Additional Projects
Individual Research and Reports
Clinical Biosensors Review
Objectives:
- Research the clinical relevance of cardiac troponin.
- Study two sensor technologies which can detect troponin.
- Evaluate which sensor technology is the most effective.
Key Findings:
- Cardiac troponin could be used as a measure to diagnose acute myocardial infarction (AMI).
- Both amperometric and impedimetric sensors exhibit excellent performance, with outstanding limit of detection (LOD).
- Point-of-care (POC) testing is associated with increased accuracy and sensitivity of biosensors.
Technical Skills Developed:
- Research – Clinical Analysis, Literature Review, Scientific Writing
- Engineering – Schematic Drawings, Design Evaluation
Arduino-Based Robotic Vehicle
Objectives:
- Assemble the OSOYOO Robot Car using hardware components.
- Use Arduino to program line following, obstacle avoidance, distance sensing, and wall following.
- Test robot car on a course involving all four programming functions.
Key Findings:
- The robotic vehicle successfully carried out the four intended functions individually, but not altogether.
- Line following was reliable but limited by sharp turns (beyond 90 degrees).
- Approaches such as global path planning and memory-based navigation could improve performance.
Technical Skills Developed:
- Programming – Arduino, Automation, Threshold-Based Control
- Engineering – Hardware Assembly, Critical Analysis, Systems Integration
Mechanical Testing of Tendons
Objectives:
- Investigate the effect of storing rat tail tendons in PBS solution on viscoelastic properties.
- Perform stress relaxation and stretch-to-failure tests on fresh-frozen tendons, and PBS-incubated tendons.
- Compare and discuss results of both groups, linking back to literature.
Key Findings:
- As expected, PBS-incubated tendons relaxed quicker due to reduced stiffness.
- Fresh-frozen tendons exhibited higher strength and toughness.
- PBS-incubated tendons were expected to show more ductile behaviour, but failed at a lower strain than fresh-frozen tendons.
Technical Skills Developed:
- Research – Hypothesis Testing, Literature Review, Experimental Analysis
- Lab Techniques – Sample Preparation, Biomechanical Testing, Incubation Techniques
Culturing GAGs in Agarose
Objectives:
- Mechanically test 4% and 6% agarose constructs via compression to compare differences in stress and strain.
- Measure the concentration of glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) cultured in agarose at zero and 7 days.
- Determine the effect of agarose concentration on GAG proliferation.
Key Findings:
- 6% agarose was stronger and stiffer than 4% agarose due to denser gel structure.
- Both constructs had the highest concentration of GAGs at zero days.
- 4% agarose may allow more uptake of GAGs due to better nutrient diffusion, and 6% agarose provides more mechanical support.
Technical Skills Developed:
- Research – Data Analysis, Tissue Engineering, Mechanical Testing
- Lab Techniques – Sample Preparation, Spectrophotometry, Cell Culturing
Finite Element Analysis of Bracket
Objectives:
- Design a shelf bracket on Abaqus CAE to perform Finite Element Analysis (FEA) on, and apply loads and boundary conditions.
- Mesh the structure using triangular and quadrilateral mesh types, and adjust the number of elements formed.
- Obtain results for stress and displacement convergence for both mesh types and compare.
Key Findings:
- A quadrilateral linear mesh type provided the most accurate simulation.
- As global seed size decreased and mesh was refined, accuracy increased.
- Quadrilateral mesh types converged at much lower elements than triangular meshes.
Technical Skills Developed:
- Software – CAD, Abaqus CAE, FEA
- Engineering – Force Simulations, Engineering Design, Graph Analysis.
