Enterprise Teams

This year's project for the Lear Corporation team is to simulate a thermal shock and humidity cycle on a copper wire with a brass crimp connector. The purpose of this project is to allow the Lear Corporation to be able to easily test how their part will react on a material level to environmental changes. The team also performed physical testing of the thermal cycling to ensure the accuracy of the simulation.

Ryan Dych, Materials Science and Engineering

Lauren Cornell, Materials Science and Engineering

David M. Labyak, Manufacturing and Mechanical Engineering Technology

Lear Corporation

Auris: The Auris mission is a satellite project based on demonstrating the technical feasibility of a CubeSat’s ability to provide situational data. In collaboration with the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), the objectives of the Auris mission are to enhance Space Situational Awareness (SSA) by providing activity and location knowledge of space-based assets from on-orbit. This is achieved by measuring and characterizing radio frequency (RF) emission patterns of a target satellite, as well as by providing an estimate for the location of that target. The Auris mission is intended to serve as a pathfinder toward increasingly complex space systems that leverage the low cost and small form factor of CubeSats to achieve the performance of traditional, monolithic systems.

 

Stratus: The Stratus mission is a satellite project based on demonstrating the collection of atmospheric and weather data from a CubeSat. In collaboration with NASA, the Stratus spacecraft utilizes a thermal imaging sensor to examine the activity of clouds in the upper atmosphere for the purpose of better understanding weather over short timescales. Images generated by the mission will be analyzed on the ground to determine properties of the clouds, such as location and direction of travel. The Stratus mission is intended to serve as a pathfinder toward increasingly complex space systems that leverage the low cost and small form factor of CubeSats to achieve the performance of traditional, monolithic systems.

Seth Quayle, Mechanical Engineering

Dalton Headley, Electrical Engineering

L. Brad King, Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics

Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) & NASA

Blizzard Baja is completing several projects this year including a new electronically continuous variable transmission (ECVT) and a new integrated rear drive train. The ECVT team is implementing a linear actuator setup to control the movement of the primary clutch electronically. The rear drive train team is making a new gearbox that combines the gearbox and the rear differential. It will also include a new transfer case that will be mounted to the back of the gear box case. This is to reduce weight in the rear and to decrease the angle of the drive shaft to the front of the car.

Bryce Burke, Electrical Engineering

Hunter Reinke, Mechanical Engineerin

Kevin Johnson, Manufacturing and Mechanical Engineering Technology

General Motors, Aramco Americas, Halla Mechatronics, Dana, Magna International, Oshkosh Corporation, Milwaukee Tools, Detroit Diesel, Gentex, SAE

BMS Enterprise continues to demonstrate its ability to tackle a diverse set of projects, with seven projects spanning several industry sectors. One of two GM teams is working to develop a commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) vision system for unexpected part detection in the manufacturing process. The second GM team is focusing on developing and analyzing a ""digital twin"" of a GM manufacturing cell, that can be used to simulate processes without physical parts. We have three defense-related projects sponsored by SERC, one of which utilizes various software including Unity to create a simulation that can be used for training applications within a submersible. The second project works with the US Navy to digitize traditional paper-training documents, using a Python codebase and mysql to manage the database. The final SERC project is to create a device for the US Army that can allow soldiers in combat situations to identify friendly forces. The device should be difficult or impossible to detect, intercept, or spoof. A wildcard team is focusing on integrating a rechargeable battery back into a MOLLE II rucksack frame. Lastly, the Oshkosh team is developing a suspension system for a 50 - 70 ton tracked vehicle.

Noah Bistline, Mechanical Engineering

Ian Wyngarden, Electrical Engineering

Glen Archer, Electrical and Computer Engineering

SERC, Oshkosh Corporation, General Motors

The Built World Enterprise participates in the Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP), EPA Campus Rainworks Challenge, WERC Environmental Design Competition, ASCE Timber Strong Competition, ASCE Steel Bridge Competition, and partners with Engineering Without Borders (EWB). BWE students are dedicated to expanding their knowledge base to consider the triple bottom line in a wide range of civil, environmental, and geospatial engineering issues. For example, BWE works to mitigate stormwater runoff in Houghton, reduce our carbon footprint, apply water resources knowledge in underdeveloped countries in need of clean water, ensure safety on airport runways, and design durable, cost-efficient infrastructure made from a single material under a plethora of design requirements.

Averi Reno , Environmental Engineering

Francine Rosinski, Environmental Engineering

Audra Morse, Civil and Environmental Engineering

Legacy Steel, Spicer Group, Nucor, Milwaukee Tool, UPEA, Christopher B Burke Engineering, Lakeshore Building and Holding LLC

CinOptic manages multiple projects over the course of each year. This year the team has successfully launched the "Enterprising At Michigan Tech" Podcast on Spotify. The goal of the podcast is to provide a behind-the-scenes look at different Enterprise teams, touching upon such topics as: team mission, current projects, the impact of the team on its members, and the significance of being part of the Enterprise program. The podcast has produced episodes on Innovative Global Solutions (IGS) and Multiplanetary Innovation Enterprise (MINE), with two new episodes set to release this spring.

Cole Risko, Communication, Culture, and Media

Rowan Parsons, Sound Design

Erin Smith, Humanities

National Park Service, Enterprise Program

Clean Snowmobile Challenge's goal is to innovate new designs to improve emissions, improve performance, and decrease sound levels of industry snowmobiles, while maintaining the fun of riding. This year we are competing with a 2020 Yamaha Viper and a 2020 Ski-Doo Skandic chassis powered by a diesel motor provided by Kohler Engines.

Sophie Bollin, Mechanical Engineering

Ron Henderson, Mechanical Engineering

Jason Blough, Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics

Scott Miers, Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics

Milwaukee Tool, Response Welding, SAE, CastleX, Ford, Kohler, Yamaha, BRP, Oshkosh, BGF Industries, OctaneInk, Michigan Tech, Dana, Aramco, GM, Magna International, Detroit Diesel, Gentex

Consumer Product Manufacturing brands itself as the Enterprise that prepares students for  industry. The project that we are highlighting is the Accessible, Affordable, Authentic Prosthesis Team (AAA). AAA is designing and manufacturing a foot and ankle prosthetic that is around $200 dollars to manufacture, accessible to third world countries, and that is authentic. The design is to be relatively simple so that the consumer is able to fix it if it breaks by themselves and for a low price. Along with this, AAA is trying to optimize the gait of the design by having it resemble the same gait as an actual foot on a person produces.

Kiernan Dunn, Mechanical Engineering

Ethan Sabotta, Mechanical Engineering

Jon A Herlevich, Chemical Engineering

Tony Rogers

Jeana Collins

This year we have several projects bringing advanced technology to our car. We are redesigning our chassis to accommodate a new powertrain platform, designing a new powertrain system, improving our aerodynamics package, and also developing a fully electric vehicle prototype. When this electric vehicle prototype is completed, it will be the first ever electric FSAE car that Michigan Tech has ever constructed! We hope to develop the team and technology to participate in both the IC and EV FSAE competition events in the near future.

Kaleb Coble, Mechanical Engineering

Justin McNeil, Electrical Engineering

Steven Ma, Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics

Oshkosh, Detroit Diesel, Gentex, Milwaukee Tools, General Motors, Aramco Americas, Halla Mechatrionics, Dana, Magna, Calspan

The Stormy Kromer Hat Sizing project is to develop and implement a method to effectively and consistently size hats at various stages throughout the manufacturing process. This system will be used on the shop floor by the technicians for hat size verification. Since this needs to be used on the shop floor, this system will need to be robust and durable to support a long lifecycle of measuring hats at the Stormy Kromer manufacturing line. To ensure correct and accurate measurements, the design will incorporate data acquisition (DAQ) technology for the Stormy Kromer team to analyze inconsistencies in the sizes of hats coming off the line.

Ryan Bal, Mechanical Engineering

Kayley Elmblad, Mechanical Engineering

Brett Hamlin, Engineering Fundamentals

Stormy Kromer - Bob Jacquart

The goal of Green Campus Enterprise (GCE) is to implement projects to improve the sustainability of the Michigan Tech campus. GCE works closely with the Michigan Tech administration and facilities management to lower the carbon footprint and further MTU’s sustainability and resilience goals. Michigan Tech’s campus has several problem areas where excess water accumulates in precipitation and snow-melting events. In some circumstances, such locations impact the ability of students and faculty to navigate campus comfortably and safely, especially in highly trafficked areas. GCE’s Bioretention Team is working to design bioretention systems to be implemented with the intent of reducing water accumulation on campus, naturally filtering pollutants in the stormwater before it reaches the Portage, and creating a designated space for increased biodiversity on campus. GCE’s Aquaponics Team is developing an on-campus aquaponics system that will be an educational tool to students at Michigan Technological University and the surrounding community. Aquaponics is a relationship between fish and plants, in which nutrients cycle through fish tanks and into grow beds that plants can then use to grow while filtering the water to create a clean environment for the fish. The design will also allow for experimental testing of various aquaponics system parameters.

Anna Kavanaugh, Environmental Engineering

Erin Browne, Environmental Engineering

Robert Handler, Chemical Engineering

MTU Facilities

The objective of this project is to design, fabricate, and test a solution to be able to assist elderly in getting into and out of volunteer vehicles. This is because Little Brothers Friends of the elderly provides a transportation service for the elderly. They came to us asking for assistance in that the elderly are having trouble doing the motion of getting into and out of the vehicle. Currently, the team is assembling a prototype and testing functionality.

Nathan Luczak, Mechanical Engineering

Alex Tebeau, Biomedical Engineering

Smitha Rao Hatti, Biomedical Engineering

Enterprise Program, Melvin and Gloria Visser, and Little Brothers Friends of the Elderly

The current underwater remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) built by the SOAR team are proof-of-concept prototypes and have outlived their life expectancy. The team has set a course to redesign and replace two classes of team-built ROVs. The first class includes the larger Isle Royale National Park service ROVs. Improved design features will focus on reduced size, decreased thruster power consumption, and rapid in-field power pack replacement. The second class includes the demonstration ROVs used by the team during student demonstrations and community festivals. Enhancement features will include a cleaner driver’s station with operator controls fitting for young hands, a bright screen for outdoor viewing, and a compact size for operation in the demonstration tank. Development of testing utilities and creating successful documentation for methods of work run concurrently with the development of our ROVs.

Adelyn Swain, General Sciences and Arts

Joshua Gaunt, General Sciences and Arts

Matthew Zimmer, Dollar Bay High School

Dollar Bay Tamarack City K-12 Schools

Circular Solutions Enterprise team has partnered with Thimbleberry to explore the early-stage possibilities of creating upcycled textile materials using a cellulosic fiber precipitate from an ionic liquid solution. The Circular Solutions team aims to examine the chemical processes necessary for the precipitation. The team is dissolving cellulose into ionic liquids and using a water bath to re-polymerize the solution into a thread.

Sara Schrader, Chemical Engineering

Nicole McGinn, Sustainable Bioproducts

Mark Rudnicki, College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science

Thimbleberry

There are four projects that HIDE would like to highlight this year. Firstly, YooPapers is an app for assisting in due process serving court papers. Second, the Little Brothers web application is for a local non-profit organization committed to supporting the community’s elderly. The app will help schedule and organize their medical transportation program. Third, the CS Department Scheduling application keeps track of class data (such as credits, prerequisites, and scheduling conflicts), as well as faculty data (such as teaching history) to improve the scheduling of CS classes. And lastly, Chem Store is a web application to help keep track of the inventory of lab chemicals on campus. Users can search for chemicals, log transfers, request chemicals, and more.

Lela Root, Software Engineering

Logan Woznak, Software Engineering

Robert Pastel, Computer Science

YooPapers, Little Brothers Friends of the Elderly, the MTU College of Computing, and the MTU Chem Store

A 3D horror gaming experience set in a world where humanity’s quest to harness magic has awakened a powerful cosmic being. Explore the winding streets of an old Victorian-era city, engage with strange monsters, and converse with other survivors as you search for answers to a cosmic mystery. Your only defenses are a small knife and your own blood, which can be used as a catalyst for casting spells. Your goal is to survive long enough to escape the city as reality collapses around you.

Liam Houston, Scientific and Technical Communication

Jeremiah Niedielski, Computer Science

Scott Kuhl, Computer Science

The objective of this project is to design, fabricate, and test a low-cost modular infant incubator to bridge the gap in infant health care in Sub-Saharan Africa. This project was chosen because infant mortality rates are still shockingly high, even though modern medical advances should have aided in drastically decreasing these numbers. Currently, the team has completed functional testing for each of the subsystems and members are finalizing the project's third prototype.

Catherine Schelonka, Biomedical Engineering

Sara Goheen, Biomedical Engineering

Nathan Manser, Geological and Mining Engineering

Plexus

The LANL (Los Alamos National Laboratory) Automated VM deployment and penetration teams are working together to create a system that both automatically creates virtual machines within the parameters given by a user, and scans them for vulnerabilities. The first team, LANL automated deploy, have been the one's primarily working towards the actual creation and patching of the VMs, which LANL will use to run tests with. But, these must be secure, as LANL handles both important and confidential data. So, the LANL pentest team is ensuring that the VMs are scanned and have minimal vulnerabilities after creation.

 

The Miller Electric - AI Miller Welding Project has been creating an application to track and correlate data provided by welding machines. The team has recently created a graphical user interface, and are trying to make an unsupervised learning model to track unauthorized downtime graphically. 

 

Both projects enable students to engage with real-world clients, and to utilize software and languages not taught in the classroom.

Anthony Safford, Computer Science

Noah Harvey, Computer Network and System Administration

Nagesh Hatti, Enterprise Program

Los Alamos National Laboratories, and Miller Electric

Multiplanetary INnovation Enterprise is a student-led, faculty-advised group at Michigan Technological University that focuses on innovation in extreme environments. Currently, the Enterprise focuses on aerospace and flooded environment technology. We are currently working on five projects in these areas. Two of our main projects are: Trencher, a bucket ladder style excavator designed for use in Lunar soil simulant, or regolith, and to research the wear effects on the system; and DIVER, which is designing a ROV to explore and collect data and 3d maps on the depths of flooded mines. We also have other projects focusing on autonomy and regolith collection.

Kade Nielsen, Mechanical Engineering

Samantha Kopietz, Mechanical Engineering

Paulus Van Susante, Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics

Planetary Surface Technology Development Lab

The Open Source Hardware Enterprise (OSHE) is a vibrant enterprise that focuses on creating diverse projects that benefit the community and follow the spirit of open-source ethics. Projects in the enterprise range from creating a miniature factory that produces custom chocolate bars to trying to recycle 3D prints to create new filaments to assisting the College of Forestry with tracking Lyme disease in the local forests. Currently, there are 11 different capstones in OSHE: Electric Viola, Laser Tag, Flex Automation HMI for Industrial Applications, ATX Power Supply, Hibernacula Manipulation, Restruder, Kewee Meter, BREAD BUNS, BREAD DAQ, Tesla Coil, and AR glasses. These projects cover a wide range of applications but all are united under the motivation of open-source. 

 

At the Design Expo this year, we would like to highlight three projects that emphasize the principles of OSHE: ATX Power Supply, Hibernacula Manipulation, and Flex Automation HMI for Industrial Applications. ATX Power Supply is sponsored by Plexus to design and prototype an open-source, high-powered ATX power supply. Our first prototype is split up into 3 printed circuit boards (PCBs): EMI filtering & PFC, LLC Converter, and DC-DC Converter. These PCBs are made larger than the ATX form factor to provide ample space for the testing and debugging phase.

 

The Hibernacula Manipulation project is sponsored by the MTU College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science (CFRES) in partnership with the Michigan DNR. These groups are developing an experiment focused on mitigating the harmful effects of white-nose syndrome on bats in abandoned mine hibernacula. Specifically, CFRES and DNR aim to lower temperature within mines to reduce the growth rates of the fungus responsible for white-nose syndrome, while maintaining temperatures adequate for bat hibernation. The focus of this project is to develop a system to help implement the experiment by conditioning and pumping in external air to be completed by Spring 2024.

 

The Flex Automation HMI for Industrial Applications project utilizes easily accessible materials to create an HMI (Human Machine Interface) screen that can interface with ABB Robots. Our screen is planned to communicate with the robot, display important information, perform movement tasks, and otherwise do similar operations to a regular HMI screen at a fraction of the cost.

Alex Riebe, Electrical Engineering

Mitchell Krueger, Electrical Engineering

Shane Oberloier, Electrical and Computer Engineering

Michigan DNR, The MTU College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science (CFRES)

The AutoDrive Challenge II kicked off in September 2022 for the introduction of the Year 1 challenges. AutoDrive Challenge II is a 4-year autonomous vehicle competition between several universities in the United States and Canada. Each university is required to engineer and build the SAE J3016 level 4 autonomous vehicle by the end of year 4. SAE J3016 level 4 is High Driving Automation, which means the operator is not required to take control of the vehicle until an emergency or the operator is willing to take over. General Motors, the main sponsor for the SAE AutoDrive Challenge II will provide a Chevrolet Bolt EUV to all universities competing in the AutoDrive Challenge II in Summer 2023. The competitors need to modify parts of the vehicle every year to incrementally increase the complexity and abilities of the vehicle. Various sub-teams will tackle different competition aspects, including a Mobility Innovation Challenge, MathWorks Simulation Challenge, Software Requirements & Specifications Team.  Teams will also construct various aspects of the vehicle itself, including a sensor/computer mount, perception system, control system, and CAN communication system.

Raylan Jiao, Mechanical Engineering

Ryan Verbrugge, Robotics Engineering

Darrell L. Robinette,  Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics

GM, SAE, Mathworks, Siemens, Ushr, Hexagon, Cepton

MECC is a competition through the National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) aimed at creating a wave energy device while applying it to an economically feasible market.

 

The SWAB team, facilitated through Michigan Technological University (MTU), is improving traversal capabilities of an aquatic robot by utilizing surface tension and a smart camera. 

 

The FISH team is focused on reducing energy costs during winter naval construction using heat simulation and temperature control systems.

 

The ArRobAut team, sponsored by the United States Army,  uses rovers to explore hacking and autonomous capabilities on land.  

 

The SASI team, sponsored by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), is developing an autonomous underwater sampling device for collecting sinkhole biofilm samples.

Jayden Chow, Mechanical Engineering

Ben Bistline, Computer Engineering

Timothy C. Havens, Computer Science

Hassan Masoud, Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics

Michigan Technological University (MTU), National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL), Fincantieri Marinette Marine (FMM), United States Army

Supermileage Systems' focus this year has been setting ourselves up for the future of the enterprise. This year, the team focused on electric powertrain implementations that will be able to retrofit into not only a prototype class, but also an urban concept class. Aside from electric powertrain implementation, the team had two other Senior Design Teams focused on making the prototype class car as robust as possible with a brand new steering system and electrical system. These projects will leave the enterprise in a place where focus can be shifted to the new and upcoming 'Urban Concept' class.

Brennen Galli, Electrical Engineering

Christopher Sirois, Mechanical Engineering

Nicholas V. Hendrickson, Manufacturing and Mechanical Engineering Technology

General Motors, Aramco Americas, Halla Mechatronics, Dana, Magna International, Oshkosh Corporation, Milwaukee Tools, Detroit Diesel, Gentex, Mortenson Construction

This year Velovations is working on four bicycle-related projects. The Automated Brake Bleeder project's goal is to design an easy-to-use automated system to bleed hydraulic disc brakes. The TrailBlazer project is engineering a heavy-duty bike trailer used for hauling tools and equipment for bike trail builders working in remote locations. The Heated Contacts project goal is to design an elegant rechargeable heated grips for riding during colder temperatures. Finally, the Hub/Clutch project aims to validate and test Senger Innovations’ revolutionary rear wheel hub freewheel system.

Louis Hindman, Mechanical Engineering

Caleb Borns, Mechanical Engineering

Steve Lehmann, Biomedical Engineering

Senger Innovations, General Motors, Cleveland Cliffs, Ripping River Resort, Milwaukee Tool

Wireless Communications Enterprise (WCE) is currently supporting 4 different project groups from an array of different companies. Some sponsored projects include a cellular drone control module for Systems Engineering Research Center (SERC), and another project in which a team is creating a fully functioning DAQ system to electronically monitor the continuity of solder joints during the thermal cycling test. These projects are important and impactful to the sponsors—we are prototyping the next generation of products and services. The goal is to have students work on what they find interesting while developing key engineering skills. Our lab enables students to work on all these projects with the support of 3D printers, PCB printers, microcontrollers, and almost anything else an electronics lab could need.

Carter Dugan, Computer Engineering

Sophia Abraham, Computer Engineering

Christopher Cischke, Electrical and Computer Engineering

SERC, Stellantis