Katherine StegnerMechanical Engineering and Design

Wall Climbing Robot

Principles of Engineering (POE), taken the fall of my sophomore year, gives teams $250 to create a mechatronic project.

The Class

I was one of two mechanical engineers on my team of six, and worked specifically on designing the chassis, fabricating parts, and assembling the robot.

The Team

The ProjectWe built a wall climbing robot that sticks to the wall using sticky treads that were molded out of urethane rubber.

One of our biggest challenges was getting the treads to come off the wall at the back of the robot. To accomplish this, we added a tail that stabilized the robot and added a peeling force to the back of the treads. Our robot successfully climbed vertical walls. For a video of the robot working, please see http://poe.abe.kim/

Fall 2011

Underactuated HandsSpring 2012

Prototype 1:Materials: 3D printed ABS.I designed the wrist section and worked on the connection between the cables and the motor.Main issues: It was very difficult to route the cables through the fingers and this hand couldn't pick up heavy objects.

Prototype 3:Materials: sheet metal, plywood, 3D printed plastic, and compliant polymer.I designed the fingers for this iteration.We returned to cables for the final design but only used them to actuate the bases of the fingers. Springs were used for the other joint to avoid routing problems. This also allowed us to avoid having gears that slipped.

Prototype 2:Materials: sheet metal and plywood.I designed a differential that separates the movement of the two parallel fingers.Main issues: The gears slipped on the axles when too much force was applied.

Introduction to Mechanical Prototyping teaches design principles and different approaches and materials for prototyping.

The Class

The final project was to create an underactuated robotic hand. Here underactuated is defined as having more degrees of freedom than actuators. I worked on a team of 3. For complete information, please seehttp://mechproto.olin.edu/sp12/final_projects/Galaxy.html

The Final Project

User Oriented Collaborative Design

UOCD, taken as a second semester sophomore, is one semester-long project. Students work in teams to design a product or service for a specific user group.

The Class

My team consisted of four sophomores and we focused on people who help the homeless.

The PeopleThe Process

Meet with users

Identify values and needs

Develop concepts

RethinkingDuring the last week of the project we decided our idea wouldn't actually impact our users. We went back to our values and needs, and came up with a new concept that allowed users to share stories and visualize impact.

The Final DesignWe designed a messenger back that displays compelling, personal stories that are temporarily electronically transfered to other bags when you pass someone with the same bag. This helps connect the community, raise awareness, and create intimate connections while making volunteers aware of their impact and usefulness.

Connect concepts to

users

Reflect and repeat

Find areas of opportunity

StoryQuote

Story swapping

Spring 2012

Underwater ROV

I took Mechanical Design during the fall of my junior year. We spent time specifically focusing on the topics of structure, power, and transmission. A large part of the class was dedicated to improving CAD skills, including FEAs and drawings.

The Class

The majority of the semester was spent designing an underwater ROV that could collect a submarine-like robot from the bottom of Boston Harbor. My team consisted of two other juniors and a senior, all majoring in mechanical engineering. I worked specifically on designing the pressure vessels for the electronic components and the capture mechanism for the submarine. I created the drawing shown above and the two FEAs on the right.

The ROV Project

Fall 2012

Sustainable Design

I took Sustainable Design the fall of my junior year. Through the class I analyzed a consumer product and designed a more sustainable replacement with a team. I also compared transportation and waste management between San Francisco and Boston. I also looked into how Boston could implement some of San Francisco's sustainable practices.

The Class

Cyclone Drill

Hi

Lo

Cyclone Driver

San Francisco77% recycled

Boston20% recycled

Boston

Population: 625,000Area: 48.3 sq. milesMedian Age: 30.8

San Francisco

Population: 813,000Area: 46.9 sq. milesMedian Age: 38.5

Fall 2012

Two other students and I evaluated a cordless power drill and designed a more sustainable alternative. We disassembled an 18V cordless power drill. We performed an LCA on the drill and concluded that the battery was the least sustainable portion of the drill. Using this information we developed a number of solutions, eventually designing a hand-powered drill and driver device.

The Drill Project

Kinetic Tree Sculpture

This advanced mechatronics class culminated in a 5-week-long project using a PIC24F microcontroller and a budget of $250.

The Class

The ProjectOur final project was the ElectriciTree, a kinetic sculpture of a living tree that visualizes growth and decay through user input. The branches expand and contract through magnetic spheres driven along tracks in acrylic sheets. Five irises also open and close with the branches to reveal light. More information available at http://nrubin.github.io/ElectriciTree/

Fall 2013

GoalsMechanical elegance, permanence, custom PCB

I acted as the lead mechanical engineer on my team of four. Our team also included two electrical and computer engineers and one robotics engineer.

The Team

Microfluidic Chip FabricationSenior Capstone Project - Olin College & Brandeis University

Reduced thermal mass

Increased heater power

Improved machining

Added actuated heat sink

Added safety features

Automated system

Initial Prototype Final Machine

Successfully embossed chip

Fall 2013 - Spring 2014

MicrofluidicsMicrofluidics is a rapidly growing field that utilizes capillary forces at the micro-scale to control fluids. Its applications range from blood diagnostics to protein crystallization.

Improved insulation

I acted as the project manager for our seven person team (six Olin College engineers and one Brandeis graduate student). As the PM I interfaced with Olin and Brandeis faculty, organized tasks, directed project focus, and maintained team happiness and productivity. In addition, I acted as a mechanical engineer and machinist for the team.

The Team

The ProjectThe Fraden lab at Brandeis MRSEC created a prototype of a thermal linear press that could produce microfluidic chips. The team redesigned this linear press to create chips faster and more accurately. The final machine supplied to Brandeis can create a chip 24 times faster than the initial prototype and can emboss channels 10µm wide by 10µm deep, with less than a 10% error.

Outside of EngineeringOutside of engineering I enjoy climbing rocks and trees, playing soccer, making art, building things (especially things that move), and traveling.

Playing soccer on the Olin women's soccer team

Building a house in Statesville, North Carolina, on a Habitat for Humanity trip

Rock climbing at Boston Rock Gym

Personal artwork