IEEE AESS Sponsors Senior Capstone Design Project: Triage Drone
Most engineering programs require students to complete a capstone design project as part of the requirements for graduation with a BS degree. The Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) in the United States requires completion of a capstone design project as part of an accredited program for a BS in engineering. These projects typically involve a semester for design and a second semester for prototype construction and demonstration.
These capstone design projects expose students to many challenges associated engineering in the “real-world.” Students apply things that they have learned and quickly learn that nothing is as simple as the typical classroom assignment that they have encountered thus far. First of all, they are forced to study and learn beyond their course work. Second, they learn to break problems down into parts and accept responsibility for their roles. Third, they learn about schedules and the fact that things take much more time and effort than anticipated. Fourth, they learn that resources are limited and things often do not go as anticipated. These capstone design projects are truly an excellent part of the engineering education.
In support of students in electrical and computer engineering, the IEEE AESS BoG is interested in sponsoring senior capstone design projects in support of engineering students and involvement of IEEE AESS members in engineer education. The more successful capstone design projects tend to have commercial or industrial sponsors that identify and scope a project and fund the prototype development. The subject matter experts representing the sponsor provide technical guidance and advise the design team with scheduling and setting requirements. In the ideal program sponsored by IEEE AESS, IEEE AESS members serve as the sponsors and subject matter experts for problems in their area of interests at a university of their choice and AESS funds the project.
As a pilot program, the IEEE AESS BoG funded a triage drone project in the Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) Department at Tennessee Technological University (TTU). The ECE Department responded to a request for a proposal (RFP) with a technical plan, schedule, and budget. A triage drone was proposed for assessing victims that cannot be easily accessed by medical personnel. The triage drone included a Doppler radar for measuring heart rate and respiratory rate, a microphone and speaker for communications, and a camera. The Triage Drone Team included students Gabriel Buckner, Mathias Hagewood, Chris Bradley, Reese Gilbert, and Caleb Bucher. Stephen Piper, AnnMarie Spexet, and Dale Blair of the Georgia Tech Research Institute served as customers for the triage drone project and met regularly with the students to provide technical guidance. The Triage Drone Team was selected for the best capstone project for the spring of 2025.
IEEE AESS BoG will be issuing and RFP for senior capstone design projects and the BoG encourages AESS members to team with universities to submit a proposal.