Engineering Expo

Description:

We are working with NASA to develop excavation and transportation systems that will allow for the refinement of water on the moon. Our team specifically is working on the transportation aspect of the project, to ensure that the mined icy regolith will make it back to the refinery where it can be processed into water for a moon colony. In May 2023, we will run our full system testing which will include excavating and transporting 12,000kg of icy regolith over a 15 day period.

Sponsor:

Space Trajectory

Description:

Our project is part of a larger project for the Break the Ice Competition. The competition requires a design to transport and mine regolith. Our part of this project is to create a control system as well as designing a system to allow the rovers to operate autonomously.

Sponsor:

NASA

Description:

Re-designing and improving a 100W laser engraving machine.

Description

We have designed and built a battery swapping rover and a charging station for the Beak the Ice Challenge. We are required to excavate 800 kg of simulated regolith and transport it throughout a 500 meter track for 15 days straight.

Sponsor:

NASA and SD Space Grant Consortium

Description:

NASA needs a lunar surface cargo manipulation system for future Artemis missions. We developed a versatile forklift for use on the lunar surface. Our design was inspired by nature: the ant. Ants can lift 50 times their body weight and work cooperatively to carry objects. The lunar cargo transporter vehicle will resemble ants by working in teams of two to lift and transport payloads. The vehicle is adaptable for not only missions on the moon, but also for Mars and beyond. The design is compact and lightweight which makes it easy to transport in a variety of launch vehicles.

Sponsor:

Space Grant and College of Engineering

Description:

We are building a mushroom culture shed, designed to producing 20 lbs of mushrooms per week, for year-round harvesting.

Sponsor:

Joe Darrington

Description

The wheelchair accessible lawnmower project aims to increase the accessibility of everyday tasks such as mowing the lawn. The project took a Country Clipper lawnmower and completely reworked it for exclusive use by wheelchair users. There are many features built into the lawnmower such as an automatic deck height adjustment system, electric joystick actuation similar to those found on electric wheelchairs, a roll over protection system (ROPS) for increased safety, a retainment system that is universal for any wheelchair, and a lift system completely designed for independent loading and unloading of the operator.

Sponsor:

Lee Friesen

Description:

We are the steel bridge team and designed and built a steel bridge that could be scaled up to fit in the San Diego Nation Refuge.

Sponsor:

Arlen Ottman, SDSU ASCE, and Mack Steel

Description:

The FLOATing DRAGON (Formulate, Lift, Observe and Testing: Data Recovery and Guided On-board Node) Balloon Challenge asks collegiate students to develop a concept and prototype for a system capable of delivering a data vault to the ground in a guided, safe manner. The prototype is designed to manage extreme temperatures, survive shock up to 10g, and be able to autonomously reach a waypoint in less than an hour and a half after being dropped from an altitude of 120,000 feet. This will give NASA a reliable and cheaper way to collect and retrieve mass amounts of data from the stratosphere.

Sponsor: Nasa

Description:

The KBR Staff attendance manager uses Amazon Web Services such as Cognito authentication, Lambda functions, S3 Buckets, and Relational Database Services. The main capabilities of SAM include creating color coordinated schedules based on location, viewing peer employee’s schedules, creating schedule variances, and viewing the roll call of all staff members on site sorted into homerooms. The roll call function will be what is used to account for each employee’s location during an emergency situation, and will be dynamically updated based on database information.

Sponsor:

KBR EROS

Description:

Vantage Point Solutions (VPS) has requested the continuation of the Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software system project. The CRM project has been worked on by previous SDSU senior design teams for two years and this year will be the third year it has been in development. In this third year of development, the senior design team will create a way for the employees without any Structured Query Language (SQL) knowledge to run queries on the software system and have a way to save the results. The senior design team will also debug previous code and fix errors they run across.

Description:

The project's goal was to look into the feasibility of utilizing microgrid technologies to enhance the electric feeder for BMU's new water treatment plant. Additionally, the first round of design work was performed to provide a realistic look into the proposed microgrid.

Sponsor:

Brookings Municipal Utilities

Description:

The Vertical Garage Storage utilizes an innovative design to utilize the wasted vertical space in your garage. The Vertical Garage Storage is not just a regular shelf either. With the help of an electrical hoist and pulley system, lawnmowers and snowblowers are two items that are easily stacked on a three tiered shelving system. Having the benefit of ease of use, everyone will want their own Vertical Garage Storage.

Sponsor:

Stephen Gent

Description:

Simple cycle energy center is a 543-megawattgas electric generating facility in Guadalupe County, Texas. The proposed site includes 10 total planned structures. This includes three 181-megawatt gas turbine power plants, four 0.125-million-gallonwater tanks, one transformer, one circuit breaker, and a two-story control building. Using geotechnical analysis, laboratory testing methods, and Driven Piles software, our engineering group designed the foundations for each of the proposed buildings to be constructed at the site.

Description:

The South Dakota Department of Transportation (SDDOT) requested an access management feasibility study to reduce the risk of crashes caused by citizens entering and exiting the roadway without using designated access points for Sturgis Road in Rapid City, SD. This study compared four different construction alternatives: no build, minimal build, 5-lane traversable median, and 4-lane non-traversable median. Based on our feasibility study, we chose to redesign Sturgis Road into a 5-lane, traversable median. The construction project will be completed in two-phases and will consist of installation of curb-and gutter, sidewalk, lighting and PCC concrete. 

Sponsor:

Joseph Sestak (SDDOT); Stacy Bartlett, PE (SDDOT); Jonathan Wiegand, PE (HDR); Thomas Cook (HDR)

Description:

South Dakota Highway 28 (SD28) crosses the Big Sioux River west of Estelline, SD. The current 3-span bridge was constructed in 1951 and needs to be replaced. To replace the current bridge, three alternatives were considered: a 3-span bridge, a 2-span bridge, and box culvert. Both a 3-span bridge and a 3-cell short-span culvert were sized using 1-dimensional and 2-dimensional modelling. Opening sizes and scour mitigation measures were designed in accordance with standards from the South Dakota Drainage Manual. Based off these parameters, a 3-span bridge was selected as the best alternative and was carried forward in the design process.

Sponsor:

Kevin Marton, PE, South Dakota Department of Transportation

Description:

The City of Trosky is in the south-western corner of Minnesota and currently does not have a centralized or adequate way to collect and treat their wastewater. The system is currently a decentralized system with onsite treatment in septic tanks and the prevailing conditions have the potential to compromise public health, wildlife, and the ground and surface water quality. To remediate the deficiencies and failing systems, it is recommended that Trosky implement a low pressure collection system that includes a grinder pump at each property and install a stabilization pond for wastewater treatment.

Sponsor:

Christa DeVries, P.E., Banner Associates, Inc.

Description:

The Friesen Cylinder Project is aimed to remove the complexity of the current hydraulic fluid supply to the end of a telehandler boom for auxiliary hydraulics. This will be done by replacing the current system using hoses and pulleys with telescoping tubes that supply the hydraulic fluid to the end of the boom for auxiliary hydraulics. This projects focus is to create a proof-of-concept prototype to determine the project's feasibility and to give our sponsor, Lee Friesen, something to show manufacturers and hydraulics companies to determine if further development of this idea is worth the investment.

Sponsor:

The Friesen

Description:

We are creating a new bristle made from a mixture of biomaterials and bioplastic for the Bobcat Broom Brush used on campus. These bristles are created as a prototype to determine if the replacement from the current plastic bristle material is feasible. The biomaterials tested include wood, corn stalks, wheat straw, and soybean stubble mixed with BioPBS bioplastic. The new bristles will be tested in a simulation on a belt sander to determine wearability and in a texture analyzer to determine strength. The new bristles will be compared to the current bristles in normal and simulated weather conditions.

Sponsor:

SDSU Facilities and Services

Description:

The NRCS is a government agency that works with farmers, private landowners, and managers to help protect the natural resources in their specific area. The SDSU Cottonwood Field Station Feedlot is in Phillip, SD. This land is used to facilitate research for the university such as crop and soils, weather, and cow-calf pairs. As of now, the feedlot is rundown and has tons of manure draining into the local waterways. Our focus in concurrence with the NRCS is to design and implement an updated wastewater management system to eliminate the amount of runoff the research station is producing.

Sponsor:

NRCS Brookings - Daniel Ostrem

Description:

UV light box

Description:

Raven Industries has requested a wireless controller that will be used to drive large agricultural equipment. This wireless controller can control machinery over one mile away for over 10 hours. This project uses microcontrollers, a lithium rechargeable battery, and radio communication to meet needs of both Raven Industries and their customers.

Sponsor:

Raven Industries

Description:

Replacing 20+ year old electronics and software on several CNC mills and lathes to work with more modern components.

Sponsor:

Douglas Peters

Description:

Raven Industries, Inc identified the opportunity for a project that would improve the ability to analyze the performance of steering automation used in Raven machines. This can be accomplished by analyzing geospatial data to identify the reason for a machine’s divergence from it's path. Currently, Raven engineers must implement their own methods to find where errors have occurred in their autonomously driven machines. This makes the debugging process inefficient. This project seeks to develop a software tool that provides a synchronous view of geospatial data with controls that allow sifting through information to identify the cause of steering performance issues.

Sponsor:

Austin Gill, Raven Industries

Description:

Inspired by research, we have been sponsored to design an array of sound sensor modules connected to a Raspberry Pi by the pin outs. Using a multitude of set-ups, including the use of an ARM assembly microcontroller, we have constructed a project space of python modules that includes several lower-level data types for use with regression/operation of a python-driven application, and oversight of operation of all other devices in the design. No shortage of time was spent pondering the limitations at play given physical limits on array size, the rapid speed of sound, and the finite time-step implied by computing.

Sponsor:

Kwanghee Won (SDSU EE/CS)

Description:

Vacuum tube amplifiers can provide a unique sound that appeals to musicians, hobbyists, and audiophiles. Vacuum tubes require heating of a cathode in order to provide conductivity. The simplest method of heating is through 60Hz AC. However, this frequency is heard as a distinct hum. Ultrasonic AC eliminates this problem by using a frequency outside of the human audible range. The design solution implements a direct digital synthesizer (DDS) to generate an ultrasonic sinusoid which is boosted with a class D amplifier. The boosted signal heats the vacuum tube filaments, moving the hum outside of human audibility.

Sponsor:

Jason Sternhagen

Description:

Sunny Honey is a window lighting system used to treat Seasonal Affective Disorder through light therapy.

Sponsor:

SD EDA Center

Description:

Dakota Lakes Research Farm is installing a solar array to supply electricity to the site to become fossil fuel neutral. Electrifying farm vehicles is a goal for the farm. Our project focuses on electrifying a gas powered UTV. Project goals include a top speed of 30 mph, 1500 pounds towing, 20-mile range, and recharge in under 8 hours. Auxiliary 110 V power and other power capabilities are being implemented in the design. This project helps the research farm meet their goal of fossil fuel neutrality and shows electric solution to farmers for their UTVs.

Sponsor:

Dakota Lakes Research Farm - Sam Ireland

Description:

The ATLAS 4.0 team designed and build a large-scale multirotor drone designed for human flight.

Sponsor:

NASA and South Dakota Space Grant Consortium

Description:

This is the third phase of the SDSU Conductor Identifier project. The main objective is to create a device that can accurately identify phase and parallel conductors and is not limited to line-of-sight communication. Due to the risks inherent with working around high-voltage lines, measurements will be limited to non-galvanic connections to ensure user safety. A pair of these devices will be able to share data with each other wirelessly and compare whether the devices are connected to the same phase and circuit.

Sponsor:

EPRI GridEd

Description:

I was given a medical Chester Chest to fix and improve to be better than the current Chester Chests the College of Nursing has currently. This project is for Senior Design class.

Description:

We are developing a new, lower-cost railroad crossing gate saver design that improves performance and safety.

Sponsor:

MTR Technologies

Description:

We are redesigning the current packaging process, layout design, and packaging techniques for Persona's channel letter sets. To reduce the cost by both reducing labor times and wasted materials.

Sponsor:

Persona Signs

Description:

This project is an Intersection analysis and design of SD-11 (Splitrock Boulevard) and East Aspen Boulevard located on the Southeast edge of Brandon, South Dakota. Brandon is the fourth fastest-growing city in South Dakota, and the more the population grows, the greater the traffic demand becomes. Currently, a four-legged stop-controlled intersection with one crosswalk is in place. The critical issues related to this intersection are inadequate traffic capacity, sight distance safety concerns, and poor pavement conditions. After a redesign and complete construction of this intersection, these issues will be resolved.

Sponsor:

Jennica Wilcox, PE, Felsburg Holt and Ullevig

Description:

This project will replace the exciting bridge that serves the needs of the water way and roadway reduces Maintenance and improves pedestrian life.

Sponsor:

Nick Haltvick

Description:

Silver Creek Detention Dam I
Embankment Dam Rehabilitation Project with the NRCS

Sponsor:

Natural Resource Conservation Service

Description:

Develop an equation that can help predict the amount of down force that will be needed based off of properties of the soil along with speed and how the cover crop seeder is configure. Project also includes the design of a fertilizer application system to run in tandem with the seeder, this includes an equation to control application based on speed, target rate (gal/acre) and the size of the storage tank(s).

Sponsor:

Ali Nafchi

Description:

Our project involved designing, analyzing, and testing a grapple for Bobcat. This grapple was designed with the purpose of picking up and relocating brush, without damaging the ground below it. This project involved several iterations of designing and stress testing, as well as managing sourcing materials and budget. Bobcat then manufactured this grapple, and we were able to do some physical testing. Throughout the project, we performed calculations such as the closing force throughout the range of motion and shear and moment diagrams for each hinge point.

Sponsor:

Jason Legatt (Bobcat)

Description:

Re-designing and improving a 100W laser engraving machine.

Sponsor:

Mr. Tyler Brockel

Description:

Our project is a forge that runs on both gaseous and liquid fuels.

Sponsor:

Caleb Trierweiler

Description:

Doing a complete redesign of the LD7 cart. These carts carry cargo between airplanes.

Sponsor:

Terry Graves

Description:

We are creating an automated solution for a latch assembly process too reduce human labor input.

Sponsor:

Demco

Description:

The existing drinking water treatment plant uses conventional lime softening and filtration process with capacities of 26 MGD average daily demand (ADD) and 32 MGD maximum daily demand (MDD). Currently a gravity thickener and drying beds are used to dewater sludge from the softening and filter backwash processes. The plant will be expanding to 45 MGD ADD and 60 MGD MDD. Thus, the dewatering infrastructure will need expansion. After evaluating multiple dewatering alternatives, we concluded installing plate filter presses was the best alternative. We designed a building containing a holding tank, pump station and plate filter presses for the expansion. 

Sponsor:

Sara Pankonin, PE, Banner Associates Inc

Description:

A needs assessment study recommended the addition of a new I-29 exit at 20th Street in the City of Brookings, SD. This project is to select the type and design the I-29 overpass bridge at the proposed interstate exit. The most feasible bridge configuration and type were determined to be two-span concrete girder bridge with prestressed I girders. The SDDOT Specifications were adopted and the bridge concrete deck, I-girders, and a typical reinforced concrete column were designed according to AASHTO LRFD Bridge Design Specifications, 9th Edition. The structure was designed for AASHTO HL-93 vehicular live loading.

Sponsor:

Luke Rogers, PE, HDR inc.

Description:

Brookings Municipal Utilities (BMU) needs a new water treatment plant in the City of Brookings. The water treatment plant must be able to supply the city with enough clean water for projected population growth through the year 2045. The proposed project consists of a new 6 MGD and upgrading the existing plant located on the East Well Fields. The proposed new plant will include lime softening, dual media filtration and chlorine disinfection. Total project cost is estimated to be around $54,000,000-$60,000,000. These numbers include well upgrades, new piping, treatment systems, residual disposal and any associated operation and maintenance costs.

Sponsor:

Joseph Honner, PE, HDR, Inc.