Find an RBE Project
Below are a list of projects currently available for students in order to fill IQP or MQP requirements. Contact listed advisors for more information.
MQP
Self-Reconfigurable Modular Robotic System
Description: The main objective of this MQP is to develop a new modular robot design with inter-module physical connectivity. The overall system should provide in-field self-reconfiguration of the global structure i.e. switch from snake mode into walking mode. This project will involve a literature survey of existing modular robotic systems and a tightly coupled interplay between hardware, electronics, and software design. The high-level software should allow for rapid deployment of the hardware under any situation. A subgoal is to compete in the Modular and Reconfigurable Robot Challenge hosted at the IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation. Desired team composition: 2 ME, 1 ECE, 2 CS or RBEs with ME/ECE/CS concentrations.
Dates: Terms 2011-2012
Skills: CAD (SolidWorks), CAM (Esprit, FeatureCAM), CNC in Washburn Shops, PCB layout
Maximum Team Size: 5
Advisor: Stephen Nestinger
Tunneling Robot
Description: Burying utility cable under roads involves digging through the road, laying the cable, and then repairing the road surface. Better would be to build a gopher-bot to tunnel under roads to lay cable. The project team will design, build, and evaluate a tunneling robot. The robot will be remote-controlled from the ground.
Dates: Terms: 2011-2012
Skills: Robotics, including mechanical and software design.
Prerequisites: RBE3002
Maximum Team Size: 4
Advisors: Michael Gennert, William Michalson, Eduardo Torres-Jara
Kayak Robot
Decription: Prof. Chris Kitts and his students at Santa Clara University in California have been building robotic kayaks for maritime applications. The project team will design and build a kayak robot. We will then evaluate it against Santa Clara robots at the annual Tahoe-Palooza at Lake Tahoe. Let’s show them what real Robotics Engineers can do!
Dates: Terms: 2011-2012
Skills: Robotics, including mechanical design.
Prerequisites: RBE3002
Maximum Team Size: 4
Advisors: Michael Gennert, Taskin Padir
Robot Vision
Description: Wouldn’t it be excellent to have robots keep track of visitors to WPI?! Combine an existing DyIO-based hexapod robot with a Bowler Deployment Module and a web cam to create a robot that follows people around. The project team will design, build, and evaluate this autonomous robot.
Dates: Terms: 2011-2012
Skills: Robotics, including software design.
Prerequisites: RBE 3002 and CS 3733
Maximum Team Size: 4
Advisor: Michael Gennert
Tree-Climbing Robot
Description: The project team will design, build, and evaluate a tree-climing robot. The robot will be remote-controlled from the ground and will be used for tree inspection, trimming, or other use.
Dates: Terms 2011-2012
Skills: Robotics, including mechanical and software design.
Prerequisites: RBE3002
Maximum Team Size: 4
Advisors: Michael Gennert, William Michalson, Eduardo Torres-Jara
Robotic Platform for Human-Robot Interaction
Description: The MQP team will design (mechanical, electrical, software), develop and test a robotic platform for human-robot interaction capable of autonomous indoor navigation as well as detection of and interaction with people. The platform will include an omni-directional base, a near-human height anthropomorphic torso, two arms capable of grasping small objects, an expressive face, and a variety of sensors. Components of this project will include surveying existing technologies, modeling and designing the platform, constructing the hardware, developing the electrical system, integrating sensors and developing an interaction interface. The endpoint of this project is a robot suitable for use as an active research platform. System reliability is a major project requirement.
Dates: Terms 2011-2012
Available to the following majors: RBE, ME, ECE, CS
Advisor: Sonia Chernova
RoboCup Autonomous Robot Soccer
Description: RoboCup is an international competition that aims to promote AI and robotics research through the development of autonomous soccer playing robots. In the Standard Platform League (SPL) all teams compete using the same platform, the Aldebaran Nao humanoid robots that are equipped with cameras and ultrasonic sensors. Teams of four robots face off in 20-minute soccer matches. The robots are fully autonomous - no remote teleoperation or offboard processing is allowed. The MQP team will design, develop and test the software components of the robotic system, including vision, localization, sensor fusion, behaviors and multi-robot teaming. The team will compete in the US Open competition in April, with the opportunity to qualify for the international competition in Mexico City in July 2012.
Dates: Terms 2011-2012
Available to the following majors: RBE, CS
Advisor: Sonia Chernova
Intelligent Ground Vehicle Design - Phase III
Description: The project team will design and build the next generation of WPI's Intelligent UGV (Unmanned Ground Vehicle). Check out http://www.igvc-wpi.org for more information.
Dates: Terms 2011-2012
Skills: Robotics, algorithms, object-oriented programming.
Prerequisites: RBE3002
Maximum Team Size: 4
Advisor: Taskin Padir
Construction and Control of an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle
Description: The main goal of this MQP is to construct three new autonomous underwater vehicles similar in design to an existing vehicle currently under construction at WPI. The second goal of this MQP is to develop the control software and mechanisms that allow for the autonomous operation of the vehicles. This is a multidisciplinary project that will involve students from Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, as well as Robotics. In today’s world of engineering and technology, working across multidisciplinary lines is a very valuable asset and this project will help ME, ECE and RBE students towards that end. For more information, see http://www2.me.wpi.edu/subWPI/index.php/Main_Page
Dates: Terms 2011-2012
Skills: ECE, RBE, CS, ME, AE
Maximum Team Size: 5
Advisor: William Michalson
Robot Navigation
Description: Autonomous Explorations, Inc., and WPI are working on a Navigation system for an autonomous robot. We are looking for a student to work with us on a summer internship or MQP. The work includes writing programs to perform data collection and analysis, getting the hardware to interface properly, calibration, and performing a range of systems tests. We cannot offer any money (yet, but keep reading). We can offer an exciting opportunity to help us develop and test a system that might someday go to the Moon or Mars. Or get turned into a commercial product. And write it up, perhaps to present at a conference. And if our proposal to NASA, which was approved but not funded, ever gets funded, then we could pay you, too, if/when you are a graduate student.
Dates: Terms 2011-2012
Skills: Robotics, including C/C++ programming ability and have knowledge of signals and least-squares estimation. Kalman Filters, as in RBE 500, would be a real plus.
Prerequisites: RBE3002 and CS3733
Maximum Team Size: 3
Advisor: Michael Gennert
IQP
Robot Wiki
Description: Help develop and understand a robotics wiki to help students and faculty get the information n they need when they need it.
Dates: Terms: 2011-2012
Skills: Varies
Prerequisites: None
Maximum Team Size: 4
Advisor: Michael Gennert
Future Robotics Industry
Description: Planet Earth has overshot its sustainable carrying capacity. Only future robotics industries can harvest the food, energy, and materials humans need to thrive. Analyze future robotics industries to understand where the job and wealth creation will be in the future
Dates: Terms: 2011-2012
Skills: Varies
Prerequisites: Economics, GPS experience preferred
Maximum Team Size: 6
Advisor: Michael Gennert
Maintained by webmaster@wpi.edu
Last modified: October 19, 2011 10:26:13