Senior Design

EXTERNAL PROJECT PROPOSAL form - INDUSTRY PARTNERS INTERNAL PROJECT PROPOSAL form - Faculty/Students

Senior Capstone Design is one of the most important courses in the four-year curriculum. Students work beyond the traditional classroom setting to apply technical knowledge to actual engineering problems.

Teams are graded on their requirements analyses, feasibility studies, financial analyses, system designs, engineering drawings, prototype hardware, computer programs, presentations, demonstrations and reports. The experience helps students bridge the gap between their academic and professional careers by exposing them to realistic design processes, teamwork and expectations of practicing engineers.

Teams meet periodically with their client to review designs and provide written and oral progress reports. At the end of each semester, teams give a final presentation and write a design report. Evaluation is based on individual and team performance.

Senior Capstone Design provides these development facilities for the project teams. 

  • Projects Lab (LN-G111)
  • Tech Lab (EB-A4)
  • Vehicle Lab (EB-A3)
  • Electric Vehicle Lab (EB-D1)
  • Special Projects Lab (EB-A8)

The Projects Lab has a diverse array of benchtop equipment, which is assigned to individual teams as needed. The Tech Lab has a 3D digitizer, two 3-D printers, and several surface-mount technology soldering systems. The Vehicle Lab has innumerable automotive tools, including a TIG welder, and is home to the SAE Supermileage and MiniBaja project teams. The electric vehicle lab is home to the SAE Formula Electric vehicle. The Special Projects Lab is used for larger projects that will not fit into the Projects Lab. 

2022/2023 Senior Design Projects 

  • Formula SAE Pedal Box

    This project’s purpose is to design a pedal box to house the throttle and brake actuation for the Formula SAE Electric vehicle with the associated mechanical parts in the brake and throttle assembly. Additionally, this system will be designed for integration into the vehicle for the Formula Electric competition

  • Mini electrospinning collector

    This project will design and manufacture a mini electrospinning collector together with the digital controller and two mini-drums

  • Short throw wide footprint actuator

    The main thrust of the project is to design, build and test a high powered, small displacement linear actuator. The actuator has to have a strut-like architecture to improve vertical as well as horizontal stability as compared to a traditional electromechanical/hydraulic actuators, while attaining a required level of performance (weight, BW, cost)

  • WIG Remotely Controlled Airplane (A)

    Design, build, fly a Wing-In-Ground (WIG) remotely controlled airplane. A WIG airplane takes advantage of the so-called "ground effect", where left and drag of a fixed wing aircraft change dramatically (lift goes up while drag drops) when operating in close proximity to a surface. This project shall provide foundation (both theoretical and practical) for the Terraplane pod design

  • FSAE EV Frame & Suspension

    Design an integrated frame and suspension system that will enable the vehicle to perform well in dynamic events. The frame/suspension systems will keep all tires in contact with the ground under cornering and acceleration, support all components/driver, and accommodate driver feel, vehicle handling, and car balance.

  • FSAE EV Steering Wheel with Integrated Dashboard

    Design and build a Formula-Style Steering Wheel with an Integrated Dashboard for the Formula Student vehicle. The steering wheel will both allow for driver input to the rest of the vehicle and communicate critical information to the driver under normal driving conditions.

  • RC Plane for the AIAA Design, Build Fly Competition (AeroBing)

    The AIAA Design, Build, Fly Competition is held every year wherein engineering students can attempt to create an unmanned, electric, radio-controlled plane. This allows students to learn concepts related to aerodynamics and aircraft design in a tactile way, while facing specific design challenges that are changed for each year's competition.

  • Mars Rover Wheels

    Design an enhanced wheel for a Mars rover team. The objective is to improve the rover's mobility and performance on the challenging “Martian” terrain. The project will involve innovative design concepts, materials selection, and rigorous testing to optimize traction, durability, and maneuverability. 

  • AeroBing Rocket Motor Test Stand/DAQ System

    AeroBing is in need of a rocket motor test stand with reliable DAQ to interface with all AeroBing test motors.

  • Mars Rover End Effector 

    Design an end effector for the Binghamton Mars Rover Team’s custom robotic arm capable of manipulating buttons, switches, inserting a USB stick, and handling a 5kg rock, enhancing the rover's capabilities and dexterity for scientific exploration

  • Mars Rover High - Torque Gearbox

    Design a gearbox for the Binghamton Mars Rover Team’s custom robotic arm capable of holding the arm in the raised position with no power, with a torque of 100 kg⋅m2⋅s−2, enhancing the rover's capabilities and dexterity for scientific exploration.

  • AeroBing Adjustable Experimental Rocket Motor (JENNA 2)

    AeroBing needs an easily assembled rocket motor with swappable components to interface with a test stand and DAQ. 

  • Pedal Powered Theater

    Energy will be generated via pedal power or in a similar way (considering individuals with different abilities) that engages an audience in activity where the power generated is used to power a short theatrical performance. 

  • Mini-Baja SAE Transmission

    Design and manufacture a transmission for the Binghamton Motorsports Mini-Baja vehicle. The transmission will distribute power from the engine to the drivetrain and allow the driver to transition between forward and reverse movement. The transmission housing will shield the gears from the elements.

  • Mini-Baja SAE Frame and Suspension

    Design and manufacture the front and rear end of the Mini-Baja frame and front and rear suspension subassemblies. The frame/suspension will keep all tires in contact with the ground. The design will enable the vehicle to perform well in dynamic events while protecting the driver and vehicle components.

  • Gemstone Beads Sorting Machine

    A jewelry company, Youmine Technology Corp., is in need of a gemstone beads sorting machine to speed up their necklace production line. Existing designs of such machines fail miserably due to their low throughput and poor ability to sort and collect beads with similar colors. The goal of this project is to design and construct a working prototype of a gemstone beads sorting machine that fulfill this unmet need in the jewelry industry. 

  • WIG Remotely Controlled Airplane (B)

    Design, build, fly a Wing-In-Ground (WIG) remotely controlled airplane. A WIG airplane takes advantage of the so-called "ground effect", where left and drag of a fixed wing aircraft change dramatically (lift goes up while drag drops) when operating in close proximity to a surface. This project shall provide foundation (both theoretical and practical) for the Terraplane pod design

  • FSAE Vehicle Lift

    Design and manufacture a device that can lift Binghamton
    Motorsports baja and formula vehicles for servicing. The device will be in use for years to come
    and will be able to accommodate heavy vehicles.

  • Torque Sensor Demo Cart

    Students will create a cart for monitoring the output of a torque sensor. This will include designing and building the cart as well as designing a method for applying torque to a shaft. The cart shall be able to hold several different size shafts. Sponsored by: Unison Industries / GE Aerospace

  • Escape Room Mechanical Dial Prop

    Escape Room Mechanical Dial Prop to unlock clues via electro magnet in players area. Sponsored by: XSCAPE

  • SAE Baja Electric Conversion

    The aim of this project is to electrify an existing Baja vehicle for recreational purposes and to demonstrate the potential utility and robustness of electric off-road vehicles. Participants will have access to resources from a previously attempted electric conversion project.

  • Autonomous RC Race Car with Artificial Intelligence

    The overarching goal of this project is to design and develop a third-person robot coach/driver that can acquire vehicle telemetry data in real-time, provide coaching to racers, and autonomously drive an RC race car to compete with human racers.
    The International Federation of Model Auto Racing (IFMAR) World Championship is a yearly event for RC car enthusiasts. Numerous RC car racers at all ages compete on various tracks with different types and sizes of vehicles all year along. The satisfaction comes from winning, and it always come down to the honing of driving skills and the tuning/upgrade of the vehicle. Since there is no established way toward success, it can often be frustrating when little improvements are achieved after long time practicing and investment. Motivated by this need, this project focuses on the development of an autonomous RC racing robot coach/driver which represents a nascent field for third-person autonomous driving, different from the main stream technology that are first-person

  • FSAE EV Accumulator

    Design and manufacture an accumulator system for Binghamton Motorsports. The accumulator system will store and provide power to the vehicle’s motor controller through the use of cell batteries (Li-ion). The enclosure of the batteries will provide protection from environmental hazards, structural rigidity, and cooling capabilities. 

  • FSAE EV Rear Wing & DRS

    To improve and optimize the rear wing design from last year's FSAE car with the introduction of a Drag Reduction System. The system will allow the driver to adjust the angle of element (s) of the rear wing, optimizing aerodynamic performance, improving overall vehicle efficiency and enhancing straight-line speed/acceleration

  • Micro-aquarium

    The project aims to design a micro-aquarium that will house fish-shaped particles with varying electric charges and perform experimental studies on the motion and interaction of small-sized objects under AC and DC electric fields. The micro-aquarium will be powered by a set of electrodes that generate coupled external electric fields. The primary objective of the project is to generate the interest of students in controlling small-scale objects. The micro-aquarium will resemble microfluidic devices, providing students with the opportunity to observe micro-robots, experiment with different electric fields to observe changes in motion, and gain an understanding of control and planning principles while constructing various structures using micro-structured objects

  • Motorized gantry for tracking patients at MARL

    Project focuses on designing and building a tracking system for the Fall Arrest gantry at the MARL (Motion Analysis Research Laboratory). The project is two -fold: 1) the existing gantry shall be equipped with means to translate along two main axis of the gantry and 2) the system shall be able to identify and track position of a human subject using the gantry