Research

Using a Jetson Nano: Can a Lane Detection Algorithm  for Lane Assist Vehicles Be Created? 

This project will impact the solar car team by allowing the solar cruiser to have lane assist while driving on the track. Currently the vehicle is 100% manual and with this extra help driving can be run much more smoothly and efficiently. The project will be done using an AI device called the Jetson Nano. The Jetson Nano can be trained to identify road lines through the process of machine learning. Using Jupyter labs to test the code, a dashcam video from youtube would be used as a guide and test for the Jetson and will show if it can effectively work and show where mistakes are made in the algorithm. At the end of the experiment, the data will be analyzed to see where the Jetson messed up and if there are any patterns in the mistakes.



Strategic Time and Speed Management of a Solar Car:

We are currently working on a method to accurately determine and optimize a route plan for our 2022 Solar Car Cross Country Trip:

      While our route plan is set we can still change the different speeds that we go at along the route and also how many people we want in our car at different times.  

The variables we will be looking at are:

By utilizing these variables we plan to calculate the amount of energy that the car can generate and will consume along different paths on its track. We can use that data and an optimization neural network to calculate the optimal speed and number of passengers in the car to maximize our points and chances of winning the competition! This research can also be applied to electric vehicles if we remove the energy generation aspect that would allow for a better fuel economy as they will be able to optimize their speeds and waste less energy.


Evaluation of Failure Mechanics for Solar Car Sandwich Composites

Our team’s project focuses on the integrities of various carbon fiber composite sandwiches to determine what configurations can be used in a solar vehicle body. 

Carbon fiber composite sandwiches are boards composed of a core material surrounded by two sheets of carbon fiber. Each sample is a different thickness and can have either a foam or honeycomb aluminum core. 

The solar vehicles being designed by The Cane Institute of Research Solar car team needs to be lightweight enough to compete against other vehicles.  

Using common car body metals would be too dense and would reduce the car’s velocity, so exotic materials like composites have to be utilized instead.

 The goal of the boards is to optimize the vehicles speed and travel p performance while also being durable enough to keep passengers safe. Boards with different thicknesses and cores will be ordered from custom composite vendors and weighed using a digital scale. Then they will be tested using an Instron E1000 three point bending compression system, being pressed down by a load cell until the face sheet of carbon fiber fails. The data will be recorded numerically and graphically by a computer linked to the system and then analyzed.

Static Stress Analysis of Rear Suspension Systems for a Solar Cruiser

This project is on the Static Stress Analysis of Rear Suspension Systems for a Solar Cruiser

This project will be a computer based mathematical analysis, mainly using the Fusion 360 CAD (Computer Aided Design) program. Simply put, I will use these stages: design, analyze, and refine to complete my project. To design the suspension, I will design the suspension both manually and utilizing generative design. 

Generative design allows artificial intelligence to account for multiple factors and inputs during the design process. This allows the suspension to be custom made to support the weight of the solar car, as well as prepare for the loads and forces it will experience in real life such as on a highway. 

After the part is designed in the program, I will run a computer stress simulation that will let me know the points of weakness or failure in the part. Continuing onto the refine stage, I will use this information to improve my design and try to address the points of weakness. I will continue to repeat these stages until I am satisfied with a safe, functional, and budgeted rear suspension design for the solar cruiser. 

The successful completion of this project will be crucial to the solar cruiser’s success in competition, since the suspension system allows for a smooth, stable and comfortable ride while protecting the inner components of the vehicle along with its passengers. 

A poorly designed and tested suspension system could not only lead to poor performance in competition, but could also risk the integrity of the vehicles and the safety of it’s passengers.