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Title: Evaluation and validation of soft robotic end effectors for produce harvesting
Creator: Dutcher, Zachary F.
Date: 2018
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Global population is expected to exceed 9 billion people by 2050 which will require a 70% increase in net global food production. 75% of global farm holdings are considered small at 2.5 acres or less. While contemporary industrial farming gains efficiency through increased mechanization, it comes with significant environmental costs. Industrial farming practices such as frequent tillage, monocropping and use of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides are unsustainable practices that...
Show moreGlobal population is expected to exceed 9 billion people by 2050 which will require a 70% increase in net global food production. 75% of global farm holdings are considered small at 2.5 acres or less. While contemporary industrial farming gains efficiency through increased mechanization, it comes with significant environmental costs. Industrial farming practices such as frequent tillage, monocropping and use of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides are unsustainable practices that will continue to degrade the surrounding ecosystem. Small scale farms present an opportunity to utilize regenerative farming practices; however, they are potentially challenging to scale up and expensive to automate with conventional automation solutions. In this thesis, soft robotic end effectors are explored as a potential means of harvesting on regenerative (as well as conventional) farms. Three end effector designs are testing for parameters including grasp variability, grasp effectiveness and real-world simulation on apple orchards at Michigan State University. Apple harvesting metrics including detachment force, diameter and weight have been collected for one hundred early harvest Spartan-Macintosh variety apples. Results of this evaluation show promise for the application of these low-cost technologies; however, much work is needed before a complete and viable soft robotic harvesting system is available.
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Title: Design patterns for developing dynamically adaptive systems
Creator: Ramirez, Andres J.
Date: 2008
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations

Title: Design and evaluation of a health care needs assessment tool for adults with cerebral palsy and mental retardation
Creator: Clark, Nuala Catherine
Date: 1991
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations

Title: The relationship of instructional method and occupational interests to the perception of proportion in the environment
Creator: Smith, Ruth Ann
Date: 1973
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations

Title: Wide-band antenna design for use in minimal-scan, microwave tomographic imaging
Creator: Klaser, Jacob
Date: 2013
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Microwave tomography is widely used in biomedical imaging and nondestructive evaluation of dielectric materials. A novel microwave tomography system that uses an electrically-conformable mirror to steer the incident energy for producing multi-view projection data is being developed in the Non-Destructive Evaluation Laboratory (NDEL). Such a system will have a significant advantage over existing tomography systems in terms of simplicity of design and operation, particularly when there is...
Show moreMicrowave tomography is widely used in biomedical imaging and nondestructive evaluation of dielectric materials. A novel microwave tomography system that uses an electrically-conformable mirror to steer the incident energy for producing multi-view projection data is being developed in the Non-Destructive Evaluation Laboratory (NDEL). Such a system will have a significant advantage over existing tomography systems in terms of simplicity of design and operation, particularly when there is limited-access of the structure that is being imaged. The major components of a mirror-based tomography system are the source mirror assembly, and a receiver array for capturing the multi-view projection data. This thesis addresses the design and development of the receiver array. This imaging array features balanced, anti-podal Vivaldi antennas, which offer large bandwidth, high gain and a compact size. From the simulations, as well as the experimental results for the antenna, the return loss (S11) is below -10dB for the range from 2.2GHz to 8.2GHz, and the gain is measured to be near 6dB. The data gathered from the receiver array is then run through MATLAB code for tomographic reconstruction using the Filtered Back-Propagation algorithm from limited-view projections. Initial results of reconstruction from the measured data shows the feasibility of the approach, but a significant challenge remains in interpolating the data for a limited number of receiving antenna elements and removing noise from the reconstructed image.
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Title: Assessing bikeway design alternatives : DALMAC route centeral Michigan case study
Creator: Li, Yinliang
Date: 2018
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: The objective of this thesis is to explore the differences and possibilities of bikeway design implemented with different treatments by examining the DALMAC bicycle camping tour. In the following steps, the thesis conducted series of analysis to select the final route by assessing three segments (Site A, Site B, and Site C) as study sites from DALMAC (b = 3). The investigation studied treatment including: 1) Existing Treatment, 2) Balance Treatment, 3) Extremely Safe Treatment, 4) Extremely...
Show moreThe objective of this thesis is to explore the differences and possibilities of bikeway design implemented with different treatments by examining the DALMAC bicycle camping tour. In the following steps, the thesis conducted series of analysis to select the final route by assessing three segments (Site A, Site B, and Site C) as study sites from DALMAC (b = 3). The investigation studied treatment including: 1) Existing Treatment, 2) Balance Treatment, 3) Extremely Safe Treatment, 4) Extremely Enjoyable Treatment, and 5) Extremely Environmental Treatment (k = 5). In order to test the differences among treatments statistically through Freidman Test of variances, there is a scoring criteria consisting of 30 questions. As a result, this data indicated that at least one treatment yield different values among all treatments (p ≤ 0.005 or p ≤ 0.001). Furthermore, among all treatments across 3 sites, the Extremely Enjoyable Treatment statistically performed best (p ≤ 0.05). In conclusion, this thesis investigated the potential values of bicycle enjoyment for a specific segment of DALMAC route.
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Title: Impact of color on children's play behaviors
Creator: Safferman, Bridget Nicole
Date: 2015
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: IMPACT OF COLOR ON CHILDREN’S PLAY BEHVIORSByBridget Nicole SaffermanThis research examines the effects of differently colored playground balls on the play behaviors of children between the ages of three and four. Color vision in human beings triggers certain physical and psychological responses that can influence behavioral changes; the goal of this observational study is to determine if these responses are strong enough to influence the type and durations of children’s play. This...
Show moreIMPACT OF COLOR ON CHILDREN’S PLAY BEHVIORSByBridget Nicole SaffermanThis research examines the effects of differently colored playground balls on the play behaviors of children between the ages of three and four. Color vision in human beings triggers certain physical and psychological responses that can influence behavioral changes; the goal of this observational study is to determine if these responses are strong enough to influence the type and durations of children’s play. This observational study was conducted on children between the ages of 36 and 60 months old who were enrolled in a children’s daycare and child development research facility. Results of this study produced trends that indicate that certain colors do have an impact on the level of activity in which children play, namely, that children exhibit a greater number of play behaviors on traditional playgrounds, but play longer on nature playgrounds. Additionally, trends suggested that red and yellow, warm colors, increase the number of active and low active play behaviors observed and blue, a cool color, increases the durations of play behaviors. This knowledge suggest that color could be a viable tool in designing play spaces to meet specific needs and promoting different play behaviors in childrenKeywords: Color, Children’s Play Behaviors, Children’s Play Durations, Level of Activity
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Title: Natural landscaping, a comparison of design treatments in a surface mine setting
Creator: Wang, Lishuang
Date: 2013
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Planners, designers, scientists, and citizens are interested in rehabilitation, reclamation and protection of the post-mining environment. Consequently, a fair amount of research from scholars is focused on the technical aspects concerning the revegetation of the landscape and the science of reclamation; while only a small portion of the literature concerns planning and design. In this thesis, a case study in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan is used to explore post-ming treatments: abandoned...
Show morePlanners, designers, scientists, and citizens are interested in rehabilitation, reclamation and protection of the post-mining environment. Consequently, a fair amount of research from scholars is focused on the technical aspects concerning the revegetation of the landscape and the science of reclamation; while only a small portion of the literature concerns planning and design. In this thesis, a case study in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan is used to explore post-ming treatments: abandoned mine, resort development. a super hotel resot, and natural vegetation communities. The treatments (k=4) were evaluated with an environmental quality measure upon 10 images from each treatment (b=10). The results indicated that the resort and the natural community were best treatments, significantly better than the abandoned mine treatment (p<0.05). The super hotel was ranked as the third, which is less preferred than the two best treatments, but much better than the abandoned mine treatment (p<0.05). By identifying difference between each treatment, the results shows people have preference for natural environment and natural landscape is beautiful in their views.
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Title: BTAudio (Bluetooth Audio Program) and quite talk profile
Creator: Chen, Jun
Date: 2003
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations

Title: A unique approach to frequency-modulated continuous-wave radar design
Creator: Charvat, Gregory Louis
Date: 2003
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations

Title: A study of Pakistani decorative textile design motifs adapted for use in western-style contemporary homes
Creator: Wasi, Surraya
Date: 1962
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations

Title: Alternative segmentation schemes for the design of traffic maps
Creator: Stevens, Joshua E.
Date: 2011
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Drivers in urban environments constantly face the problem of congestion. As a geographic hindrance that is growing rapidly in both frequency and severity, congestion represents a major burden to drivers and transportation systems alike. At the same time, recent advancements in technology have given cartographers unprecedented access to high-quality, real-time traffic data that is readily employed in traffic maps from various sources. Previous research has demonstrated that providing drivers...
Show moreDrivers in urban environments constantly face the problem of congestion. As a geographic hindrance that is growing rapidly in both frequency and severity, congestion represents a major burden to drivers and transportation systems alike. At the same time, recent advancements in technology have given cartographers unprecedented access to high-quality, real-time traffic data that is readily employed in traffic maps from various sources. Previous research has demonstrated that providing drivers with relevant, time-based information reduces environmental uncertainty, yielding benefits to individuals as well as the transportation network as a whole. Unfortunately, many of the available traffic maps are variations of a single design approach which is replete with ambiguity that hinders the task of travel time estimation. This is largely due to the irregular segmentation of the transportation network used in conventional traffic map design. To address this issue, two prototype designs are proposed that present regular, fixed segmentation schemes. The first approach employs segments that have a fixed length of distance, removing the users' need to estimate incomplete distances along the route. The second approach represents travel time directly by fixing segment length to a unit of travel time. Results of a user-based experiment strongly favor the regularly-segmented approaches for the purpose of travel time estimation and suggest that conventional traffic map designs are not adequate for this task. Traffic maps utilizing the fixed-minute segmentation were greatly preferred by users and were associated with significant improvements in travel time estimation.
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Title: Tenets of design for information exchange for boredom relief in passengers on long airport layovers using handheld devices
Creator: Gargeshwari, Malini Rao Raghunatha Rao
Date: 2001
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations

Title: Context sensitive design : a non-transportation example in Michigan
Creator: Wang, Yun
Date: 2012
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: In recent decades, the conflict between environmental degradation and development of human society is has been exacerbated. This situation engages planners and designers to minimize the negative human impact, protect and create a healthy ecosystem, reclaim degraded environments while also encouraging a healthy business and cultural climate. Context sensitive design is a philosophy which can help foster such an approach accommodating environmental issues and striking a balance between...
Show moreIn recent decades, the conflict between environmental degradation and development of human society is has been exacerbated. This situation engages planners and designers to minimize the negative human impact, protect and create a healthy ecosystem, reclaim degraded environments while also encouraging a healthy business and cultural climate. Context sensitive design is a philosophy which can help foster such an approach accommodating environmental issues and striking a balance between stakeholders to create an environmental friendly project. In this study, I applied a Context Sensitive Design philosophy for a Ski Resort project in Michigan. I evaluated and compare the Context Sensitive Design project outcomes with three other design solutions/treatments: a Housing Unit design using Le Corbusier's theory for structures, a Forested Woodland Community and an Abandoned Surface Mine condition. To compare the project treatments, I employed a visual quality equation, two habitat models, surface water runoff, and a vegetation diversity index. The statistical results indicated that the Forested Woodland Community was significantly better than the Abandoned Surface Mine condition, but the other treatments were not significantly different from each other.
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Title: Design, construction, & calibration of a sixty-inch integrating sphere photometer
Creator: Hedrich, Walter A.
Date: 1932
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations

Title: The design of a bus terminal for Lansing, Mich
Creator: Edwards, William B.
Date: 1932
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations

Title: Object location and shape estimation using a MIMO FMCW millimeter wave sensor
Creator: Lou, Yun
Date: 2018
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Autonomous systems such as self-driving cars and drones are going to transform our lives in many ways. One fundamental element of these systems is the accurate and robust sensing of the surrounding environments. Current solutions involve a multi-modal approach where varieties of sensors are utilized to achieve the best performance. Among all the sensing modalities, millimeter wave radar is playing a critical role due to its high resolution and the capability of sensing in the dark environment...
Show moreAutonomous systems such as self-driving cars and drones are going to transform our lives in many ways. One fundamental element of these systems is the accurate and robust sensing of the surrounding environments. Current solutions involve a multi-modal approach where varieties of sensors are utilized to achieve the best performance. Among all the sensing modalities, millimeter wave radar is playing a critical role due to its high resolution and the capability of sensing in the dark environment. As the cost, size and weight of millimeter wave radars decrease prominently in recent years, there is a significant opportunity to widely adopt it for a variety of sensing tasks.This thesis presents a MIMO FMCW millimeter wave radar system at 77-81 GHz band. It is a small-size and high-accuracy solution for sensing objects in the environment. Our system is designed to estimate the object's surface shape, orientation, curvature, boundaries, and 2D location by detecting the object's surface at multiple positions on a planned trajectory. We evaluated our system on a metal rectangular box and a metal cylinder. The experiment results show that our system is able to determine the surface type (planar or curved) correctly and achieve cm-level accuracy on the boundaries and location estimation. The orientation error is bounded to 2.14 degrees. The curvature estimation is highly accurate for the middle part of the curved surface.
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Title: A design of a revetment wall for erosion control on Red Cedar river
Creator: Holgate, Joseph
Date: 1948
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations

Title: Design of a centrifugal pump for liquid fuel pumping application
Creator: Cao, David Thiepxuan
Date: 2002
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations

Title: Instrument automation and measurement data curation platform for enhancing research reproducibility and knowledge discovery
Creator: Gtat, Yousef
Date: 2019
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: "Many applications demand the continued development of sensing systems that employ smart sensors, instrumentation circuits, and signal processing techniques to extract relevant information from real-world environments. In the engineering efforts to develop new sensors, tasks such as instrument automation, measurement process curation, real-time data acquisition, data analysis, and long-term tracking of inter-related datasets generate a significant volume and variety of information that is...
Show more"Many applications demand the continued development of sensing systems that employ smart sensors, instrumentation circuits, and signal processing techniques to extract relevant information from real-world environments. In the engineering efforts to develop new sensors, tasks such as instrument automation, measurement process curation, real-time data acquisition, data analysis, and long-term tracking of inter-related datasets generate a significant volume and variety of information that is challenging to organize, record, and analyze. Sensor development and characterization experiments can be laborious, prone to human error, difficult to repeat precisely, and can produce data that are challenging to interpret. Such issues highlight a need for a structured, automated approach to curate measurement processes and data acquisition. This thesis presents the first software platform for i) digitally designing measurement recipes, ii) remotely scheduling and monitoring experiment execution, iii) automatic data acquisition, iv) analyzing and storing results datasets, and v) linking the datasets with their prospective meta-datasets for deeper analysis and inspection. The proposed platform is flexible and capable of managing a large set of diverse instruments, measurement recipes and sensor datasets. By employing several design abstractions, it allows users to remotely design, schedule, monitor and execute measurement-based experiments while archiving results along with their information-rich metadata therefore preserving the provenance of the datasets. The platform enable precise timing control of instruments and stimulus signals along with long-term tracking of datasets eliminating manual errors and human omissions thus enhancing research reproducibility and promoting knowledge discovery methodologies."--Page ii.
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