Innovation Abounds at Fall 2023 Senior Design Showcase

From training simulations for military personnel and an optimization plan for a luxury boat company to a toaster that crisps bread according to your perfect toast color and a smart chessboard crafted for beginners, UCF student innovation was on full display at the Fall 2023 Senior Design Showcase.

Seniors in computer science, electrical and computer engineering, photonic science and engineering, industrial engineering and management systems, and mechanical and aerospace engineering demonstrated the knowledge they gleaned over their academic journey at UCF, culminating into one final endeavor prior to graduation. Each team spent up to a year on their capstone projects from concept to creation, working in teams to help prepare for the real-world collaborations they will experience when they enter the workforce.

Students submitted video presentations of their work to a group of volunteer judges who evaluated each project based on a rubric that examined multiple facets, including technical merit, the broader impacts of the work, project management and creativity.

Out of more than 90 teams, 30 were selected to present their work live to the judges for the in-person senior design showcase.

The judges selected the following standout projects from each discipline, and the overall showcase winner who won the Best in Show award:

UCF Department of Computer Science:
RE-Rassor: Technology Upgrades

UCF Electrical and Computer Engineering:
Autonomous Trash Sorter

UCF Industrial Engineering and Management Systems:
Scheduling and Utilization Cost Improvements for the Cepheid Product Line

Interdisciplinary:
A Machine Learning Solution to Spinal Surgery Candidate Assessment

UCF Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering:
GlideX – Underwater Glider

Best in Show:
UCF Polaris: Mobile Campus Exploration

This showcase marks the first time that four projects from the Biodesign Program in Rehabilitation Engineering made it to the final round of the Senior Design Showcase. All six projects were presented during the Biomedical Engineering Showcase, a mini version of the Senior Design showcase that takes place during the main event. Representatives from Advent Health as well as faculty members from the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering were on hand to judge the projects. The top three projects were:

First Place:
Augmented Wheelchair System

Second Place:
Low Excursion: Wheelchair Braking System

Third Place:
Oral Stimulation Device

The Fall 2023 Senior Design Showcase was sponsored by Northrop Grumman, L3Harris, Mitsubishi Power and Texas Instruments.