Research Opportunity: Precision Control for Atomic Force Microscopes, Micro-scale Mixing, Human-machine Interaction, Prosthesis

Con­tact Name: Santosh Devasia

Con­tact Email: devasia[at]uw.edu

Depart­ment: Mechanical Engineering Department

Descrip­tion:

Our lab works on mechatronics and controls related projects. The goal is precision control.

This research impacts a variety of applications (where precision is important), such as, (i) control of probe-sample forces to avoid sample damage during high-speed operation of Atomic Force Microscopes; (ii) advanced manufacturing of composites with funding from Boeing; (iii) man-machine interface including control of advanced prosthesis in conjunction with the VA Hospital; and (iv) design of micro-mixing systems.

Additional details can be found at: http://faculty.washington.edu/devasia/#

Examples of past undergraduate projects include:

Cheryl Tan (undergraduate student): research funded through NSF REU from 2013 onwards. She joined our research group as a pre-engineering student, and worked on bearing design for distributed positioning systems.

  • Design of a Multi-Actuator Piezoelectric Stepper System, 16th Annual University of Washington Undergraduate Research Symposium, May 17th 2013, U. of Washington, Seattle.

Kurt J. Stalsberg (undergraduate student): research funded through NSF REU from 2010 onwards. He joined our research group as a pre-engineering student through the MSEP program. He is evaluating the design of excitation patterns for legged locomotion in different insects, and is currently using the analysis to design gait patterns for a multi-legged robot (made of leggos). He finished his ME BS program in 2013. Kurt presented his research findings at the following research symposiums.

  • Comparison of Gaits of Animal Locomotion, 14th Annual University of Washington Undergraduate Research Symposium, May 20th 2011, U. of Washington, Seattle.
  • Comparison and Implementation of Multi-Legged Gait Patterns, 15th Annual University of Washington Undergraduate Research Symposium, May 18th 2012, U. of Washington, Seattle.
  • Mechanical Linkage-Based Leg Mechanism, 16th Annual University of Washington Undergraduate Research Symposium, May 17th 2013, U. of Washington, Seattle.

Require­ments:

Interest in Mechanical Engineering Degree

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