By Noah Neeley —
On Friday, April 25, Miami Hamilton held the Electrical Engineering Technology (ENT) Design Day. ENT students from the Regional campuses presented their senior projects to industry professionals, university faculty, and students over the course of eight hours. The projects were truly innovative and demonstrated just how far students can progress over the course of their college careers.
The project that seemed to catch the most attention from students was the Robomixer, created by Ben Fisher and Tyler Plovcik. The team used a robot arm and custom drink dispensers to mix a selection of different custom drinks.
From “Pineapple Limeade” to the “Redhawk Refresher,” Robomixer features ten flavors for guests to choose from, using the self-serve touchscreen. Once the order is received, the robot arm starts pouring the drink—and then, with some additional help from a human operator, mixes and pours it.
Robomixer drink selection on a touchscreen monitor
Tyler Plovcik and Ben Fischer, creators of Robomixer
Just next to the Robomixer was the Super Desk by Kaiden Trentman, Grant Keller, and Katrina Stoller. The Super Desk features adjustable height, with four buttons for pre-set heights. With an L-shaped design and small shelf, it has plenty of space for trinkets and knick-knacks. It features lights both under the shelf and under the desk, which can be controlled manually or automatically by using a light sensor. All of these features, along with a cupholder, side-of-desk storage, and a handcrafted wooden countertop, make it clear that quality came first.
Super Desk, a highly customizable desk with built in lighting
Grant Keller, Katrina Stoller, and Kaiden Trentman, designers of Super Desk
While the Super Desk brings luxury to the office, Kelly O’Brien and Mitchell Neyer’s Ultrasonic Parking Assist brings convenience to the car. Developed to solve the problem of parking a truck in a garage just barely large enough to fit it, the Ultrasonic Parking Assist measures the distance between the car’s bumper and the wall. The distance detecting module on the front of the car sends signals to the display inside the car, which shows the distance between the car and the obstacle, while three lights indicate when the driver should stop. The Ultrasonic Parking assist can be attached to any car, and is controlled wirelessly.
Ultrasonic Parking Assist, a wireless parking aid mounted to a model car
For security purposes, Xavier Brown and Andy Mayo designed the RFID User Access and Audit System. For use with large industry machinery, the system uses RFID keycards to give each operator specific permissions on every machine. Operators are given keycards with different tags that allow them to access only certain parts of the machine’s settings. This means that standard operators, managers, and engineers are all given different levels of access to each machine for heightened security. Along with limiting access, the RFID User Access and Audit System sends records of every operation done on the machine to a central database that can be monitored and audited with ease.
RFID User Access and Audit System, a security system using wireless badges
Andy Mayo and Xavier Brown, creators of the RFID User Access and Audit System
Along with workplace security, projects also focused on workplace safety. The Automated Guard, designed by Samuel Peterson, Vincent Williams, and Michael Wise, works to make milling safer. The Automated Guard connects to a milling machine electronically and prevents it from running until the guard is in place. With the press of a button, electronically controlled motors move the guard into place to shield the operator from shards of metal that could fly out during operation.
Automated Guard, an electronically controlled milling machine guard
Samuel Peterson and Vincent Williams, two of the Automated Guard’s engineers
Rounding out the displays of industrial equipment was the Cincinnati Radiator Automated Material Cleaner. By stripping down and modifying a dishwasher, Steven Braun, Tyler Newman, and Nathaniel Trent engineered a cleaning device for radiator parts. By replacing the original electronics with their own custom parts, the team made the wash cycles fully customizable. The cleaner also features a drying chamber to keep radiator parts in top condition.
Cincinnati Radiator Automated Material Cleaner, a radiator parts cleaner
Tyler Newman, Steven Braun, and Nathaniel Trent, designers of Cincinnati Radiator Automated Material Cleaner
The ENT Design Day showcased many great designs by over a dozen different teams. Many of the designs are already being used by local companies who sponsored students for their final projects. With an event packed with industry professionals and innovative designs, it’s safe to say that Miami’s Electrical Engineering Technology seniors have bright futures ahead of them.