One of the most annoying things about learning to play tennis is having to pick up the balls around the court. But what if a robot could collect them without interfering in your lesson?
A robot that collects tennis balls unobtrusively during a training session is one of the projects that will be showcased during the annual Lane Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering’s 2012 Spring Senior Design Expo on April 23. The expo will be held throughout the ground floor corridor of the Engineering Sciences Building from noon-2 p.m.
Approximately 50 students formed groups and began working last spring on various capstone projects. During the first semester they conducted research and wrote design proposals; in the second semester, the teams got hands-on experience building their projects and will now introduce them to the public.
“This course prepares students to face real-world challenges, where one’s creativity, leadership skills, professional ethics and ability to get along with their peers will make the difference between success and failure,” said Ramana Reddy, coordinator of the LCSEE senior design program.
Projects at this semester’s expo cover a broad range of interests. In addition to the tennis robot, design prototypes that will be featured include:
• A space mining robot developed as part of a NASA-sponsored project,
• Solar house technologies that will be used in WVU’s entry in the 2013 Solar Decathlon competition,
• A mobile app that will advise students on alternate ways to get to class if the PRT breaks down,
• A planning system that will enable emergency responders to plan evacuation routes in case of a flood in West Virginia,
• An innovative automotive battery charging system,
• A joint project with WVU’s Health Sciences Center to monitor physical therapy through a computer game,
• A system that will assist the West Virginia State Police in improving efficiency in essential record management, and
• A smart grid application.
Students will be available to answer questions about their design projects. This event is free and open to the public.
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CONTACT: Mary C. Dillon
304-293-4086; mary.dillon@mail.wvu.edu