Project

# Title Team Members TA Documents Sponsor
8 Hybrid Actuation Arm Exoskeleton
 Alan Lu
Rubin Du
**Team**

Alan Lu -- jialin8

Rubin Du -- rd25

**Problem**

Lifting and carrying heavy objects is a common but physically demanding task faced in both personal and industrial environments. Whether it is a person at home carrying groceries or a logistics worker handling cargo, repetitive lifting puts stress on the musculoskeletal system and can result in fatigue, reduced productivity, and even long-term injuries. Existing exoskeleton solutions often focus on industrial use, but they suffer from limited backdrivability, high weight, or overly complex designs that prevent practical everyday use. A lightweight, safe, and efficient solution is needed to reduce the physical burden of lifting while maintaining user freedom of movement.

**Solution**

Our team proposes the development of a wearable exoskeleton system designed to assist users in lifting objects of up to 10 kilograms with minimal effort. The system employs a hybrid actuation strategy that combines the strengths of both a BLDC motor and a servo motor: the BLDC provides the torque required for large-angle lifting motions, while the servo supplies stable holding torque to maintain the lifted position without excess energy drain. The BLDC goes through a 64:1 planetary gear set to amplify torque, and the servo motor goes through a moveable linkage system to create sufficient mechanical advantage to further reduce the load on the motor. A detachable drivetrain allows the user to disengage the actuation system, enabling free arm movement when lifting support is not required. The skeleton itself is lightweight, manufactured using carbon-fiber-reinforced nylon (PA-CF), ensuring durability and comfort. This modular design starts with elbow actuation and can be scaled to include shoulder actuation, broadening its application.

**Solution Components**

**Subsystem 1: Mechanical Skeleton and Drivetrain**
- Lightweight PA-CF composite structure, under 3 kg excluding the battery.
- Hybrid drivetrain using BLDC with planetary gear for motion and servo motor for holding.
- Drivetrain disengagement mechanism for free arm movement.
- Moveable armor integrated with a linkage system on the drivetrain that elaborately moves upper limb armor to avoid structural interference.

**Subsystem 2: Actuation and Power System**
- Actuated by BLDC + servo combination for efficiency and safety.
- Powered by a 6S LiPo battery (~200 Wh), providing several hours of continuous assistance.
- Custom PCB with DC-DC buck converters for peripheral loads and power distribution.
- Thermal management through ventilation and optional forced convection.

**Subsystem 3: Control and Signal Processing**
- Joint actuation regulated through PID controllers.
- User intent detected via EMG sensors integrated into the arm.
- Signal conditioning pipeline: Kalman filter → Chebyshev low-pass filter → controller input.
- Optional manual override via a simple forearm-mounted control panel.
- Microcontroller and peripheral signals integrated on a customized PCB/FPGA.

**Subsystem 4: Peripherals**
- Armor ambient light will be integrated into the shell of the skeleton for aesthetics.
- Ventilation port openings will be controlled by microservos to ensure good heat dissipation.
- A manual control panel will be placed on the lower limb skeleton to include manual operations and emergency switches.
- TPU-based soft pads inside the skeleton to provide a comfort experience for the user.

**Scalability and Modularity**
- The initial prototype targets elbow actuation.
- Design is scalable to include shoulder actuation grounded to chest armor.
- The modular approach ensures meaningful demonstration even if full-body integration is not achieved.

**Criterion for Success**

The final solution will be a wearable exoskeleton capable of assisting the user in lifting and holding objects up to 10 kg through a dual-actuation BLDC–servo system with a detachable drivetrain for free arm movement, powered by an onboard 6S battery, lightweight (under 3 kg excluding the battery), and controlled via EMG signals or a manual override panel to ensure safe, efficient, and natural operation.

El Durazno Wind Turbine Project

Alexander Hardiek, Saanil Joshi, Ganpath Karl

El Durazno Wind Turbine Project

Featured Project

Partners: Alexander Hardiek (ahardi6), Saanil Joshi (stjoshi2), and Ganpath Karl (gkarl2)

Project Description: We have decided to innovate a low cost wind turbine to help the villagers of El Durazno in Guatemala access water from mountains, based on the pitch of Prof. Ann Witmer.

Problem: There is currently no water distribution system in place for the villagers to gain access to water. They have to travel my foot over larger distances on mountainous terrain to fetch water. For this reason, it would be better if water could be pumped to a containment tank closer to the village and hopefully distributed with the help of a gravity flow system.

There is an electrical grid system present, however, it is too expensive for the villagers to use. Therefore, we need a cheap renewable energy solution to the problem. Solar energy is not possible as the mountain does not receive enough solar energy to power a motor. Wind energy is a good alternative as the wind speeds and high and since it is a mountain, there is no hindrance to the wind flow.

Solution Overview: We are solving the power generation challenge created by a mismatch between the speed of the wind and the necessary rotational speed required to produce power by the turbine’s generator. We have access to several used car parts, allowing us to salvage or modify different induction motors and gears to make the system work.

We have two approaches we are taking. One method is converting the induction motor to a generator by removing the need of an initial battery input and using the magnetic field created by the magnets. The other method is to rewire the stator so the motor can spin at the necessary rpm.

Subsystems: Our system components are split into two categories: Mechanical and Electrical. All mechanical components came from a used Toyota car such as the wheel hub cap, serpentine belt, car body blade, wheel hub, torsion rod. These components help us covert wind energy into mechanical energy and are already built and ready. Meanwhile, the electrical components are available in the car such as the alternator (induction motor) and are designed by us such as the power electronics (AC/DC converters). We will use capacitors, diodes, relays, resistors and integrated circuits on our printed circuit boards to develop the power electronics. Our electrical components convert the mechanical energy in the turbine into electrical energy available to the residents.

Criterion for success: Our project will be successful when we can successfully convert the available wind energy from our meteorological data into electricity at a low cost from reusable parts available to the residents of El Durazno. In the future, their residents will prototype several versions of our turbine to pump water from the mountains.