Collaborative robots, power steering, infrared zoom lenses — these were just a few of the topics that students presented during Friday’s Undergraduate Research Conference at UNH Manchester.
Electrical and mechanical engineering technology students took the stage to showcase their senior projects before peers, faculty, professional mentors and technical advisors from sponsoring companies.
Electrical engineering technology major Aurora Van De Water ’18 presented her research on utilizing collaborative robotics (cobots) in industry. Building on her 2016 senior project for the robotics and automation engineering technology degree at NHTI, Van De Water incorporated cobots in OSRAM Sylvania’s Hillsboro plant to determine if automated processes could reduce headcount while maintaining product quality.
Mechanical engineering technology students Jonathan Ferguson ’18 and Benjamin Wood ’18 focused their project on automating the process of creating large-scale reproductions of tiny objects. Using a series of two-dimensional photos taken with a Scanning Electron Microscope, Ferguson and Wood generated a three-dimensional (3D) version through Computer Aided Design technology. They then sent that file to a 3D printer to create a physical model of the specimen, one of which was a peppercorn. Their project aimed to spur an interest in science for students in grade K-12 by introducing them to the world on a microscopic scale.
Nathan Hall ’18, an electrical engineering technology major, teamed up with engineering students on the Durham campus to design and build four quadcopters that autonomously fly in formation using position control.
Friday’s project presentations concluded the engineering technology students’ yearlong efforts and marked the end of this year’s Undergraduate Research Conference.
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Written By:
Kassidy Taylor | Marketing & Communications, UNH Manchester | kassidy.taylor@unh.edu
