My name is Sarah Alizadeh and I am currently a senior at Boston University studying Mechanical Engineering. I have extensive experience in robotics, CAD, circuits, coding, and design.
This stop motion camera robot focuses on objects in it's frame. The robot is connected with a raspberry pi, distance sensors, and a camera. If the camera senses motion, it returns a video display of the objects in front of it. The robot will proceed to stop moving, if the object in motion is within a specified radius. The inspiration of this project comes from how car's react when they encounter solid boundaries in front of them.
I competed in the Lutron Lighting Innovation Competition at Boston University along with three of my peers. The prompt was to create an activating mechanical design peice that centers around lighting. We created a birthday cake that played happy birthday with a matching light show. The top of the cake spun as the lights flickered. The base was 3D printed with a circuit and Arduino inside to control the motor and lights.
Our team won best Upperclassmen team!
This project involves car moves down a 10 foot path with a 1 foot bar on the front without it falling over. This is the car I built to compete in the competition and move 5 to 10 feet and return without the 1 foot bar on top falling over. The wheels, motor holder, and wheel stoppers were all 3D printed. I also used an ardiuno and power amplifier to control the motor with 12 volts.
The EWID is a safety device that monitors a water basin for stray electrical hazards and shuts off power to other systems via a solid state relay. The circuit acts in series with the main power source and does not interrupt the voltage or current draw when functioning nominally. When a hazard is detected through the probe, the device shuts off power and requires a manual reset to allow power flow. Component testing of the device produced successful operation of each subassembly including accurate sensing ability, output signal, and power interruption. Utilizing analog circuit theory, the EWID’s failsafe operation properly maintains low voltage levels in the water and mitigates electrical hazards in various environmental conditions. The device’s waterproofing functionality was tested against IP standards to rate the device, and an operation manual with recommendations will be provided to the client.
When I first joined the Soft Robotics Control Lab at Boston University, I created the first pneumatic limb based off the current iteration that used Shape Memory Alloy to actuate. The goal was to create a pneumatic limb that could inflate and deflate without human interaction. The pressure is monitored and the limb fully deflates when it reaches a set pressure threshold. I assembled and evaluated the prototype by integrating it into circuits controlled by Arduino micro-controllers, pumps, and solenoids. This system is necessary to monitor the air pressure in our pneumatic robots, so they do not puncture.
This project involves a pneumatic gripper I created to simulate forces on numerous objects. The series of images shows the limbs being actuated, the box being lifted, and limb deflation to drop the box. Using python and camera vision, the pressure was measured along side the position of the box. We completed various tests to establish a safety boundary that was validated by mathmatical expressions.
The following links below include my profile shown in the Soft Robotics Control Lab, profile on Han tutoring and Test Prep, and my feature in the Boston University Brink Website.