Academic Building

ɫ��Ƶ's Intelligent Transportation Lab Enhanced by Margaret Dunning Foundation Grant

rnorris — Tue, 29 Apr 2025 14:00:26 +0000

ɫ��Ƶ's Intelligent Transportation Lab Enhanced by Margaret Dunning Foundation Grant

Campus

rnorris Tue, 04/29/2025 - 10:00

$40,000 award expands testing and research capabilities for next-gen mobility engineers

ɫ��Ƶ has expanded the capabilities of its Intelligent Transportation Lab (ITL) thanks to a $40,000 grant from the Margaret Dunning Foundation. The funding supported upgrades to the lab’s equipment and space, ensuring students and faculty have access to advanced tools for real-world vehicle testing, research, and innovation.

The ITL, connected to ɫ��Ƶ’s Mechanical Engineering program, gives students hands-on experience with the technologies used in today’s evolving mobility industry. It supports work in vehicle dynamics, Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS), ride quality analysis, and subsystem validation.

Recent ITL enhancements include professional-grade equipment such as a multi-channel data acquisition system, advanced sensors, and Controller Area Network (CAN) interface hardware. The improvements will support collaborative research and student projects, including developing ɫ��Ƶ’s Formula SAE Electric race car and vibration testing for industry partners like Yokohama Tire.

“I would like to extend my sincere thanks to the Margaret Dunning Foundation for supporting the ITL,” said Dr. Jennifer Bastiaan, associate professor of Mechanical Engineering at ɫ��Ƶ. “This gift has enabled us to transform an already high-impact lab into a next-level learning and research environment, training students in the skills that industry demands and innovation requires.”

The ITL is key to ɫ��Ƶ’s commitment to giving students early, hands-on opportunities to solve complex problems using today’s industry-standard technology. By integrating real data, real vehicles, and real testing scenarios into coursework and Co-op experiences, the lab equips students to lead in Michigan’s mobility sector and beyond.

About the Margaret Dunning Foundation

The Margaret Dunning Foundation was founded by Ms. Dunning in 1997. She was born in 1910 in Redford Township, Michigan, and moved with her mother to Plymouth in the 1920s. During her lifetime, Ms. Dunning was a successful businesswoman, philanthropist, and classic car enthusiast, often participating in the Woodward Dream Cruise in her 1930 Packard 740 Roadster. Ms. Dunning passed away in 2015 at the age of 104. Her estate provided additional funding for the Foundation, which continues to support her charitable interests and preserve her legacy. Learn more at www.margaretdunningfdn.org.

College of Engineering

ɫ��Ƶ Senior Gains Competitive Edge with Cutting-Edge Robotic Cell

rnorris — Fri, 11 Apr 2025 14:39:42 +0000

ɫ��Ƶ Senior Gains Competitive Edge with Cutting-Edge Robotic Cell

Electrical Engineering

Undergraduate

rnorris Fri, 04/11/2025 - 10:39

For ɫ��Ƶ senior Scotty Grunwald ’26, an electrical engineering major from Riverview, Michigan, engineering has always been about more than theory — it’s about building real solutions. When he encountered the University’s newest robotic cell, he gained another opportunity to work hands-on with ɫ��Ƶ’s state-of-the-art robotic system, built in collaboration with Patti Engineering, Mitsubishi Electric, and Keyence Corporation.

“This was my first real attempt at a full automation system,” Grunwald said. “It was a lot harder than it looks on paper, but that’s what made it so valuable.”

The robotic cell, installed in ɫ��Ƶ’s engineering lab, gives students direct experience in programming and debugging industrial automation. Featuring an industrial robot and a collaborative robot, the cell performs pick-and-place operations, complete with a 3D vision system and industrial robot for unstructured material arrival, as well as the collaborative robot and a stationary camera for inspection. A flexible code base allows students to modify programming and test their solutions while safety features remain locked in place. The result is a hands-on learning tool that mirrors state-of-the-art challenges met with the precision of real-world manufacturing automation.

“Our students want to work on things that are meaningful,” said ɫ��Ƶ lecturer Andrew Watchorn. “This system puts cutting-edge automation technology in front of them, allowing them to see the impact of their problem-solving in real-time. That hands-on experience builds deep expertise — the kind that sets ɫ��Ƶ graduates apart in industry.”

The vision for the robotic cell began with Sam Hoff ’90, CEO of Patti Engineering. As a ɫ��Ƶ alumnus, Hoff knows firsthand the power of hands-on education and saw an opportunity to give students an advantage in automation and robotics. He approached Mitsubishi Electric with the idea, and together with Keyence, BorgWarner, and ɫ��Ƶ faculty, they brought the concept to life.

“We are proud to support ɫ��Ƶ’s engineering students by providing this state-of-the-art robotic cell,” Hoff said. “This tool will offer invaluable practical experience and help equip students with the skills necessary for success in the rapidly evolving field of robotics and automation.”

For Grunwald, the experience was transformative. Although his early interests leaned toward circuit design and programming, working with the robotic cell changed how he thought about automation.

“This project definitely gave me an edge in the job market,” he said. “I can say, ‘I’ve worked with Mitsubishi PLCs before. I’ve programmed Mitsubishi robots.’ Even working with HMIs [human-machine interfaces] — it all adds to my portfolio and sets me apart.”

Few students outside of ɫ��Ƶ gain that competitive edge. Grunwald frequently compares notes with friends from other universities, many of whom lack access to industrial-grade automation systems.

“None of them really have experience with anything purely automation-based,” he said. “They might have a small robot in a lab, but nothing like this — nothing that could go straight into an industrial environment.”

College of Engineering

Creativity Fuels Student-Led Teams in FIRST Robotics Annual Robot in Three Days Challenge

eoboyle — Thu, 18 Jan 2024 14:45:59 +0000

Creativity Fuels Student-Led Teams in FIRST Robotics Annual Robot in Three Days Challenge

Academic Building

Robotic Systems

Robotics

Robotics Community Center

“We're catering to the younger teams and students who are looking for ideas and inspiration, so we really have to think outside the box and find the simplest solutions.“

Kirsten Smith '26
Mechanical Engineering

eoboyle Thu, 01/18/2024 - 09:45

As a returning Robot in Three Days strategist, Kirsten Smith (’26, Mechanical Engineering) understands the value of thinking outside the box.

“Strategy is absolutely everything,” she explained. “Of course, we want to build a working robot that can be competitive, but we have to keep in mind who our audience is. We're catering to the younger teams and students who are looking for ideas and inspiration, so we really have to think outside the box and find the simplest solutions.”

Smith, from Brighton, participated in FIRST’s annual Robot in Three Days (Ri3D) Challenge, which requires competitors to build a robot for the 2024 FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) Game, CRESCENDO. The Ri3D Challenge took place Jan. 6-9 in the Robotics Community Center at ɫ��Ƶ.

In CRESCENDO, teams compete to score notes and amplify their speakers, aiming to harmonize their robots onstage and take the spotlight within a time limit. In the first 15 seconds of the match, robots operate autonomously. Drivers control the robots during the remaining two minutes and 15 seconds. Teams earn bonus points when they meet scoring thresholds and cooperate with opponents.

“If strategy is everything, creativity is even more,” Smith said. “We have to be resourceful, not only with our time, but with the spare parts and materials available. We don't want to intrude on the teams' stocks, so we have to use parts and chunks of old robots that are years old.”

As teams work within a three-day time frame, tools like Computer-Aided Design (CAD) modeling software are a crucial part of the build. This year, ɫ��Ƶ shared the Bulldogs’ progress by making the team’s virtual CAD platform, named OnShape, available to the public.

For students unable to make the trip to ɫ��Ƶ's Robotics Community Center, watching teams design and build robots online is inspiring.

“FIRST students from all around the world go to the First Updates Now (FUN) YouTube channel or OnShape to see the many designs created by Ri3D teams like ɫ��Ƶ,” said Kim Shumaker, the ɫ��Ƶ Director of Robotics Outreach & Robotics Center. “These designs are often a starting point for the high school teams and can save design time, especially for rookie teams.”

As ɫ��Ƶ continues to support young robotics teams, platforms like YouTube continue to be a crucial connection point for new students.

“The FUN YouTube channel is a go-to for robotics students. The attention they dedicate to robotics is phenomenal,” Shumaker said. “They’re an important partner for ɫ��Ƶ as we reach out to these talented young students involved with robotics.”

This year, ɫ��Ƶ will host two FIRST Robotics District events Feb. 29-March 2 and March 7-9.

Teams can watch videos from the build here.

Click here for more information about robotics at ɫ��Ƶ.

College of Engineering

Engineering (BSE)

Academic Building

ɫ����Ƶ's Intelligent Transportation Lab Enhanced by Margaret Dunning Foundation Grant

ɫ����Ƶ Senior Gains Competitive Edge with Cutting-Edge Robotic Cell

Creativity Fuels Student-Led Teams in FIRST Robotics Annual Robot in Three Days Challenge

ɫ��Ƶ's Intelligent Transportation Lab Enhanced by Margaret Dunning Foundation Grant

ɫ��Ƶ Senior Gains Competitive Edge with Cutting-Edge Robotic Cell