Category: Engineering

This semester in Dr. Chu’s Linear Circuit Lab, sophomore Electrical Engineering majors were able to build a simple circuit to measure EKG.  Electrocardiography (EKG) is used to measure electrical activity of a heartbeat. EKGs are a widely used tool to diagnose cardiac diseases.

Students assembled the circuit by following a given circuit diagram. The circuit was attached to an oscilloscope, which is a device used to measure electronic waveforms. The students then attached two electrodes on the test patient’s chest. The oscilloscope displayed the EKG reading.

 

 

Every spring, seniors in the engineering department are required to showcase what they have  learned through a Senior Design Project.  JD Elsey, a senior Electrical Engineering major, spoke about his group’s Senior Design Project: Creating an underwater robot.

How many people are in your group?

We have five Electrical Engineering students and six Mechanical Engineering students for a total of 11 team members. We are also working with the Grove City College Robotics Club on some aspects of the design and will be working more with them on testing and feedback as we make progress.

Does each member have a specific role?

Because we are running a joint project, our team roles are somewhat complicated. The electrical and mechanical teams each have our own managerial roles, with only a couple managerial roles over the entire joint team. As far as technical roles go, we are divided into subcommittees per project piece. In other words, we have a team on the frame, a team on the motors, a team on the power system, a team on the control system, etc.

What is your project?

Our project is to design Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) for use in the Marine Advanced Technology Education (MATE) international competition for 2018.

https://www.marinetech.org/rov-competition-2/

What is the purpose of the project?

The purpose of the project is to produce an ROV to complete a series of three tasks set forth in the MATE 2018 competition specification. For us, this means we need to manipulate objects and interface/communicate with several electrical components underwater.

https://www.marinetech.org/missions-specs–scoring/

According to the MATE website, “the 2018 MATE competition highlights the role that ROVs play in supporting underwater archaeology, seismology, and renewable energy activities in the Pacific Northwest.”

What is the most challenging aspect of designing the project?

The most challenging aspect of our project is trying to play catch-up on the core components. We are in a position where we are going to have to redesign the entire project from the ground up. We need a solid, fully functional frame and motor system before we can focus on the more detailed aspects of the project.

How much of the project have you completed?

At this point, we have completed a preliminary frame design and we are currently underway on testing improved components of the electrical control and power systems.

What is the next step?

The next step is to complete the electrical evaluation, motor tests, and begin constructing the frame.

The members of the team and their roles include:

• Justin Hullenbaugh – MECE, thrusters, secretary
• David Fritts – EE, power distribution, editing
• Christian Fifield – MECE, thrusters
• Paige Foley – MECE, electrical housing and frame
• Laura Kroening – MECE, electrical housing and frame
• Ben Green – junior Computer Science major, president of robotics club
• Mike Bright – project advisor
• Evan Kovacs – EE, motor driver hardware and thruster interfacing
• Domenic Rodriguez – EE, control systems and software
• Ryan Krouse – EE, financial, optics and thrusters
• Danny Downward – MECE, manipulator, MECE team leader
• Ray Bromen – MECE, manipulator
• JD Elsey – EE, project lead, power distribution and surface controls

I also sat in on a weekly meeting. The discussion that week involved determining what cameras and rubber to use, as well as a presentation by Christian on the thrusters. Working to stay on the budget of $3,500 is also another aspect the team must take into consideration. Good luck to the team this year, I am excited to see how the finished product turns out!

 

As a requirement of the Robotics Minor, a Mobile Robots class (ROBO 302) will be offered for the first time this spring. This three-credit class includes one lab per week. According to the Registrar, the class is “an introduction to the basic principles of mobile robots, including mechanical, sensory, and cognitive systems necessary for successful operation. Topics will include hardware, locomotion, sensors, control schemes, localization, and navigation.”

Dr. Mohr, professor of Electrical Engineering, spoke with me about what the class will look like. “We will look at how mobile robots get around, focusing mostly on wheeled robots…what kind of sensors they use to find out what their environment is like, and lastly, to map their environment and use their sensors to figure out where they are in their environment at all times.”

There will also be hands-on experience with a robot throughout the semester. There are 20 kits to build autonomous robots, and teams of two or three will work together to assemble the robot. The robots are not remote-controlled, students will learn to program the robot to run on its own. Dr. Mohr showed me an example of a robot that he has worked on and off for the past year and a half assembling. The main brain of the robot is a single board computer, called a myRio, which creates a wireless network to either a phone or laptop. The readings from the robot will then be presented on the laptop in a “software called LabVIEW which is like graphic programming, which is pretty easy to pick up. Since we have people from different programming backgrounds, that’s nice.” The entire robot is run off a lithium ion battery, the same type found in cell phones.

The robots utilize two motor-driven wheels. Each motor has an optical encoder sensor, where pulses can be counted to tell how far the wheels have traveled. The Inertial Measurement Unit, or IMU, contains three sensors. The magnetometer measures the earth’s magnetic field, essentially working as an electronic compass.  The accelerometer tells when something is moving, and the gyroscope identifies rotation. There is a GPS chip which tells the time as well as the latitude and longitude. “So, if you go around campus, you’ll be able to tell within a few meters, based on GPS where you are. So, we are going to be doing some things outside with this robot.” The lidar uses a laser light to measure the time it takes for light to bounce off the nearest object, identifying the range, which is helpful in mapping out a room. Dr. Mohr says there are plans to add cameras to the robots, but not this year. The focus this year is to get up and running with the course.

What should students expect to learn from this class? How robots “sense their environment, map their environment, and figure out the answer to the question “Where am I?” and then plan missions and carry them out.”

 

 

Dr. Christman, professor of Electrical Engineering at Grove City College, sat down and spoke with me about his research on antennas. Dr. Christman holds a B.S. and M.S. in Electrical Engineering from West Virginia University, and a Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Ohio University. Dr. Christman said that his interest in antennas began when his grandparents gave him an old shortwave radio that he could listen to broadcasts on. His doctoral dissertation tested a computer program that simulates antenna performance.

Dr. Christman is a ham radio operator, and has been licensed since 1974. Amateur radio operators, also called “hams,” are private citizens who have obtained a license from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to operate on certain bands of radio frequencies. Being a ham operator is a popular hobby, and Dr. Christman says that his main interest is “talking to people in foreign countries.” The one country Dr. Christman hasn’t been able to communicate with is North Korea, because of various regulations.

He showed me a recent article in the Greenville Record Argus newspaper, which highlighted the Mercer County Amateur Radio Club. According to the article, amateur radio is the hobby of the future. There are currently 66 members in the club, and it has been growing steadily. Grove City College also has an Amateur Radio Club which, according to the registrar, “exists to encourage and facilitate amateur (“ham”) radio at The College. Special instruction is offered every Fall semester so that those members who are unlicensed may study and prepare to take the Technician-Class Examination.”

Dr. Christman also works with AM broadcast antennas. He enjoys “simulating and evaluating the performance of antennas without building anything at all.” His nephew is a career officer in the Army, and on one occasion Dr. Christman was able to advise one of his nephew’s men on how to fix the antenna of the Iraqi Federal Police, so they could communicate with their vehicles in the field. Engineering students taking Electromagnetic Energy Transmission (ELEE 404) will have the opportunity to learn more about antennas.

Dr. Christman has written a number of articles related to antennas which have been published in various ham-radio magazines and in IEEE technical journals. Recently, he and a friend won 1^st place in the 2017 QST Antenna Design Competition (80 – 10 meter division).

It is amazing to have such a knowledgeable and passionate professor on campus!

Grove City College has recently added the option of a Robotics minor for engineering students. The minor was started largely based on student interest in robots. The Robotics minor offers a more in-depth experience with robots than the BEST (Boosting Engineering Science and Technology) competition. The BEST competition is completed by middle and high school students and is hosted at Grove City College. Some students who compete at BEST choose to attend Grove City College, and this minor gives them and any other interested students a more in-depth experience with robots.

Engineering majors have full schedules. With only three credits of general electives available, the challenge was to offer a minor that was attainable with the heavy course load. I spoke with Dr. Allison, professor of Mechanical Engineering, to discuss the robotics class.  “We had to be creative in making this work, so they don’t have to come do an intersession class,” says Dr. Allison. For example, the minor requires a systems dynamics course to be taken, which is an elective option for other engineering students.

The Intro to Robotics class (ROBO 301), along with other courses in the robotic minor, provides students with the opportunity to attain the basic skills needed to work in robotics after graduation. Students can expect to walk away with a familiarity of industrial robots.  According to the Registrar’s description the class “presents the fundamentals of robot mechanism, kinematics, dynamics, and controls. Topics include forward and inverse kinematics, differential motion and velocities, dynamics and force control, path and trajectory, planning, actuators and drive systems, and sensors used in robotics systems.” The three-credit class includes two lectures, and one lab a week.

“The college has been supportive in providing capital funds,” says Dr. Allison. The engineering department has currently has one robot for the class and a second robot is expected to arrive within a few weeks. The first robot, made by Quanser/Kinova, is used for teaching control systems as well as getting deep into the mathematics behind moving the robot’s arms to follow a specific trajectory. The goal of the first robot is to teach the “mathematical basics for robot motions.” With its four degrees of freedom, a robot similar to this one is often used as an assisting device for those in wheelchairs.

The second robot, made by FANUC, will be used to teach industrial robotic programming. It is used for processes such as arc welding and paint spraying applications in automotive plants. It boasts six degrees of freedom, and includes a laser-based safety system.

In the spring, a Mobile Robots class will be taught, as well as Ethics in Engineering and Robotics. I will be posting an article covering the Mobile Robots class shortly. Dr. Allison showed me an article on how Butler Memorial Hospital now has a robot that performs surgical procedures with incredible precision. Dr. Allison explained how robots performing tasks such as surgery, raise ethical issues that need to be examined from the viewpoint of Christian faith. Automation may take away current jobs, and machines can also malfunction. These topics will be discussed in the ethics class.