Senior Project Day: Engineering students collaborate with industry to solve real-world problems

Supported by approximately $250,000 in industry partnerships, engineering seniors presented their projects that totaled 36,000 hours of collaborative work at the Engineering Design Conference August 2.

Senior engineering students are required to complete a two-semester capstone project. Teams from multiple engineering disciplines are given real-world problems to solve by working with industry partners and other sponsoring organizations.

“Students must communicate with the sponsor to clearly define what is needed, design the solution and build the device in approximately seven months,” said Wendy Reffeor, interim associate dean and professor of engineering.

The event also celebrated two student organizations gaining national recognition in their respective competitions. Below are a few highlights.

“A watering Roomba would be an accurate, but crude, way to describe our project,” said Ryan Caulfield.

Caulfield's team partnered with GRapids Irrigation, a family-owned Grand Rapids company. They aimed to produce an autonomous system that could consistently water an American football field, approximately 28,800 square feet, in 12 hours.

“Much of the goal was around replacing inground irrigation systems for stadiums, which can be difficult and expensive for those stadiums to maintain, our partner saw this as a potential solution,” said Wade Callahan.

The Rainbot delivers a consistent quarter-inch of water by using an internal measurement unit and a GPS. It can travel over 180 feet without more than a foot of deviation.

The group even developed its hose reel system to combat the tangling of the hose and to better serve the design of the Rainbot. They included an anti-collision sensor and an emergency shutoff as safety features.

“It could be the next thing you see at halftime,” said Callahan. “Just like hockey games have Zambonis, maybe soon the NFL will have the Rainbot.”

Team Members: Devin Brown, Wade Callahan, Ryan Caulfield, Hannah Corbett, John Gulock, Stephanie Moore, Yuki Nishibashi, Nicholas Tibbe

Two-component foams are a very common, yet hazardous, chemical that can be found in many homes. From spray insulation to joint compounds, two-component foams are efficient, but they are also highly toxic compounds that require workers to wear full body suits and respiratory protection. 

“The Foam Buddy creates a low-pressure, and portable system that makes foam spraying far safer and easier for smaller-scale jobs,” said Joseph Scola.

Partnering with Nox Tech, which develops nozzles and valves for this industry, the group developed a system small enough to sit on top of a five-gallon bucket. This is compared to truck-sized systems that most spray foam companies use, often being very loud and inconvenient.

The group used Milwaukee M18 batteries to power the device. Parker Hedrick said that choice helped cater the device to the target audience. He added the idea is to eventually allow the customer to choose a battery mount for their preferred tool brand.

“Contractors and other tradesmen already possess power tools with this battery system, so why not implement it into our design and provide a level of convenience to our user,” said Hedrick.

Team Members: Parker Hedrick, Kyle Koenig, Madeline Schubert, Joseph Scola, Bailee Spencer

The Astro Anchors are a group within GVSU’s chapter of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers that recently finished NASA’s Micro-g NExT Challenge.

The goal was to design a flagpole for future NASA moon missions that would withstand the conditions of space, texture of the moon's surface and be easily be deployed by a fully suited astronaut.

The Astro Anchors was one of three teams in the country that made it to final testing, which took place at Houston's Johnson Space Center in June. A handful of the 12-person team traveled to watch divers attempt to plant their flag and test it under the project conditions. Team captain Scott Strayer delivered instructions over a radio to the astronaut in the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory, a large swimming pool made to mimic space.

“It was extremely nerve-racking, they only just told me about the comms a few minutes before. I then had to learn very quickly the proper terms and procedures, before walking them through how to use our flag pole,” said Strayer.

The group’s flag pole design, after more review and testing, could be on the next Artemis II mission, and eventually the moon.

The GVSU Casting Club is a student organization that looks to expand knowledge of casting as a manufacturing method and design as a way to ensure effective product development.

Every year the group participates in the annual Cast in Steel competition sponsored by the Steel Founders' Society of America, where teams build their interpretations of historical weapons and tools. The tools are tested on durability, build quality and several other categories.

“It is much like the History Channel show, ‘Forged in Fire’, if you are familiar with that,” said Nathan Vugteveen. “I even had the chance to meet the famous judges from the show who graded our tools in this year’s competition.”

In 2023 the team placed first at the SFSA competition for their design of a traditional African spear. The team celebrated another victory after placing third at the 2024 competition for its Halligan bar, a forcible entry tool used by firefighters. Members are also looking forward to next year where they will be casting a sword in the likes of President George Washington .

MAT Physical Therapy Table: The table is a five-function exercise and rehabilitation apparatus designed for physical therapists to provide a wide range of treatment and care to patients using a single device. The team worked with sponsor Matt Scherff, a former physical therapist who was frustrated with the lack of specific equipment for physical therapy practice.

GVSU Physics Electron Microscope: In 2022, faculty in the Physics Department introduced a novel design for a single-axis electron-tunneling microscope . This senior project group worked to refine the device as functioning prototypes are still being used by advanced undergraduate physics students.

DornerWorks Nerf Turret: Using an app on an android device, team member Lucas VanAssen could be seen articulating a turret with 360 degrees of motion as well as vertical movement. The device even has a front facing camera to identify targets and remote firing mechanism to keep your distance from your enemies. VanAssen discussed it as the "ultimate Nerf gun you wish you has as a kid."

--   Thomas Garrett earned a bachelor's degree in writing from GVSU in April.