failure• Minimize time to assemble (for initial setup and

subsequent tests)• Minimize cost to manufacture


IMPACT

The final design incorporates the use of a linear hydraulic actuator to produce tensile loading onto the lug. The lug can be positioned at seven discrete angles with the slider assembly that is designed to withstand maximum applied loads with a 3x safety factor. A threaded connector joint allows for the installation of load cell, and LVDT.

Strength data for lugs that is commonly used at present in the aircraft industry was compiled over 60 years ago and does not include materials such as high strength steel and titanium which has been made standard in lug fabrication. Therefore, this lug-testing machine will allow UTC to directly measure the ultimate failure loads with respect to dimensions and material selection of the lug.

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REACTION WHEEL DESIGN FOR SPACE SATELLITE CONTROL

TEAM MEMBERS: Andrew Yoo, Fausto Fanin, Joanna Chen, Shehabeldin AliSUPERVISOR: Kamran BehdinanCLIENT: University of Toronto Aerospace Team, Space Division


UTAT is participating in the Canadian Satellite Design Competition (CSDC). UTAT is required to design a cubesat that can maneuver itself in space. UTAT’s present design lacks an active control system to achieve the desired maneuvers.

The objective of our project was to design a reaction wheel system to actively control the cubesat and to construct a prototype of one reaction wheel. Reaction wheel: a flywheel coupled with a motor. Due to the conservation of angular momentum in space, when the flywheel rotates clockwise, the cubesat rotates anti-clockwise, and vice versa.


IMPACT

An iterative process was adopted to optimize the flywheel dimensions, casing, and motor choice; to maximize the momentum storage of the reaction wheels and acceleration of the cubesat. Static loading, vibration, and thermal simulations confirmed the functionality of the final design.

This project faced a number of large constraints due to the service environment that exists in Low-Earth-Orbit; such as near-vacuum pressures, large temperature swings, outgassing or lubricants and cold-welding of parts.To successfully control the orientation of the cubesat, a minimum of 3 reaction wheels are required to allow rotations about 3 axes. A reaction wheel system comprising of 4 reaction wheels was chosen to provide an engineering redundancy. The 4 reaction wheels were arranged tetrahedrally to maximize the power efficiency.

Clockwise from left: cubesat; reaction wheel, a flywheel coupled with a motor; 4 reaction wheels arranged tetrahedrally to maximize power efficiency.

Reaction wheel systems are used extensively in satellites to achieve full D.O.F orientation. For example the Hubble Space Telescope uses a reaction wheel system, and it was this system that underwent servicing during the STS-109 Service Mission in 2002.

The client now has a reaction wheel system design that can successfully orient the cubesat to desired angular positions in 3D space. The client also has a testable pro-totype upon which further iterations can be performed, leading up to the CSDC in 2018; as well as greatly ex-panding the future capabilities of UTAT.


SINGLE REAR-WHEEL STEERING HIGH EFFICIENCY VEHICLETEAM MEMBERS: Fang Lu, Zepeng Xu, Chunsheng Chen, Xinlu ZhouSUPERVISOR: Kamran BehdinanCLIENT: The University of Toronto Supermileage Team (UTST)

UTST is looking to build a rear-wheel steering system to replace the current front-wheel steering system. The main objective of the design is to improve the fuel efficiency by making the vehicle lighter, faster and more aerodynami-cally efficient. The design should enable both the power transmission to the single rear-wheel and the steering on the directly engine-driven wheel to increase traction and prevent slip.



IMPACT

UTST has won first place with a mileage of 3,421 mpg at the 2015 Shell Eco-Marathon Americas competition with an existing rear-wheel drive and front-wheel steering layout.

Due to the fact that steering a directly engine driven wheel can increase traction and prevent slip, which helps in both vehicle acceleration and cornering, a rear-wheel steering design can increase the fuel efficiency and help UTST achieve greater success in future competitions. This project also makes a great impact on encouraging energy saving.

The engineering design process started with the clear understanding of client’s requirements and the analysis of functions, objectives and constraints of the design. The design process is divided into 8 steps which are:

• Researched the existing steering systems;• Brainstormed to generate alternative designs;• Evaluated and selected the conceptual design by

using the Weighted Decision Matrix;• Conducted theoretical calculations and built 3D

models on SolidWorks;• Ran simulations of the design and analyzed key

design components;• Optimized the design and created CAD drawings

for prototyping;• Testing of the design prototype;• Design improvements from test results

The final design contains both the power transmission system and steering system. The power transmission system between the engine and the rear wheel consists of two bevel gear sets and two universal joints with an adjustable coupling to allow power transmitting along the angled shaft during steering. The design of steering fork is used to enable the steering control of the vehicle. The draglink connects the steering fork to the joystick so that the driver can control the direction of steering.

The final design contains both the power transmission system and steering system

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OPTIMIZATION OF MANUFACTURING PROCESS FOR CELLULAR PVCTEAM MEMBERS: Xingtao Guo, Yuxiang Zhai, Zheng HuangSUPERVISOR: Professor Chul B. ParkCLIENT: Vision Extrusion Group

Vision Extrusion Group LTD is a building products company. It utilizes extruded polymeric profiles as a substitute of traditional building materials (wood, concrete). Due to the ever growing demand for PVC based products in construction industry, improvement of the processing conditions and characteristics of these products is of great interest. Two types of PVC are manufactured by the company, solid PVC and cellular PVC. The goals of this project are:

1. to increase the product rate of the foamed PVC products.2. to improve the quality of the foamed PVC product, to keep dimension in tolerance zone and lower the density.



IMPACT

PVC is a product made from the polymerization of the monomer vinyl chloride. It is difficult to be processed on its own due to its low thermal stability and high melt viscosity. Therefore, additives are required during PVC production, which include heat stabilizer, plasticizer, impact modifier, lubricant, filler, etc. By making research on the production process of cellular PVC, we determine the factors that alter the production rate:

• Change the extrusion conditions• Altering the components of the PVC compound• est the new PVC formula with original conditions• Vary the process parameters,• Compare samples to find the optimal condition

By applying these procedures, we tested 5 different formulas, which include new additives from multiple suppliers. We successfully found the best additive that can increase the production rate by 25% and reduce the density by more than 10%.

Economic Importance -Approximately 39.3 million tons of PVC were consumed globally in 2013, and global demand for PVC is about to increase 3.2% annually

-By increasing the production rate, we successfully decrease the production cost, which can lead to lower commercial price

- Environmental Importance -By increasing the produc-tion rate, we efficiently decrease the energy use during production

-By reducing the density of products, less fuel will be consumed during transportation process, which can lower the harmful emission.

PVC Window Profile


WINDS OF CHANGE WINDMILL WATER PUMP TRANSMISSION SYSTEM

TEAM MEMBERS: Jikeon Yoo, Grant Gruenspan, Xingjian Gan, and Gene OrtegaSUPERVISOR: Amy BiltonCLIENT: Winds of Change


In Nicaragua, there is an abundance of groundwater in wells, but they lack efficient technology to pump the water out. Hand driven pumps are one of the easiest methods to implement, but they are not efficient enough to pump out the amount of water needed for crop irrigation. Windmill water pumps can be built using the local materials, at a low cost, and Nicaragua has sufficient wind to generate the windmill water pump. The purpose of this project is to develop an inexpensive and functional windmill. This project was initially designed last year by another Capstone team, but the design had some inherent flaws. Our goal is to redesign the water pump wheel and build a guide system to provide the residents of Pedro Arauz with this irrigation water.


IMPACTThis project has a direct impact to the economic liveli-hood of the residents of Pedro Arauz. It provides them water from pre-existing wells that can give the community water for agriculture, which is their biggest source of in-come. The construction of future windmills will be for res-idents of Pedro, Arauz and other communities to further improve their economic livelihood. The project not only pumps water, but also brings the community together to build and maintain the windmill water pump system.

The power transmission system should be manufac-tured using local materials, tools and expertise, should be built with the lowest possible cost, and should be self op-erating. The design should also be built to improve upon the failure modes that were experienced by the previous design, which included rope jamming, rope derailment, and wheel concentricity issues.

Two designs were considered for the pump wheel -

V Notch Teeth Design and Rubber Guide Bike Wheel. After series of validation testing, the Rubber Guide Bike Wheel was chosen because there were no failures during testing, it is easy to manufacture, and its materials are readily available in Nicaragua.

Two guide systems were considered for the transmis-sion system - a pulley and tube design. The tube design was chosen because it offers three advantages over the pulley guide: simple construction, cheap local materials, and ensures prevention of rope derailment.

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CONTROL AND SAFETY SYSTEM TEAM

TEAM MEMBERS: Evan Boyce, Emma Bowman, Greg Pollieri, Austin McLeanSUPERVISOR: Amy BiltonCLIENT: Winds of Change


The Winds of Change Foundation, in collaboration with Seeds of Learning, and the University of Toronto have set out to automate the pumping of water from the well in the community of Pedro Arauz, Nicaragua. This water, much needed during the dry season, is used for drinking and irrigation for locally grown crops. The windmill being designed will be built and maintained with tools, materials and expertise available in Nicaragua.

The objective for 2016 is to refine the design of the Winds of Change windmill, specifically the control and safety system of the Winds of Change windmill to protect windmill components during high force winds.


IMPACT

A successful windmill design and construction will increase production of the dry plots during the dry season so that they may flourish with plants and livestock, increasing community income. Furthermore, a successful design will be able to be reconstructed by the community to promote sustainable development.

Our project began with the windmill design work done by the Winds of Change 2014-2015 team. Our goal was to improve the design from last year, specifically, the Control and Safety System. Two methods of braking the rotor are required, one manual, and one aerodynamic. The manual brake is required for maintenance activities on the windmill, and the aerodynamic brake should halt rotation

in winds greater than 8m/s, at which time thrust forces pose harm to the windmill. There were strict constraints on the design including limitations on tools, expertise and materials in Nicaragua.

THANK YOUThe Department of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering would like to thank our capstone

industry clients. Through your support, our MIE students have gained an invaluable experience that will serve as a solid foundation of their engineering education.

mie.utoronto.ca

Autoliv Electronics

Bombardier Inc.

Cross Wing Inc.

BARC (Buckle Up Animal Constraint)

Bloorview Research Institute

BionX Canada Inc.

G. Cinelli Esperia Inc.

Conavi Medical

Hibar Systems Ltd.

MDA Space and Advanced Robotics

Mold Masters

North York General

NuPhysics Consulting Ltd.

Pratt and Whitney Canada

Carbon Engineering

Schlumberger Canada

Safety Power

Stackpole

Technovation Academy

The Municipal Infrastructure Group Ltd.

Temporal Power

Vision Extrusions Group Ltd.

Winds of Change

UTC Aerospace Systems

Biopolus

CAMH

Canadian Tire Corporation

Holland Bloorview Kids Rehab Hospital

Janssen Inc.

Labatt Breweries of Canada

Loblaw Inc.

OpenLab, University Health Network

ORNGE Transport Medicine

Princess Margaret Cancer Centre

Regenesis

Salesforce

ScotiaBank

Sunnybrook Hospital

Tridel

UHN, Healthcare Human Factors

Xerox Canada

University of Toronto

mie capstone design projects: 2015-2016

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