Major Qualifying Project
With a Major Qualifying Project (MQP), Robotics Engineering students have the chance to perform a professional-level hands-on project in their senior year that strengthens their skill set, gives them the opportunity to work in a dynamic team, and offers them a chance to make contributions that make an immediate impact. This required project combines research, integrative development, and application projects.
Through the MQP, WPI students use their skills in actual settings typical of those found in the student's professional discipline. With teams of other like-minded and passionate students, students develop the kind of real-world problem solving skills that will soon characterize their professional careers and have an opportunity to make an immediate impact. The MQP requires a substantial part of an academic year, culminating in a project report and poster on Project Presentation Day.
2022 Robotics Engineering Project Presentation Day
The Robotics Engineering Project Presentation is on Friday April 22, 2022 in Unity Hall, levels 1 & 2.
Recent Robotics Engineering Major Qualifying Projects
Dynamically Adjusting Prosthesis (DAPS)
Joshua Friscia, Meagan Hiatt, Mollie Myers, Jacob Zizmor
Advisors: Gregory Fischer, Cagdas Onal
Despite advancement in prosthetic socket technology, many amputees still face challenges with activities of daily living. To address these challenges, this project augmented a transfemoral prosthetic socket to create a device which adjusts to user activity to increase comfort and minimize health risks. The device intended to not hinder a user’s daily movement so reliability, safety, compactness, weight, and usage time of the device were main project objectives. A design was prototyped and tested with successful results. Analysis of EMG signals allowed the device to accurately predict user activity and the pressure applied to the residual limb from hydraulic bladders was adjusted accordingly. This project provided a prototype platform for future testing and clinical trials.
Graphically Represented Image Processing Engine (GRIP)
Thomas Clark, Jonathan Leitschuh
Advisors: Michael Gennert, Bradley Miller
The goal of this project was to build an application that could be used to construct and deploy computer vision algorithms. Developing a vision program can be difficult because it is hard to visualize the intermediate results. Java and OpenCV were used to implement a graphical development tool. This simplifies and accelerates the creation of vision systems for experienced users and reduces the barrier to entry for inexperienced users. As a result, many teams with minimum computer vision knowledge successfully used our software in the 2016 FIRST Robotics Competition game.