Projects at the Design Lab

The Design Lab continually seeks projects that accomplish two goals:

  • To engage engineering students in open-ended, technically challenging, real-world design projects that are important to sponsors and partners.
  • To provide a valuable return on investment in ideas, innovations, and potential employees to our sponsors and partners.

As we approach the end of our second decade, we have built up a broad base of project experience and past work.The projects shown here represent only a small sampling of the hundreds of projects that our students have delivered.

Example Projects

Create a mechanical design to support Perkin Elmer’s conceptual plan for extending tube life of a Peristaltic Pump.
Provide a software tool to evaluate opportunities when associated products and services (like Virtual Pipeline) can be marketed and sold.
Create a phone application that will allow field technicians to accurately record wind turbine configuration information.
Generate lifetime consumption estimations and fatigue based metrics for wind turbines.
Develop test method to accurately predict performance of Velcro hook and loop fasteners in diapers.
Minimize vibrations of the cryocooler for operation in sensitive environments.
Project to replace customer-specific welded interfaces on the exterior of an MRI magnet with an alternative joining method to create a standard or "vanilla" magnet that is differentiated later in the production process.
Evaluate seasonal variability in quenching of MRI magnets.
Redesign gantry crane system to reduce time, manpower, and cost to complete NGC gearbox maintenance in GE Wind Turbines.
Design and simulate robotic arms that can properly apply sealant to the inside of an airplane’s wingbox.
Create a foundation in workspace design and assembly operations for Raytheon to use going forward. System will reduce labor and assembly costs through more efficient operations and increased labor production.
S16 AGS Balance
The Design Lab, in partnership with the Albany Guardian Society, has been exploring balance any mobility topics for many years leading to an approach for mobility testing to help avoid the risk of falling among senior citizens.
S16 Cross-Flow Wind Turbine
To develop a wind energy harnessing device that performs well in urban environments by minimizing upfront costs and limiting space consumption, noise pollution and rooftop stresses.
F15 CASE Ecosystem of Systems
Provide CASE with a modular test chamber to assess the impact of a variety of new technologies on environmental conditions and indoor air quality.
Solar Kiosk
Develop a solar powered kiosk that provides a secure place to charge phones and offer Wi-Fi service for customers.
Corning Design Applications
Develop enabling technologies for Corning including low cost, end of fiber reflector to achieve uniform light distribution throughout length: efficiency > 50; develop practical mounting solutions to aid in FibranceTM installation within architectural applications.
Wearable Technology

Study the feasibility of using VELCRO brand conductive hook and loop fasteners in wearable technology

3D Printing of Silicon RPI Keychain

Determine the capability of silicones in the additive manufacturing process to allow for customizable solutions in the medical, aerospace, automotive, electronic, and consumer industries. Expand the market for Momentive silicones.

Antenna Array Figure 1
Wind turbine blades ice in cold climates. GE wants technical evaluation of microwave deicing option. Design test system to deice 1 meter blade section.
Testbed Diagram describing Wind Turbine Blade De-Icing internals

Investigate the use of microwave de‐icing technology to enhance the performance of wind turbine blades operating in cold environments

Arm Motion Diagrams Figure 1
Improve customer ease of life for a specific quadriplegic customer. Increase access to tools by developing custom wrist braces.
Bath Toy Figure 2
Create a water‐recirculating toy that allows children to safely play with running water. Toy is self‐pumping and provides multiple water outlets, unlike competitors.