Aria Mundy, a dual-major mechanical engineering and applied mathematics student graduating this fall, has been selected to receive the ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ Boulder College of Engineering and Applied Science 2024 Outstanding Undergraduate Award.

The award is given to an undergraduate student who maximized their educational experience in a holistic way, with accomplishments across several areas.

Mundy is the fourth ME student to win the award since 1994. 

A home-grown love for engineering

Aria Mundy, recipient of the CEAS 2024 Outstanding Undergraduate Award.

Born and raised in the Boulder area, Mundy always dreamed of studying engineering at the University of ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ Boulder. She loved math, she loved science and with encouragement from her early educators, she learned the importance of women in engineering.

“I was one of just a few girls in my physics class during high school,” Mundy said. “One of my teachers encouraged me to pursue a career in STEM and inspired me to explore engineering.”

Mundy started her undergraduate journey in the Ann and H.J. Smead Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences at ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ Boulder. But after her freshman year, she decided to explore different areas of study in the college, eventually settling on the Paul M. Rady Department of Mechanical Engineering.

“The awesome part about ME is how versatile it is,” she said. “I’ve held some different internships across different industries. It’s been awesome to jump around and get exposure to many exciting areas.”

Success in-and-out of the classroom

During her time at ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ Boulder, Mundy demonstrated a talent for academic success. She was awarded a scholarship by the BOLD Center and was a part of the ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ Boulder Esteemed Scholars Program and . In her sophomore year, she was accepted into the Kiewit Design-Build Scholars Program.

Aria Mundy crossing the finish line at the USA Cycling Collegiate National Championships.

Mundy also exhibited success outside of the classroom. She has been a part of the ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ Cycling and Triathlon Teams all throughout her college career, holding leadership positions on both teams. In the , Mundy brought four national championships back to Boulder, taking first in the Women’s Club Team Time Trial, Road Race, Criterium, and Omnium events.

Success has found Mundy as a member of the , as well. In 2023 and 2024, the squad took home two top-3 finishes in the .

“Being a part of the different scholarship programs helped expand my opportunities and community,” Mundy said. “As for athletics, being a part of sports has always been my escape whenever I feel overwhelmed in class.

“It’s been amazing to find some success at races. But at the end of the day, it’s really just about being a part of such a great community and finding balance alongside academics.”

Creating an inclusive culture

Mundy attributes her success in multiple arenas to the support of peers and mentors who took her under their wings.

Aria Mundy guiding middle school students through a science experiment. 

“When I was a freshman, stepping into sports felt intimidating at times. Cycling has few women and engineering has long been male-dominated,” she said. “But I’ll never forget the women who went out of their way to make me feel included. As I grew older, I felt the responsibility to create that same sense of belonging for others, too.”

In many ways, Mundy was on the front lines fighting for diversity and gender parity in engineering. As a member of ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ Boulder’s , she helped organize local workshops encouraging young women to explore STEM career opportunities.

She also participated in the Project-Based Learning in Rural Schools Soil Quality Inquiry Program (SQIQ). This experience took her to Paonia, ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ where she partnered with Paonia K-8 to guide young students through soil-quality experiments, fostering their curiosity about science and research.

“ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ Boulder is a very welcoming place for women and underrepresented students,” Mundy said. "I strive to share my excitement and enthusiasm for engineering and community, showing others that they have a support system and can succeed in this environment.”

Making a broader impact

A strong love for engineering and outreach opened the door for Mundy to make an impact beyond the ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ Boulder campus, too.

Aria Mundy during her time at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). 

In summer 2022, Mundy traveled to Rwanda as a member of the ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ Engineers Without Borders (EWB). She worked with her peers to design and implement a rainwater catchment system. She said it was “a true embodiment of what it means to be an engineer.”

“This project was a powerful reminder of how engineering can bring people together to create solutions that make a lasting difference,” Mundy said.

She also completed internships at companies in various engineering industries such as Tendeg, Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy, NIST, Specialized Bicycle Components and LASP. Mundy’s award nominator says she has contributed to new ideas and technologies at each company.

“My philosophy has been to try as many different things as possible,” Mundy said. “I’m truly grateful to receive this award, and for ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ Boulder’s support in providing so many avenues for me to learn and grow.

“If I had more time, I would love to keep exploring new things. I’m sad my journey is coming to a close, but I’m excited for what comes next.”

The Outstanding Undergraduate Award will be presented to Mundy at the College of Engineering and Applied Science Graduation Ceremony on Dec. 19. Mundy is considering pursuing a master’s in mechanical engineering while exploring full-time opportunities. 

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At the Paul M. Rady Department of Mechanical Engineering, the process and application of design is everywhere.

Students are constantly designing tools and technologies. Faculty members are launching successful startups on the backs of their own designs. In just the past two years, Venture Partners at ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ Boulder has supported 10 new startups featuring inventions designed by ME faculty and students.

But earlier this fall, the department took nearly a decade of development to a whole new level by introducing a new research area in design. This focus area, geared toward PhD students, involves the study of the design process and how various contexts (environmental, psychological, political, etc.) affect the artifacts that today’s engineers aim to create.

It’s the next step in the department’s design growth, building on the current MS design framework and the large network of undergraduate design courses made possible by Design Center ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ. ME faculty and staff have worked tirelessly over the years to build this infrastructure and weave elements of design throughout all the other focus areas in the department. The new design PhD focus area represents the next iteration.

Grace Burleson, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, was a key player, among others, in the creation of this new concentration. She believes the focus area will help ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ Boulder researchers enhance the practice of design, and advance design methodologies throughout many engineering disciplines to tackle the difficult societal challenges we see today.

“Design has been happening in the department since the beginning. It’s embedded in mechanical engineering and our other focus areas,” Burleson said. “However, that framing makes it challenging to focus on design as a scientific study.

“Our engineers are being asked to solve much more complex issues than ever before, and we need to expand our thought of design in order to be successful.”

From interdisciplinary beginnings

Grace Burleson, assistant professor in mechanical engineering. Burleson is one of over 20 faculty members affiliated with the new design focus area.

The inspiration behind Burleson's research can be traced all the way back to summer 2015, nearly 8,517 miles away from Boulder.

Burleson, at the time an undergraduate student at Oregon State University, was on a research trip in Uganda studying global health and sustainable development. While conducting her research, she quickly realized that her typical engineer’s rationale was not enough to foster successful design processes. An understanding of social contexts and a whole new perspective was needed in order to do her work the right way.

From there, a whole new spark of curiosity was formed. A spark that led Burleson down a dual path threading the needle between mechanical engineering and anthropology. She studied the two areas and applied principles from each to her own work until she found a true relationship: the impact of design.

“Applied sciences have always been a pillar of design in engineering, and they always will be,” Burleson said. “But I learned that we have to broaden the scope of sciences that we are using to design our artifacts. There are cultural considerations we need to understand in order to find the effective and equitable solutions to our design problems.”

After receiving her PhD from the University of Michigan, Burleson’s next project was finding a home that allowed her to foster the next great design minds. She joined ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ Boulder’s Department of Mechanical Engineering, whose interdisciplinary approach and faculty support made it easy for her to make her mark.

“Design has been a strong focus in our department long before I joined, and I received strong  encouragement from other faculty members to start the process for formalizing the focus area,” Burleson said. “I met with faculty who led design research, and we all agreed that we needed to do this.”

To the first iteration

Nicole Xu, assistant professor in mechanical engineering, showcasing her lab's bio-inspired design for robotic jellyfish.

The Design Focus Area launched in fall 2024 with over 20 faculty members from very diverse backgrounds. Some faculty members tackle design questions in the areas of air quality and sustainability. Others practice design through the lens of materials and mechanics.

This interdisciplinary structure is a staple in the field of design, which Burleson calls a “horizontal discipline.” While other focus areas might require in-depth, vertical research into one topic, design requires a wide range of knowledge in a handful of topics. It’s a holistic approach that invites students with diverse backgrounds who are looking to study design.

“When I’m recruiting PhD students, I’m looking for those diverse backgrounds,” Burleson said. “We have students from mechanical engineering, physics, even theater and law. It really lends a unique perspective to the focus area.”

Even the current research that faculty and students are conducting is multi-dimensional and exciting. Nicole Xu, another assistant professor in mechanical engineering, focuses on biology-inspired design elements for robotic mechanisms.  creates aquatic vehicles that mimic the movements of live organisms for environmental monitoring.

“Engineering is often seen as a purely logical field, but we need to think more broadly about other aspects of design,” Xu said. “In my work, we apply design principles from animals to improve or expand our available underwater technologies. For other faculty, the perspective  could be the emotional contexts of design science, like teamwork and collaboration.

“Design is already inherent in every engineering project, with all the different types of research in our department. But it’s never been brought to the forefront like it is now with this new focus area.”

On to the next evolution

James Harper, assistant teaching professor in mechanical engineering.

Burleson says the focus area will continue to expand as engineers apply and advance new sciences. She also mentions rumors of an increased emphasis on design practice and research across campus to leverage the university’s vast consortium of design expertise.

Assistant Teaching Professor James Harper echoes those same sentiments, saying there is ample opportunity to enhance the curriculum going forward. He even says that prospective PhD students have the opportunity as they are here to leave their mark on the department, and change the way design is taught college-wide based on their research.

“Engineers are not taught to talk to people,” Harper said. “We’re taught the technical side of things. But design relies on engineers understanding people and how products are actually used. Good design requires gathering contextual data, as well as entrepreneurial skills, and we’ve begun to teach these topics even in undergraduate engineering courses, too.”

One of Burleson’s design-track PhD students, Mark Henderson, recognizes the impact he could have on future generations. As a patent attorney, Henderson has seen lots of creators receive patent rejections on their inventions because their designs were “too similar” to others.

His research in the focus area revolves around one question: what design choices would engineers make if they already knew the “state of the art”?

“Here at ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ Boulder, I have the opportunity to use these classes and this community for design research,” Henderson said. “But there is also potential in the broader Boulder area to do industry research with the large companies that are here.

“I really couldn’t believe the fit when I chose to study design at ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ Boulder.”

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Palmer Dick-Montez is receiving major kudos as he graduates with a mechanical engineering degree from the University of ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ Boulder.

He is a 2023 recipient of three separate College of Engineering and Applied Science Outstanding Graduate Awards for Academic Engagement, Community Impact, and Research.

“It’s humbling. I didn’t really expect to be honored like this. It especially feels good to be recognized for making an impact on the ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ Engineering community outside myself, helping others,” Dick-Montez said.

His contributions have been substantial. He is a course assistant in the mechanical engineering senior design program and is part of Engineering Fellows, a college initiative that assists students at risk of falling behind or dropping out.

“It’s peer mentoring, review sessions, office hours for students who are struggling,” he said. “It offers not only academic support but also a community of other students. I’ve really benefitted from peer mentors and TAs and wanted to be that support for other students.”

Julie Steinbrenner, an assistant teaching professor in the Rady Department of Mechanical Engineering, particularly praises Dick-Montez’s efforts as part of senior design.

“Palmer is a dedicated student, a role model and mentor for other students. He held his senior design team to high standards and is a go-to resource for his classmates because he’s thoughtful and motivated,” Steinbrenner said.

His impact extends outside the classroom into research. Last year, Associate Professor Nathalie Vriend invited him to assist on an avalanche analysis study. He dove in with gusto, analyzing a massive dataset probing how a simulated snow bed behaves, settles, and flows after an avalanche event.

“This is a hard analysis for any PhD student. Palmer took up the challenge as an undergraduate with confidence and produced an excellent body of work in only three months,” Vriend said.

He is working on a paper related the work, which the team hopes to publish next year. Vriend is also organizing a larger follow-up experiment that Dick-Montez hopes to  assist with after graduation.

“I really enjoyed the process of working on something there isn’t a lot of literature on and figuring out the cause and effect of things,” Dick-Montez said.

While Dick-Montez loves engineering, he is equally drawn to studying the past, earning a minor in anthropology alongside his mechanical engineering degree. He also spent two years as co-president of the ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ Boulder Anthropology Club.

Immediately following graduation, he intends to join a six-month archaeological dig in Oaxaca, Mexico, studying a pre-Hispanic, indigenous Mexican village site.

“I did a study abroad in Mexico for archaeology with the same professor and I loved it and want to do more,” he said. “I’m very interested in both engineering and anthropology, but there are more career possibilities in engineering. I can continue with anthropology outside of a career.”

Following the dig, he will pursue an engineering job in either aerospace or marine robotics, which was the focus of his senior design project.

“I’d like to stay in ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ; I grew up here, but I know if I go into marine robotics I will not be staying in a landlocked state,” Dick-Montez said.

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The University of ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ Boulder has started a graduate engineering program in robotics to fill a growing need in an in-demand field.

The ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ Regents have approved new Master of Science and PhD degree options in robotics that will provide students a flexible education that merges hardware and software engineering, mathematics and artificial intelligence into a single program.

“Demand is so high for degrees like this across the country; it’s something students and employers really want,” said Sean Humbert, director of the Robotics Program and a professor in the Paul M. Rady Department of Mechanical Engineering.

The program brings together a wide array of faculty, research and class options from the College of Engineering and Applied Science, according to Chris Heckman, associate professor of computer science and the robotics program.

“The workforce in robotics is often siloed, with people only being specialists in certain elements. We want students to be able to work across the field in computer science, mechanical, electrical, aerospace, wherever they need to be,” Heckman said.

Students enrolled in the program can choose from 40+ different courses taught by leading researchers with strong expertise in key areas, including field robotics, reasoning and assurance, smart materials, human-centered robotics and biomedical robotics.

“ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ Boulder is really strong in robotics, and now we’re bringing together all that expertise,” Humbert said. “This field is so interdisciplinary, and we have strong connections and teams both within the university and in industry and the public sector.”

Boulder and ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ’s Front Range is home to many businesses active in robotics, providing educational partnership and career options for students and graduates, according to Alessandro Roncone, associate director of the Robotics Program and an assistant professor of computer science.

“This program positions students at the nexus of innovative research and real-world application. Not only will they be taught by leading experts in the field, but they'll also have the opportunity to become leaders in robotics and AI. We are committed to fostering creativity and innovation, and our strong tech ecosystem locally provides an unparalleled environment for growth and discovery,” Roncone said.

In addition to a research-focused PhD, students enrolled in the master’s program can choose from thesis and non-thesis options, providing graduates with opportunities in academia and technical leadership positions in large industry, startups, emergency services and government.

The program officially launched for the fall 2023 semester, with students transferring into the program from other ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ Engineering graduate programs. Prospective students from outside the university will be welcomed starting in fall 2024. That application window is now open.

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• Jackson Bilello – Electromechanical Engineer
• GillianGrace Brachocki – Project Manager
• Hector Calar – Systems Engineer
• Benjamin Capek – Manufacturing Engineer
• Ahmed Ferjani – Logistics Manager
• Ayden Flynn – Financial Manager
• Nicolas Garzione – Electromechanical Engineer
• Caleb Morford – Test Engineer
• Isaac Nagel-Brice – CAD Engineer
• Manuel Preston de Miranda – Electromechanical Engineer

As the space industry evolves its focus from large satellites to smaller ones with the same functionality, there is a growing need for the hardware on board to shrink as well.

A group of mechanical engineering seniors at the University of ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ Boulder have helped meet that need by designing a compactable antenna that would allow for more powerful radio communications on smaller satellites.

is sponsoring the project. The team of students from the Paul M. Rady Department of Mechanical Engineering designed and built the prototype for their Senior Design project.

“Our whole team has a passion for the space industry, and we wanted to be a part of the change and innovation that is occurring,” said GillianGrace Brachoki, the team’s project manager. “We found the push for deployable items in smaller units really interesting.”

The team’s prototype is a deployable helical antenna that starts in a compressed state. Current satellite antenna hardware is fully deployed upon launch. Those systems can be large and not aligned with the industry’s goal for smaller hardware.

“Small satellites and micro-satellites lead to a nimbler industry,” said CAD Engineer Isaac Nagel-Brice. “If you’re developing a satellite over two years instead of a decade, you’re able to get smaller buses up into orbit quicker and at a cheaper cost. That can push innovation and progression on a much faster scale.”

The helical antenna in its fully deployed state.

The students designed their antenna to deploy once it is in space – activated by an on-board computer. This would trigger the device’s antenna component to extend four times its compressed height from 3.5 in. to nearly 20 in. for full functionality.

The team accomplished this by designing the antenna with the properties of a mechanical spring, which is an idea the industry has rarely attempted to build before. The students explained that optimizing the prototype to be both a spring and an antenna was difficult to do.

They had to take geometry, material and frequency band all into consideration. The students used spring calculators and high frequency structure simulator software to build an antenna that could stow and deploy with the properties of a mechanical spring.

“The antenna geometry resulted in a powerful spring,” said Nicolas Garzione, one of the electromechanical engineers on the team. “Part of our requirements is that it has to survive the equivalent of an Atlas V launch, which is pretty violent. We spent a lot of time on that restraint mechanism, which is a key part of our project for viability and safety.”

Lockheed Martin Space also required that the prototype needed to be scalable. Therefore, the students designed every part of the deployable antenna to be scaled plus or minus 50%.

The size of the device would also dictate the radiofrequency bands transmitted through the antenna. A larger spring circumference would require higher frequencies.

“I think this prototype could lead to a shift in the industry,” said Nagel-Brice. “Our antenna has some interesting design geometry, but it’s very intentional so that it can be built larger or smaller.”

The students have completed antenna functionality, deployment, mechanical shock and vibration tests on their prototype. The radiofrequency testing was done at , a company specializing in antennas and radiofrequency systems, while the vibration testing happened at Lockheed Martin.

The team said that working with Lockheed Martin Space on this project has been both inspiring and informative. It has allowed the students to combine their mechanical engineering background with new skills they have learned on the job.

“It’s a lot of cutting-edge technology that hasn’t been implemented in this manner until now, thanks to some creative problem solving,” said Systems Engineer Hector Calar. “Shrinking the hardware down means the industry can add more advanced instrumentation, since you have more free space. Freeing up that space on rockets and satellites allows us to do more with the science of engineering.”

The team can now say that they are a part of that push for cutting-edge, compact technology. With their own innovative design assembled into a potentially revolutionary prototype, the students are well on their way to equipping the space industry for greater scientific impacts.

The Senior Design team presented their deployable helical antenna at the College of Engineering and Applied Science Engineering Projects Expo 2022 on April 22.
 

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The ME Course Column is a recurring publication about the unique classes and labs that mechanical engineers can take while at the University of ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ Boulder. Follow the series to understand the core curriculum, discover elective course options and learn the broad applications of mechanical engineering skills.

Professor Maureen Lynch

In order to comprehend certain aspects of cancer biology, the mechanics driving the disease need to be understood. The mechanics of cancer can teach engineers a lot about how the cells interact with each other and form solid tumors.

Students in the Department of Mechanical Engineering are learning how those solid and fluid mechanics play a role in the course MCEN 4228/5228: Mechanics of Cancer. Taught by Professor Maureen Lynch, the class examines the experimental systems and technical evaluations of solid tumors to model and test cancer-related processes.

The course starts with Lynch reminding students of what the most common way that breast cancer is diagnosed – by feeling it.

“These changes in stiffness or density are a mechanical piece for diagnosis,” said Lynch. “Not only is it an indication that there is a tumor present, but it also plays a role in examining how quickly the tumor is developing, if the tumor going to spread or which treatments the tumor is sensitive to. Physical cues matter.”

The mechanical engineering students taking this course come in with the basic knowledge of what stiffness is in engineering terms. Their understanding expands as the course dives into how they can measure those density changes and connect them to tumor progression.

“We measure everything from the tissue level, which you can see with your eyes, down to the microscopic or nanoscale where you can’t see what you’re measuring,” said Lynch. “You need to know whether you’re measuring a single cell or a single protein and what scale to use.”

Lynch explained that students also learn to examine the speed of fluids as it relates to cancer spread, since tissues are mostly made up of water. Fluid could potentially carry tumor cells to different parts of the body.

“The students like the connection that this class makes to their other engineering classes,” said Lynch. “I will pull up figures from their sophomore or junior year classes and explain how they are useful in biology. We use our engineering skills in a brand-new way.”

As the semester wraps up, the students are conducting final presentations on technical topics of their choice surrounding the mechanics of cancer.

“I give a lot of latitude with those presentations, so I always learn something because we can’t cover everything about the mechanics of cancer in one semester,” said Lynch. “The students pick what they want to research and what they want to talk about.”

MCEN 4228/5228: Mechanics of Cancer is generally offered in the spring semester. It is open to juniors, seniors and graduate students in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and admits some students from the Biomedical Engineering Program.

  ME Technical Elective & Graduate Courses
 

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• Jack Carver – Project Manager
• Dario Garcia – Logistics Manager
• Prem Griddalur – Systems Engineer
• Hank Kussin-Bordo – CAD Engineer
• Marty LaRocque – Electro-mechanical Engineer
• Ethan Plott – Financial Manager
• Noah Sgambellone – Test Engineer
• Gavin Zimmerman – Software Engineer

The shortage of semiconductors – the computer chips that products such as smartphones, laptops, cars and even washing machines rely on – continues to impact industries around the world.

The current supply chain issues are motivating engineers to make the inspection of the silicon wafers that semiconductors are fabricated from more efficient. It is a goal that the industry would focus on even without the global shortage. To help accomplish that, University of ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ mechanical engineering students have developed a device that improves the inspection process.

The Department of Mechanical Engineering seniors have built a silicon wafer center-finding improvement device for , a semiconductor manufacturing company. The Senior Design team’s prototype uses two cameras to capture the circular wafer’s edge, plus computer software to calculate the radius and find the wafer’s center.

“The reason this is important is that KLA has to inspect these wafers for defects, and when they find one, they need to know where on the wafer it is with a high-level of precision,” said Marty LaRocque, the team’s electro-mechanical engineer. “They have to establish a coordinate system on the wafer and the hardest part of that is finding the center.”

Currently, KLA is detecting the wafer’s center with ten different images around the edge. The team of students designed their device to find the center just as efficiently with only two images.

“On one of KLA’s inspection tools, it currently takes them eight seconds to align one wafer, and we’re trying to get that down to two seconds,” said Project Manager Jack Carver. “A 75% reduction is going to get so much more throughput. With the global silicon wafer supply shortage, any improvements in that would be greatly beneficial for them.”

The real-world impact that the students’ device could have on the industry is part of the reason this project enticed them.

“It’s interesting because KLA explained to us the real significance of our prototype,” said Prem Griddalur, the systems engineer on the team. “ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ every two years, the size of the semiconductor becomes smaller, and at the same time, the scale they’re manufacturing these at gets larger because of increased demand. KLA did a great job explaining why their equipment is important and how our project plays a role in the larger scheme of the industry.”

The team captured their first position of the wafer’s center in early March. They are now running statistical tests and taking measurements to check the device’s accuracy. They need the coordinates to be within 10 microns of the true center, which is the width of a human red blood cell.

Since the team’s device is a prototype, KLA’s system may not end up looking exactly like the students’ design. However, their prototype and tests will still provide the company with critical information to help guide decisions about future designs.

The students said that aspect is relatable to real-world scenarios. Typically, engineers are tasked with making current systems better, rather than creating new designs from scratch.
 

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• Maxwell Anderson – Logistics Manager
• Sean Dunkelman – Systems Engineer
• Christopher Gonzalez – Software Engineer
• Brady King – Electro-mechanical Engineer
• Isaac Martinez – CAD Engineer
• Brad Nam – Manufacturing Engineer
• Caitlyn Robinson – Test Engineer
• Renée Schnettler – Project Manager
• William Wang – Electro-mechanical Engineer
• William Watkins – Financial Manager

Seniors in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ Boulder are designing a new soft robot to improve physicians’ ability to examine the deepest part of a patient’s lung.

Currently, there is only one system that can get down to the bottom of the lungs – a rigid catheter that could potentially cause inflammation. The team of mechanical engineering students are working with medical device company on making the tip of that catheter more flexible.

“Our client is hoping to reduce the strain on the body by replacing the end of the device with something that is very compliant and soft, especially in comparison to the materials that are used today,” said Maxwell Anderson, the team’s logistics manager. “We’re trying to create a soft robot for the tip that will allow the physician to have more control of the end and have it be less abrasive toward the patient.”

The students are tackling this project as part of the department’s Senior Design course. They have spent the academic year researching, designing, molding and testing various iterations of their soft robot prototype.

An iterative design process

The team’s baseline design is a hollow, silicone tube with bubbles on the outside. The bubbles expand as the soft robot is inflated with air pressure, which causes the tube to bend. The students explained that the bending motion is the key aspect of their design, as that configuration is what allows the soft robot to move through the deeper parts of the lung.

“The catheter still does most of the work during the procedure, and then physicians control the soft robot at the very end to just move the tip,” said Renée Schnettler, the team’s project manager. “It can hook into different areas and allow doctors to send a needle through it to take a sample of any lung tissue they are studying.”

The team said they are constantly making new prototypes for testing purposes. The R&D process has resulted in 55 prototypes since fall 2021.  

“A lot of what we’ve been doing is building off of our baseline design,” said Isaac Martinez, the CAD engineer on the team. “We watch how that prototype behaved and try changing certain dimensions. That would be one iteration. Then we change another aspect, like the number of bubbles, and that becomes a second iteration. We’ve been trying to put together this full picture from a lot of different prototypes.”

Each change in the prototype’s design has been targeted and intentional. That includes adjustments to the soft robot’s control system.

“Our control team has spent a lot of time just trying to figure out how we can tell where the tip of the robot is,” said electro-mechanical engineer William Wang. “We have been trying to improve our control systems to hit the desired positions, but each iteration of our prototype behaves slightly different depending on the material properties. We’ve been trying to find more robust techniques to control all of them.”

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