For the final project of my Mixed Analog and Digital VLSI course, a classmate and I created a high dynamic range CMOS imaging sensor. The 4 kilopixel imager uses a novel active pixel sensor (APS) design based on previous work by Hsiu-Yu Cheng et al. at the University of Oxford. The pixels have an adjustable response which allows each pixel to have a unique shutter time based on the light intensity. The tiny chip unit was fabricated by MOSIS using ON SEMI 0.5-micron technology (17.4x17.4 micron pixels). Initial testing revealed the sensor to work as expected.

layout of 4 kilopixel imager

layout of pixels and dynamic decoder

close-up of manufactured sensor

full, manufactured imaging sensor

results from pixel simulation

Sean Shi, Dr. Bradley Minch (faculty)

presentation

circuits, mixed analog and digital VLSI, active pixel sensor, Cadence design tools, SPICE simulation, layout, Olin College

I collaborated with the iPhone Product Design team to develop a novel testing system as part of the Olin Senior Capstone Program in Engineering (SCOPE). Specifics cannot be revealed under the non-disclosure agreement.

Apple confidential

Eli Sheldon, Michael Lintz, Jayesh Gorasia, Edward Byun, Ryan Harris, Daniel Greeley, Ananya Kejriwal

testing, iPhone Product Design, SCOPE, Olin College, Apple Inc.

As a project in my Systems class, we designed a self-reconfigurable modular robot for use in rescue and reconnaissance scenarios. The robot featured a variety of configurations suited to specific environments or missions. The system is also extensible, allowing new modules to be added as robotic technology advances. The final design was presented to DARPA program managers and leaders in the field of robotics.

centipede configuration

rolling configuration

"spider" configuration

snake configuration

David Gardner, Helen Oleynikova, Lorraine Weis, Arash Ushani, Velin Dimitrov

presentation

robotics, rescue & reconnaissance, adaptive morphology, self-reconfigurable, modular, emergent technologies, DARPA

I worked briefly with a professor to design and render a set of interactive engineering toys that interface with mobile computing devices.

scientific toys and tablet being used outside

Dr. Mark Chang (faculty)

rendering, design, SolidWorks, educational toys

I co-founded a company creating educational engineering kits as part of my Foundations of Business and Entrepreneurship class. I designed a product line, sourced materials, created marketing materials, sold products, and hosted promotional events. The company earned over $3500 in revenue during its two-week selling period.

company logo

aerospace engineering kit

electrical engineering & renewable energy kit

civil engineering kit

Claire McLeod, Thomas Pandolfo, Jackie Rose

startup business, marketing, product design, education, Olin College

As a small project for my Probability and Statistics class, I investigated increasing college tuition prices. While more an example of different computational methods used for statistics than an in-depth study, it was interesting to observe how education has gotten more expensive over the years.

long term trends

PMF of 2009 tuition change (private colleges in blue, public in red)

draft report

college tuition, probability and statistics, Olin College

During the summer of 2010 I worked as a Program Manager at Microsoft. While there, I designed an interactive portal experience for partner organizations building ERP solutions using Microsoft Dynamics Online services. I researched users to develop personas, collaborated with my team to refine designs, and wrote specifications to guide implementation.

Microsoft confidential

Microsoft Dynamics Online Services team

online services, enterprise resource planning (ERP), software design, personas, project management, Microsoft

Improving on our 2009 autonomous vehicle, we made numerous hardware and software changes to increase the robot's ability to navigate and avoid obstacles. In particular, the use of a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) enabled significant improvements in the reaction time. We place third out of around fifty teams in the Design Competition at the 2010 International Ground Vehicle Competition (IGVC) in Detroit.

Athena, the 2010 Olin IGVC entry

updated electronics enclosure

path planning

image processing example

Nicholas Hobbs, Daniel Grieneisen, Jacob Izraelivitz, Gray Thomas, Jessica Noglows, Eric Kolker, Lucas Hill

2nd in Design Competition at International Ground Vehicle Competition in Detroit, MI ($1000)

design report

intelligent vehicles, robotics, computer vision, algorithms, system integration, Olin College

As a mini project at the end of my Microelectronics Circuits class, I designed and simulated a rail-to-rail CMOS differential amplifier.

circuit schematic

brief report

analog circuit design, SPICE simulation, rail-to-rail differential amplifier, Olin College

As an exercise in precision machining and simple transmission design for a Mechanical Prototyping course, several classmates and I built a miniature grape juicer. While not particularly useful, it was an instructive project and the juicer remains a small work of engineering art.

engineering model of juicer

final, assembled juicer

back side of juicer

top view

Leah Mendelson, Abe Feldman, and others

draft report

precision machining, mechanical design, engineering drawings, SolidWorks, Olin College

In my Mechanical Prototyping course, I worked on several teams throughout the semester to learn rapid prototyping techniques for manufacturing. Over four week sprints we designed and assembled biomemetic swimmer models. My teams built a motorized flying fish out of sheet metal and a 3D-printed, motorized dolphin.

engineering model of motorized dolphin

SolidWorks model of motorized flying fish

final, assembled dolphin

final, assembled flying fish

Neil Paulson and others

draft fish report, draft dolphin report

mechanical prototyping, SolidWorks, design, robotics, sheet metal, 3D printing, mechanical drawings, Olin College