Amber Mason, senior electrical engineering major, demonstrates her team's interactive art display. Laser sensors by her foot activate the audio and visuals.

From art gallery sensors to wheelchairs, students present capstone projects

Teams of student engineers celebrated the culmination of the past year's work when they presented their senior engineering design projects at last week's College of Engineering and Natural Sciences Capstone Conference in NAU's du Bois Center.

Nearly a dozen engineering capstone projects were on display, demonstrating the vast range of industries in which engineering can be applied, including health care, technology and even art.

Electrical engineering majors Zea Baca, Charlie Francis, Brian Gillespie, Amber Mason and Dan Stokes presented a device that uses laser sensors to trigger a video and audio display that could be used in art galleries as a way to engage visitors from the moment they walk in the door.

From left: Bryan Flynt, Patricia Paddock, Jonathan Thom, Amy ORourke, Mike Pearson and Mike Wright display their custom wheelchair trainer. Not pictured are teammates Michael Burklund and Michael Abrenica.

Another project that turned heads was a wheelchair trainer designed especially for a local FUSD student to assess his ability to control an electric wheelchair. Senior electrical engineering major Amy ORourke said her team of mechanical and electrical engineering majors worked together to bring the device to life.

"We are all very excited to see this project actually get put into use," she said, adding that the student for whom the trainer was created will be using the device in an upcoming race for Special Olympics. "It's very rewarding to know that we are helping provide mobility to someone who has always relied on others to get around," she said.

Another capstone project that is being put to practical use is a chiropractic adjustment chair, designed by a team of five students specifically for local chiropractor Jeff Alfred.

"The type of adjustment he does on the chair is typically done lying down," said Sarah Owen, senior mechanical engineering major. "This is the first chair that we know of where the patient can be adjusted sitting. This chair really caters to this specific type of adjust."

Owen said Alfred hopes to patent the design, which means she and her team might see it manufactured for others in the industry someday. "We were pretty excited about it, and we were glad to have an actual product in the end," she said.

Paul Gremillion, environmental engineering professor, said the conference also included research projects conducted by students in the sciences—biology, chemistry and physics. "This conference showcases how our students are engaged in design and research and are presenting their results in a professional forum sponsored by NAU and by the engineering community in Arizona," he said.