EPS projects spring 2020

Project 1 Impact of climate change on cultural heritage buildings

Climate change poses serious threats to the protection and preservation of cultural heritage and resources. It is necessary that specific case studies should be employed in order to map historic buildings and their observed deterioration, identify the climate parameters responsible for the observed decay and predict the potential future damage under various climate change scenarios.

The above-mentioned tasks should be performed using simple methods and tools. The material produced within the tasks should be in a digitalized form.

Last but not least, students participating in this specific course will have the opportunity to come in touch with the methods and tools employed within the European project HYPERION ‘Development of a Decision Support System for Improved Resilience & Sustainable Reconstruction of historic areas to cope with Climate Change & Extreme Events based on Novel Sensors and Modelling Tools’.

Project 2 – Mechanical and Electrical Design of Wave/Solar Powered Unmanned Surface Vehicle

For many years there have been marine equivalents of flying drones and unmanned surface vessel (USV) systems with a growing number.

It’s certain that in addition, most operators will be working with offshore small vessels used to automatically monitor seashores, rivers and reservoirs.

Project aim(s) and/or research questions

The aim is to build a USV that is able to operate autonomously by utilizing wave and solar energy.

Final deliverable

Scaled Prototype

Project 3 – SMACS (Smart City Simulator) “Phase Two” – The Wheelchair Challenge

Imagine that you sit in a wheelchair. You are looking for a job and you would like to use public transportation to commute from your workplace to your workplace.

Imagine that you can use a “smart city simulator” to answer that question. The smart city empowers municipalities and citizens, allowing them to base their decision making on data analysis as well as visual experimentation.

Your mission will be to develop such a tool for data driven decision making in a smart city, with the possibility to run scenarios and analyse/assess their outcomes, while also visualizing the scenarios in a game-like immersive & intuitive 3D virtual reality environment.

The SMACS EPS project group fall 2019 has developed a 3D city model in Unity3D, that provides a basis for development of the “Phase Two” project.

Project 4 – Responsible ICT use and healthy social lives: Creating a sustainable city campus for a diverse younger generation

This project, coordinated with «Accessible for all”, seeks to invite students to participate directly to the development of university city campuses.

The OsloMet city campus should be universally accessed, safe, inclusive and accessible for people with all different backgrounds.

This project will address this goal in the context of education and ICT for the development of solutions and policies for healthier urban environments and for reducing health inequalities.

Making cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable is stated as the 11th goal of UN sustainable development goals. Under this goal, it is targeted that universal access to safe, include and accessible, green and public spaces will be provided, in particular for people with any form of disabilities.

Project 5 – Accessible for all; creating an inclusive and sustainable city campus for diverse younger generation

This project, coordinated with “Responsible ICT use and healthy social lives”, seeks to invite students to participate directly to the development of university city campuses.

OsloMet – Oslo Metropolitan University should be universally accessible, safe, inclusive, and appealing for people from different backgrounds.

This project will help the physical campus reach these goals. OsloMet, in collaboration with other European institutions, will improve the university city-campuses as a meeting point for interaction; with the young generation and for lifelong learning.

The project is part of a wider EU research proposal. Several multidisciplinary and international student projects will address the same research challenges.

EPS projects spring 2021

Project 1 – Modular, low-cost 3D scanner

Test if previous proof-of-concept for a modular 3D-scanner rig is feasible; improve or re-engineer; and recommend a use-case.

A previous student project made a «proof-of-concept» of a rig that could be assembled/dis-assembled and, with a mobile phone, be used as a 3D scanner.
 
Now the question remains: Is this actually feasible?

In theory, affordable materials may be used to create a rig that holds either a laser-scanner or a mobile phone to create a 3D scan or a 3D video of an object. 

Taken apart, this rig may fit in a small car but expand to scan a human size object. This scanner-rig should be possible to make in a Makerspace or a simple workshop.
 
If this is possible, cash-strapped museums may be able to 3D scan and photograph cultural objects almost everywhere. Small workshops and artisans anywhere may afford to create 3D representations of their objects to be presented online and become more relevant for a global market.
 
However, the proof-of-concept is not tested. The students have left no written report, only a prototype. 

You must be able to re-engineer, re-think both the technical aspects and the market demands, and then attempt to create a much-improved prototype that can be fully tested.

Recommended skills: Any.

Supervisor: Evin Güler.

Project 2 – Arena Oslo & Hybrid spaces

Re-develop a multi-use, “hybrid space” in a commercial, high-tech building in Oslo; provide input for future research project and new development.

Vipps – a bank-infrastructure and finance technology-company – rents offices in «Bjørvika», a partly new, partly gentrified area of Oslo. Their canteen is an open cafe/restaurant/event-space, as well as a living lab; simply called «Åpen» («Open»).
 
Here, bleeding edge and prototype technology is implemented in the space to make it possible to run different kind of tests and experiments within the café. The first result is — a disaster.
 
Soon, the partners in this space will have to prove a return-on-investment (ROI) to their owners. And in two–three years’ time, the same concept will be implemented in a new building. Two universities have now been invited to help. The student group will be directly linked to a research project that will begin in 2021.

Recommendations and options for students

«Hybrid spaces» is loosely used as a term for spaces that has at least a dual functionality of workplace and «third place».  

«Åpent» is intended for work-gatherings like breakfast seminars, but has a meeting room too, that anyone can reserve. 

They attempt to make it a place where you can sit down and work for a while without necessarily buying a lot of coffee. It is constructed as a living lab as well. 

There are multiple sensors, extra wiring, high-tech lighting etc. Vipps – the fin-tech company – has even installed a Grab-and-go kiosk, where you can take and be charged for food without scanning or using your card or showing your phone. 

Except for the kitchen, nothing is currently working as intended. 

Resources recommended or needed for this project, is provided either by the project or to be purchased by the EPS

Business-, media/marketing- or design knowledge is wanted in this project. Please mind that in this project it is expected to read some relevant theory and position this project within a larger framework/body of knowledge.

Project 3 – Create a programmable electromechanical DIY toy kit

Develop a prototype for a new DIY “Make Kit”

This is a joint project between OsloMet and MakeKit (private company).
 
We in Make Kit make DIY kits for creative exploration that you build and code. The Kits are made for interdisciplinary projects both at home and in schools. 

The kits are perfect for a makerspace where you have all the tools to make your own design and construction. 

The learning experience of building kits like this is essential, and normally we focus on the STE(A)M subjects.
 
In this project, we want to see what type of other products that can be made in a makerspace by using the key components we use in all our kits. What types of different kits can be built through an interdisciplinary project?
 
Make Kit and OsloMet provide the items, the building-blocks for a new kit. 

You get to build brand new concepts and test your ideas. It must excite, be possible to manufacture in scale and preferably create a learning experience. 

MakeKit hopes that the concepts and products developed in this study will become actual products for makers, teachers and other students. 

If your concept, project or kit is really good, we will make it into a product.

Recommended skills: Any.

Supervisor: Dr. Alfredo Carella.

Further information: Clearer requirements specific to each project are set in collaboration with the group.

The main components Make Kit use in their building kits are:

• Micro: bit
• Make Kit multi: bit
• Lithium or adapter with AAA batteries
• Assorted range of screws nuts and rubber washers.

The project group should use recyclable materials as much as possible. Wood and cardboard is used in existing sets.
 
We also want the project team to use the tools in the Makerspace at OsloMet to both create prototypes but also to look at the opportunities to further develop the building kits based on these tools.

That is, if someone buys such a kit, they should be able to create frames or other parts with their own 3D printer and thus further develop the product.

Project 4 – Serpens, a modular snake robot

«Serpens» is an inexpensive modular robot whose body consists entirely of modular 3D-printed parts. This project aims at improving both the mechanical design and the control of the existing prototype. 

Snake robots can exploit obstacles as rocks, branches, or other terrain irregularities as a means of propulsion to achieve locomotion. 

This can be an advantage in challenging real-life operations in confined areas that conventional robots and humans are unable to access (e.g. exploration of earthquake-hit areas, gas pipe inspections, and search-and-rescue activities). 

«Serpens» is an inexpensive modular robot whose body consists entirely of modular 3D-printed parts. This project aims at improving both the mechanical design and the control of the existing prototype. 

The following research questions are considered: 

• Software/mechanics co-design (i.e. based on AI); 
• Optimise design/controller and gate generation; 
• Overall implementation of control, navigation and guidance (CNG) architecture. 

Recommended skills: Any.

Supervisor: Dr. Filippo Sanfilippo

Project 5 – SMACS modelling urban environment (MURE)

Visualize building development of an urban campus through physical, mixed and virtual reality toolsets.

OsloMet campus will be transformed in the years 2021–2024, and we need simple models that communicate well for non-technical decision-makers.

A combination of mixed and virtual reality, possibly combined with physical models is suggested.

Recommended skills: This project requires a team that combines user-understanding, design competence and engineering skills.

Supervisor: Dr. Berthe Dongmo-Engeland

Further information:

Example: Create an augmented/mixed reality model for parts of the campus that are considered refurbished, showcasing e.g. new student areas.

This project should collaborate with project SMACS: NEURI

Project 6 – SMACS modelling city flow (NEURI)

City digital twin. A virtual model of city/urban space to simulate flow and changes.

Data is collected, but not always visualised and communicated. Even when it is, how can we use these visualisations to simulate the effect of changes?

Smart city simulator (SMACS) is an ongoing R&D-effort to create a digital twin, a digital representation of urban environments. This project will build upon existing work to improve the simulator. This should be a model with physics implemented, not just design/showcase.

Recommended skills:This project requires a team that combines user-understanding, design competence and engineering skills.

Supervisor: Dr. M. Naci Akkøk

Project 7 – Unmanned Surface Vehicle

Development of Unmanned Surface Vehicle (USV).

OsloMet is involved in several research projects related to marine robotics and autonomous systems. A previous EPS project worked on the development of a prototype for a wave/solar powered Unmanned Surface Vehicle (USV). 

Some of the parts were manufactured and a basic software developed, but there remains considerable work to finish the prototype and perform first sea trial experiments.  

Recommended skills: Mechanical engineering, Naval engineering, Electrical engineering, Computer science, Mechatronics, Control engineering

Supervisor: Dr. Alex Alcocer

EPS projects fall 2021

Project 1 – Virtual Dives

This project will focus on creating digital resources like 360 videos and sound recordings from the Oslo fjord. 

The students will have to do the recordings using an underwater ROV and create an installation in the new Ocean Lab at Filipstadkaia (in Oslo harbour) that will in an artistic fashion present the recordings. 

The installation will be available for the public in the Ocean Lab Makerspace and will be used in educational workshops and events with kids of all ages.

The goal is to bring awareness to the environmental issues in the fjord and to increase ocean literacy among our youngest population groups. 

The project will be in collaboration with Ocean Lab researchers at Department of mechanical, Electronic and Chemical Engineering, and Department of art, Design and Drama, OsloMet Makerspace and Oslo Fjordskole.

Supervisor: Head of OsloMet Makerspace, Evin Güler

Project 2 – Arena Oslo & Hybrid space for work and socializing

“Work from anywhere” has become a reality for many. Travelling for seminars and conferences are less popular, at the same time as conferences become smaller and more frequent. 

How can a social space – like a cafe – accommodate work, meetings, and digitally connected seminars all in one space?

Spring 2021 an EPS student group ran a project on one such space. Based on these experiences, we challenge students to drill down and give specific advice for multiple venues in a single building.

The project is hosted by the cluster Arena Oslo, linked to the Furuset group (food & hospitality) and supported by Cisco. 

Business-, media/marketing or design knowledge is wanted in this project; we aim for a truly multi-disciplinary group. Please mind that in this project it is expected to read some relevant theory and position this project within a larger framework/body of knowledge.

Project 3 – Programmable electromechanical DIY toy

In the previous EPS project, we were experimenting with the development of an app for micro:bit. This is a project we now want to continue. 

Preferably we would like an HTML based app that can work on multiple platforms and operating systems. If this proves to be impossible it can be one app for Android and one for iOS. You will get access to the insights from the previous experimentation. 

The primary goal of the app is to control the micro: bit and whatever the micro: bit is running (drone, vehicle, instrument, invention). 

Other interactions can be: save presets, change the code of the micro: bit, access to instructions and videos, shop accessories from the MakeKit store. 

This project includes: 

• Interaction and general design of an app
• User-friendliness 
• Coding 
• Real-life testing

Skills or background: 

• Coding of Android and iOS apps
• Interaction design
• makecode and micro:bit programming

Supervisor: Dr. Alfredo Carella

Project 4 – Serpens, a modular snake robot

«Serpens» is an inexpensive modular robot whose body consists entirely of modular 3D-printed parts. This project aims at improving both the mechanical design and the control of the existing prototype. 

Snake robots can exploit obstacles as rocks, branches, or other terrain irregularities as a means of propulsion to achieve locomotion. 

This can be an advantage in challenging real-life operations in confined areas that conventional robots and humans are unable to access (e.g. exploration of earthquake-hit areas, gas pipe inspections, and search-and-rescue activities). 

The group will continue the work started by a previous EPS-group. There is therefore some groundwork but not yet a physical prototype. 

The following research questions are considered: 

• Software/mechanics co-design (i.e. based on AI); 
• Optimise design/controller and gate generation; 
• Overall implementation of control, navigation and guidance (CNG) architecture. 

Supervisor: Dr. Filippo Sanfilippo

Project 5 – Smart Cities Simulation (SMACS)

SMACS projects 5 from Spring 2021 will be further developed and offered as projects fall 2021. The specifics are yet to be decided. 

Supervisor: Dr. Berthe Dongmo-Engeland

Project 6 – Smart Cities Simulation (SMACS) “Flowa”

SMACS project 6 from Spring 2021 will be further developed and offered as a project fall 2021. The specifics are yet to be decided. However, it will build upon the previous project and look into how this may become a business case.

Supervisor: Dr. M. Naci Akkøk

Project 7 – Smart Textiles – a change of direction

An innovation and concept development project.

Smart textiles are expanding widely as materials used in sportswear, safety wear and health care, as well as in costumes, scenography and even in personal expression.  

With the increase of makerspaces and Fab Labs, Smart textiles share common ground with science and technology. Smart textiles enable the combination of creative problem solving with craft, design and technology. 

Project 8 — Robotic Autonomous Surface Vessel (ASV)

The objective of the project is to design, build and test a prototype of an autonomous surface vessel (ASV) built using a Stand-Up Paddle (SUP) as a base platform.
 
This platform could be an extremely cost-effective way of collecting water quality and environmental data for coastal areas.
 
Tasks:

• Design propulsion system. Either using one electric thruster and rudder, or two thrusters in vectored configuration. This could be based on blue robotics T200 thrusters (bluerobotics.com).
• Design mechanical attachments of propulsion system and electronics onto SUP.
• Design and develop electronic system, a watertight box with batteries and control unit to provide commands to thrusters. Includes GPS, Compass and communication system using 4G mobile network. This could be for instance based on a raspberry pi.
• Develop simple software to control the robotic SUP from a mobile phone / PC connected to internet
• Perform experiments in Oslo fjord to characterize propulsion system, autopilot system

Desired background: A combination of Mechanical engineering, Electrical engineering and Computer Science students.

Supervisors: Vahid Hassani and Alex Alcocer

EPS projects spring 2022

Project 1 – Arena Oslo/Rebel building

The Rebel building (Universitetsgata 2, Oslo) is a new building in downtown Oslo. In this high-rise, many small technology companies and teams from larger companies have a mix of offices and shared workspaces, as well as privileged access to shared, hybrid spaces.

These hybrid spaces and drop-in workspaces are part of an emerging trend. “Work from anywhere” has become a reality for many. Travelling for seminars and conferences are less popular, at the same time as conferences become smaller and more frequent. 
 
In this reality, the managers of the Rebel building wish to further develop an app for all users of the building.

However, before any coding can begin, they need a good understanding of the use and users. Your goal is to create a concept, a starting point, or a mock-up of an app that computer science students can create in a later semester.

The group will continue the work started by previous EPS-groups. There is therefore some groundwork but not yet specific data to provide the knowledgebase for an actual app.

Desired background: Design, user experience, business and management are all desired competences in this project.

Technical know-how will make it easier to communicate the findings to a future programming group, as well as understanding what an app can and cannot easily do.

Project 2 – Work-from-home or Work-from-anywhere? Challenges and opportunities

Work-from-anywhere has long been a reality for a minority. The concept of digital nomads was established two decades ago.

Now the pandemic has transformed a niche mode of working into a general expectation for large portions of European office workers. 
 
We need curious students with a combination of technological know-how and human-centred skills to contribute to research within this field.

You will conduct research as well as looking for solutions to the challenges the WFA-mode create for both the individual and the organisation.
 
This project will be part of a larger research project on “Organising Teleworking in an Inclusive Manner” aiming to explore the various facets of teleworking and how they may relate to feelings of inclusion or exclusion amongst teleworkers.
 
We will aim at publishing the results of the project in a scientific paper either at a scientific conference or in an academic journal.
 
Supervisor: Professor Laurence Habib.

Project 3 – Serpens

«Serpens» is an inexpensive modular robot whose body consists entirely of modular 3D-printed parts. This project aims at improving both the mechanical design and the control of the existing prototype. 

Snake robots can exploit obstacles as rocks, branches, or other terrain irregularities as a means of propulsion to achieve locomotion. 

This can be an advantage in challenging real-life operations in confined areas that conventional robots and humans are unable to access (e.g. exploration of earthquake-hit areas, gas pipe inspections, and search-and-rescue activities). 

The group will continue the work started by previous EPS-groups. There is therefore some groundwork but not yet a physical prototype. 

The following research questions are considered:

• Software/mechanics co-design (i.e. based on AI).
• Optimise design/controller and gate generation.
• Overall implementation of control, navigation and guidance (CNG) architecture. 

Supervisor: Dr. Filippo Sanfilippo.

Project 4 – Autonomous surface vessel (ASV)

The objective of the project is to design, build and test a prototype of an autonomous surface vessel (ASV) built using a Stand-Up Paddle (SUP) as a base platform.

A first iteration has already been created by a previous EPS group. You may have to re-do the process or improve the existing design, propulsion or similar.
 
This platform could be an extremely cost-effective way of collecting water quality and environmental data for coastal areas.
 
Tasks:

• Perform experiments in Oslo fjord to characterize propulsion system, autopilot system
• Design and develop electronic system, a watertight box with batteries and control unit to provide commands to thrusters. Includes GPS, Compass and communication system using 4G mobile network. This could be for instance based on a raspberry pi.
• Develop simple software to control the robotic SUP from a mobile phone / PC connected to internet
• Design/ improve propulsion system. 
• Design/ improve mechanical attachments of propulsion system and electronics onto SUP.

Desired background: Mechanical engineering; Electrical engineering; Computer Science/ Software development.

Supervisor: Professor Alex Alcocer.

EPS projects fall 2022

Project 1 – Smart living solutions for alternative home situations with connected devices

“Smart home” describes systems made up of a collection of digital technologies that have been designed to provide safety, convenience, energy savings and more, to familiar domestic appliances and services. 

Examples of such devices include «smart» fridges, baby monitors, energy meters, and many, many more devices.

Companies that advertise these technologies claim that once installed in the home, these technologies will make life easier. However, our research highlights a reality that is messy and more mundane than these marketing messages suggest.

An ongoing research project titled, RELINK (uni.oslomet.no), based at Consumption Research Norway, Oslo Metropolitan University, is currently studying several scenarios for living situations. 

Some of these are traditional, with a single household in a single house, semi-detached or flat. Some of these scenarios are less traditional. 

For all scenarios, the project invites students to explore how a “smart home” might be in the context of such alternative settings, and how smart devices can improve living situations in a secure and sustainable manner.

We challenge students to create a template/ proof-of-concept for a test that can later be used by the researchers. The test scenario should include both sample technology and suggestions for how the occupants can understand the privacy issues and make informed choices.

The expected final delivery, in addition to the report, may be in the form of drawings, blueprints, or even a physical mock-up to represent the test space for the chosen scenario.

Supervisor: Henry Mainsah, Researcher I

Project 2 – Green roofs in the city

Cities and urban areas have several challenges that are amplified by climate change. In particular, they are absorbing heat, and must handle increased and more sudden rainfall than before. 

«Green roofs» are rooftops simply planted with anything from grass and flowers to actively managed rooftop gardens. They are known to absorb heat during the day, insulate the roof from the cold, and absorb and delay rainfall, making it more manageable.

Your challenge is to propose a proof-of-concept green roof or green wall adapted to Norwegian conditions. 

It should be possible to mount on an existing campus building for testing and experiments. In case of such a test-installation, it ought to be possible to create a patch/ installation of limited size and weight.

We assume, but do not know, that this will allow researchers to later test the efficiency of the concept. We expect the students to provide data or an argument for or against the value of such a test-rig, as well as decide how to instrument and which data to monitor.

This project will be run in collaboration with another EPS-group. One group will be based at Avans (NL) and one at OsloMet (NOR).

Supervisor: Berthe Dongmo-Engeland, Associate Professor

Project 3 – An autonomous building surveyor robot for structural and thermal profiling

The end goal is to create an autonomous lightweight surveyor robot that visually profiles a given building for structural and thermal anomalies.

The surveyor will autonomously identify and visually document structural and thermal anomalies on externally facing building walls or internally facing building rooms. Anomalies can be defined as heat leaks from windows, fans, doors, cracks, major discolorations or discontinuities on the walls.

The surveyor will store visual and thermal images related to anomalies, which can then be supplied to the operator. There should be features to wirelessly communicate any mission-based problems (e.g., robot stuck somewhere) and other statistical information about identified anomalies to the operator’s device, such as a phone or a computer. 

The first part of the project will involve determination of a comprehensive specification (functional, electrical, mechanical) for the system prototype through market research, communication with supervisor(s), and collaborating laboratories. 

Supervisors: Ali Muhtaroglu, Associate Professor, and Peyman Mirtaheri, Professor

Project 4 – An assistive robotic hand as a 3-way interpreter

One of the main applications of interest for robots is in assistive technologies for people with disabilities. 

Such assistance can involve a large set of activities. In this project, an in-house robotic hand will be utilized to design and build a three-way interpreter for people with hearing impairment. The interpretation will be done between simple vocalized words and signed words in both directions. 

The robotic hand will also have capability to be trained through electroencephalography (EEG) to add interpretation between brain’s real time activity to either simple words or simple words in sign language.

The robotic hand will be able to recognize and convert simple vocalized words to words in sign language with some acceptable tolerance to signal noise and variations. 

Words such as «hello», «goodbye», «hungry», «sleepy», «tired», «pencil», «paper», «need», «food» can be part of the interpreted library. 

Similarly, the robotic hand will be able to recognize words in sign language and convert them to voice. 

It is acceptable for the robotic hand to go through a training period. The extended training will include electroencephalography (EEG) measurements during communication of the words in both vocalized form or form in sign language, with experimentation at the end of the project on how much of the communication can be enabled to be initiated using brain activity. 

As part of this project self-sustained operation schemes should be investigated in terms of system energy consumption, which will involve generation of an energy expenditure model for various communication methods in the system, identifying energy management and energy harvesting features.

The first part of the project will involve determination of a comprehensive specification (functional, electrical, mechanical) for the system prototype through market research, communication with supervisor(s), and collaborating laboratories. 

A prototype system design will be completed next, and design confidence will be quantified through analysis and CAD based verification. Finally, a prototype system will be built and demonstrated.

Supervisors: Ali Muhtaroglu, Associate Professor, and Peyman Mirtaheri, Professor

Project 5 – Do you trust Artificial Intelligence (AI)? – AI trustworthiness from an end-user’s perspective

The widespread of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is changing the society and people’s everyday life. AI trustworthiness is an important factor directly related to the acceptance of AI.

Technical challenges for trustworthy AI cover robustness, explainability, transparency, reproducibility and generalization.

Ethical challenges include fairness, privacy, and accountability. We argue that a human-centred approach is important to understand AI trustworthiness, which involves not only AI developers, but also end-users of AI systems.

Goal and activities of this project: 

To create and validate a survey on the conditions for end-users to consider an AI system trustworthy and prepare a report based on the survey results.

1. Gather the dimensions of AI trustworthiness based on literature.
2. Carry out interviews with experts (AI and HCI experts) on how to measure the dimensions from an end-user’s perspective.
3. Validate the measurement with a survey.
4. Prepare a report.

 Supervisor: Weiqin Chen, Professor

Project 6 – Liquid Nitrogen Propelled Vehicle

Liquid nitrogen is a reasonably cheap by-product of the steel industry. «Proof of concept» engines exist which use rapid expansion of the nitrogen to drive pistons. 

It was proposed as a greener fuel alternative for cars than petrol and diesel. However, the growth of electric cars in the past decade appears to have captured that particular market in the future.

The challenge then is to investigate other potential areas where a liquid-nitrogen powered engine might have a competitive edge over fossil fuels or even electric and then design a suitable system. 

The project should include more than just an engine design, with other additions for example an appropriate storage system for fuel; a control system to maintain efficiency/safety and/or powertrain design.

To finish, the students should be able to produce a working model, scaled if necessary.

Supervisor: Sam Woods, Assistant Professor

Project 7 – Automatic Bicycle

Maintaining a consistent and appropriate cadence on a bicycle improves a cyclist’s efficiency and also prevents wear on a bike’s components. 

The average cyclist needs to be changing gears fairly frequently to have a consistent cadence. However, this requires consistent diligence and input from the cyclist, especially in built up or hilly areas.

Design a system (mechanical, electrical or a combination) that can automatically change gears on a bicycle. 

The bicycle’s cadence should be able to go automatically up and down without any input from the cyclist and should not interfere with normal cycling (stopping, braking, turning, reversing). 

The ability for the user to adjust the cadence to their preference is an extra option.

To differ itself from current products, the design should be both modular and retrofitting: meaning that it could be installed by a relative amateur onto their existing bike.

Consideration should also be given to maintenance, life cycle and not least the cost of the product. The end goal is a ‘proof of concept’ prototype.

Supervisor: Sam Woods, Assistant Professor

Project 8 — Smart Textiles – a change of direction

Smart textiles are expanding widely as materials used in sportswear, safety wear and health care, as well as in costumes, scenography and even in personal expression.  

With the increase of makerspaces and Fab Labs, Smart textiles share common ground with science and technology. Smart textiles enable the combination of creative problem solving with craft, design and technology. 

A previous EPS-group created a proof-of-concept for a divers’ glove with built-in battery and remote control for head-mounted camera. You may follow up on this or choose a new direction. Regardless, this project will focus on employing innovation, interdisciplinary learning and entrepreneurship methods as part of the learning/ exploration process.

Supervisor: Nuno Marques, Assistant Professor