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Recent Submissions
Frequency Sweep Automatic System
(2023-11-07) Abedrop, Fatima; Prater, Phillip; Oviedo, Kayla
This project automates a frequency test using a vibrational shaker, power amplifier, and MyRio DAQ system. It replaces the manual function generator adjustments with a one-time input for desired frequencies and amplitudes, creating a fully automatic system. The goal is to apply this code to energy harvesting research, enabling the conversion of ambient vibrations into usable electrical energy using the shaker.
The Eyes Have It: Visual Feedback Methods to Make Walking in Immersive Virtual Reality More Accessible for People With Mobility Impairments While Utilizing Head-Mounted Displays
(Association for Computing Machinery, 2023-10-22) Mahmud, M. Rasel; Cordova, Alberto; Quarles, John
The use of Head-Mounted Displays (HMDs) in Virtual Reality (VR) can cause gait disturbance problems for users because they are unable to see the real world while in VR. This is particularly challenging for individuals with mobility impairments who rely heavily on visual cues to maintain balance. The limited research that has been conducted on this issue has not focused on ways to solve it. IN this study, we investigated how different visual feedback methods affect walking patterns (i.e., gait) in VR. The study involved 50 participants, including 25 individuals with mobility impairments due to multiple sclerosis and 25 without mobility impairments. The participants completed timed walking tasks in both the real world and in VR environments that included various types of visual feedback, such as spatial, static, and rhythmic. The results showed that static and rhythmic visual feedback significantly improved gait performance in VR for people with mobility impairments compared to no visual feedback in VR. The results will help to make more accessible virtual environments for people with mobility impairments.
Flow Rate Transducer Test Bench
(2023-11-17) Loy, Phillip; Bourg, Cyrus; Barrientos, Abel; Nguyen, Hieu; Flores-Maldonado, Gabriel
The Flow Rate Transducer Test Bench is a closed-loop recirculating fluid system that will be used to verify the operational integrity of turbine-style flow rate transducers at Navistar Inc.’s Advanced Technology Center in Elmendorf, Texas. Surefire Engineering is collaborating with Horsepower Engineering, a capstone team from the Electrical/Computer Engineering Department at UTSA, to complete this project. Surefire Engineering has been responsible design of the structural and piping systems, and Horsepower Engineering has been responsible for the design of the user interface and control/data acquisition systems.
SJN: Supersonic Nozzle
(2023-11-13) Otake, Justin; Gonzales, Ashley; Forster, Curtis; De Luna, Christian; Garcia, Xavier
Southwest Research Institute has hired our team to design and manufacture an interchangeable nozzle; that would be secured into their existing wind tunnel structure. The nozzle will be a convergent-divergent design and reach a minimum speed of Mach 2. The inlet diameter of the nozzle will be 6 inches and an outlet diameter of 2 inches. The nozzle will be made interchangeable by resting inside thewind tunnels pipe between two flanges, with an orifice plate being used to secure the nozzle to the wind tunnel. To handle the change in piping from 6 inch nominal piping to 2 inch nominal piping, a custom flange will be used on the outlet. This custom flange will be a 6 inch blind face flange, with a 2 inch diameter hole bored through the center.
Mechanically Assisted Weight Machine
(2023-11-03) Boice, Matthew; Nino, Joe; Peralta, Jose; Anderson, Andrew; Bendele, Braeden
The Mechanically-Assisted Weight Machine was designed by SA Premier Engineering to enhance workout quality and save time in the process. Utilizing a trailer jack for vertical motion and a sliding rail system for horizontal motion the machine brings the weights to the height of the barbell, greatly reducing expended energy by the user when changing weight sizes between workouts. From initial design drafts, to engineering analysis, to creating a final drawing package and creating and performing a testing plan/report, the machine has been designed with functionality and safety in mind leading to a quality product that many will find beneficial.