Biomedical Engineering
MAE CenteredMEng Projects 2012-2013

Professor Daniel Fletcher project (Vet College) project:
Title: High fidelity dog and cat simulators for veterinary training
Training of veterinary students in the area of emergency and critical care medicine poses many practical and ethical challenges. Although didactic lectures have traditionally been used to teach the concepts of the management of these types of cases, it is often difficult to allow students to transfer that knowledge into practice in a clinical training environment due to the time sensitive nature of the diagnostic and treatment decisions that must be made. In human medicine, high fidelity simulators have been developed to address this deficit in clinical training. These devices provide feedback of many types, including pulses, heart sounds, lung sounds, input to clinical monitors, and responses to physical interventions that allow the development of realistic, timely clinical scenarios for training without risk to an actual patient. Such devices are programmable, and can be used to simulate a multitude of clinical scenarios and procedures. Numerous studies have been published showing enhanced and accelerated clinical competence among medical students trained with these simulators when compared to students trained with the didactic approach. However, these technologies have not successfully been adapted for training of veterinary students in the context of the types of clinical diseases common in veterinary species.
Dr. Dan Fletcher, an Emergency and Critical Care Medicine specialist at Cornell's College of Veterinary Medicine, has a PhD in Biomedical Engineering and is interested in developing a cost-effective simulator for clinical training of veterinary students. The project includes development of open-source, cross-platform control software, as well development of interfaces to microcontrollers, sensors, and actuators within the mannequin. The end product will be made available for use at veterinary training facilities around the world.
Contact information: Daniel Fletcher (djf42@cornell.edu)

Industrial Projects offered by Professor Jonathan Black projects:
General Notes: Prof. Black supervises M.Eng. design projects on a team basis, with the intention of providing a group experience that closely replicates industrial design activities. The chartering of any one team depends upon the appropriate group of students, with individual skill sets, being available for that project. The attached project briefs are correct as of 7/10/12 but are subject to change. Several others are under discussion and Prof. Black is open to considering student initiated design problems.
Schedule: A full presentation concerning each project will be made during MEng orientation on Monday, August 13. Prof. Black will be available during the following week for individual discussions (Weill 406); enquiries may be made by email: jb2245@cornell.edu.
Prof. Black will be holding extended, open office hours Tuesday August 21, 10:30a – 12:30p in Weill 221. Teams will then be selected and finalized within 24-48 hours. Students interested in any of these projects should email the following information to Prof. Black, as soon as possible:

  1. Projects desired, in order of preference.
  2. Summary, by course titles, of courses you took during your Junior and Senior years as an undergraduate.
  3. Title and date of any academic degrees (or other professional preparation) that you have completed post-High School.
  4. Particular personal skills that may be applicable: foreign language reading/ translation abilities, graphics and/or FEA program familiarity, etc.
  5. Best way to contact you (as well as email address, and AIM or Skype name).
  6. A brief personal statement touching on:
    1. Reasons for electing to enter the M.Eng program at Cornell.
    2. Reasons for selecting the particular design project (primary choice).
    3. Primary initial objective after completing the M.Eng degree.

Projects (By title):

  1. Dispenser and Packaging System Design for Novel Conformable Bone Graft MaterialSponsor: Ultramet, Pacoima, CA. Team size: 3
  2. Improved, Reusable Ceramic-Metal Modular Interfaces for Total Hip ReplacementsSponsor: CeramTec, AG, Ploggingen, Germany. Team Size: 4
  3. 3) In Vitro Anterior Cruciate Ligament Mechanics SimulatorSponsor: Dimensionless Innovations, Los Angeles, CA. Team size: 3
  4. Functional Repair of the Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ)Sponsor: TMJ Assoc. LLC, Milwaukee, WI. Team Size: 4 (2 to be appointed in August 2012 to ongoing project)
  5. Multimodal Pain Control of Temporomandibular Joint Disorder (TMJD)Sponsor: TMJ Assoc. LLC, Milwaukee, WI. Team Size: 4 (3 to be appointed in August 2012 to ongoing project)
  6. Improving Safety and Utility of Closed Chain Exercise Equipment for SeniorsSponsor: In negotiation. Team Size 3 (2 to be appointed in August 2012)
  7. In Vitro Simulation and Evaluation of Total Hip Replacement Component InsertionSponsor: In negotiation. Team size: 4


1). Project Title: Dispenser and Packaging System Design for Novel Conformable Structural Bone Graft Substitute Sponsor:Ultramet, Pacoima, CA
Contact:Art Fortini/Jonathan Black is the CU contact
Problem statement:
Many orthopaedic procedures are handicapped by deficiency of host cortical and cancellous bone. In addition to traditional (auto-, allo- and xeno-) grafts, biomaterials have been developed as partial replacements for structural (cortical) bone. These all share a functional problem: if they are remodeled and replaced by the host, as is generally desired, they undergo a period of greatly reduced strength and stiffness during which they may fail (metallic bone graft substitutes (augments) and some composites do not undergo remodeling).
In 2011-12, an M.Eng student team designed a novel, multiphase, bone graft substitute (and delivery system) with the following principal (required) characteristics:

  • Moldable by hand and self-retaining in implant sites with at least 3 (of six) defect faces occluded.
  • Able to bear load initially, even in partially open sites (as above).
  • Able to heal to host bone and complete remodeling process without significant intermediate strength and stiffness loss.
  • Able to be formed such that initial mechanical properties are controllably anisotropic

The problem now is to devise (and implement in so far as possible) a suitable mixing and delivery system for this new class of materials.
Project field: Problem and application analysis, material and device design, in vitro testing, biomaterials (orthopaedic)
Team requirements: This is a team project for 2-3 people with various engineering backgrounds. Some UG training in biology would be an advantage in one or more team members.
Project elements: The project will be conducted as a classical design project:*

  • Background and literature research
  • Define problem
  • Analyze key performance aspects and specify target parametric values (and criticality)
  • Develop alternative design approaches
  • Screen for feasibility and elect one or more designs to elaborate
  • Fully develop selected alternative(s)
  • Perform testing (either in laboratory or by FEA simulation) to obtain initial values of target parameters
  • Fully evaluate completed designs and select preferred one
  • Develop a working prototype.**
  • Prepare and present final report.


There will be periodic intermediate design reviews, a final design report (with design history) will be written by the team and presented in a formal final public design review. There will be opportunities to meet with experts, including surgeons and technical representatives.
Mentors: Prof. Jonathan Black (jb2245@cornell.edu, skype: jonathan.black39), Art Fortini (Sponsor representative) (art.fortini@ultramet.com) and Surgeon (also to be named)

  • See: Black, J: Biological Performance of Materials: Fundamentals of Biocompatibility, 4th ed., p. 427 ff.
    • Note: This project will operate on an accelerated design schedule with a secondary goal of producing a working prototype of the selected design before the end of the Spring '13 semester
      2). Project Title: Improved, Reusable Ceramic-Metal Modular Interfaces for Total Hip Sponsor: CeramTec AG, Ploggingen, Ger.Contact:Jonathan Black
      Problem statement:
      Replacement of the hip and knee joint has become increasingly successful, with non-revision rates routinely exceeding 95% at ten years post implantation for most patient groups. A continuing process of evolutionary modification, driven by clinical and economic requirements, has transformed earlier designs that contained only a few parts, into more elaborate multi component assemblies. A common pairing is the use of a high strength ceramic femoral head on a cobalt-chromium or titanium alloy trunnion/stem. Careful design of the interface provides optimal stress distribution and protects the strong but brittle head from fracture under load. Unfortunately, this interface is altered during assembly, thus preventing the reattachment of the ceramic head during subsequent procedures. There is a pressing need to redesign the ceramic-metal interface in order to render it more durable and reusable.
      This project will examine the range of materials pairs and designs utilized in such interfaces in contemporary joint replacement designs, rank them in order of preference, define changes in parametric values associated with alternate design features that might be clinically significant and devise one or more design approaches to meeting these requirements.
      Project field: Problem and application analysis, material and process design, in vitro testing, biomaterials (orthopaedic)
      Team requirements: This is a team project for 3-4 people with various engineering backgrounds. Some UG training in biology would be an advantage for one or more team members. This would be a good project for a mechanical engineer with some industrial design experience.
      Project elements: The project will be conducted as a classical design project:*
  • Background and literature research
  • Define problem
  • Analyze key performance aspects and specify target parametric values (and criticality)
  • Develop alternative design approaches
  • Screen for feasibility and elect one or more designs to elaborate
  • Fully develop selected alternative(s)
  • Perform testing (either in laboratory or by FEA simulation) to obtain initial values of target parameters**
  • (possibly) Functionally test (in vitro) prototype designs**
  • Fully evaluate completed designs and select preferred one
  • Prepare and present final report.


There will be periodic intermediate design reviews, a final design report (with design history) will be written by the team and presenteded in a formal final design review. There will be opportunities to meet with experts, including surgeons and technical representatives.
Mentors: Prof. Jonathan Black (jb2245@cornell.edu, skype: jonathanblack39, Sponsor representative (to be named)

  • See: Black, J: Biological Performance of Materials: Fundamentals of Biocompatibility, 4th ed., p. 427 ff.
    • Sponsor may be able to supply model interfaces conforming to the design.
      3) Project Title: In Vitro Anterior Cruciate Ligament Mechanics Simulator Sponsor: Dimensionless Innovations Contact: Abhiram Varadarajan, abhiram.v111@gmail.com/Project advisor is Jonathan Black
      Problem Statement:
      Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injuries are extremely common (250K+ annually) and ACL reconstructions are the 6th most common surgical procedure in the United States. The incidence rate of this injury is increasing annually throughout the world. Efforts at optimizing surgical reconstruction and subsequent rehabilitation procedures have been hampered by the lack of an accurate in vitro physical model of the ACL that mimics the ligament's intrinsic and extrinsic behavior across its range of motion (knee flexion-extension and internal rotation) in the native in vivo environment. The sponsor is developing the first of a planned line of devices to aid surgical reconstruction and needs such an in vitro model for testing and calibration purposes before in vivo pre-clinical trials can be initiated.
      Project field: Problem and application analysis, functional design, instrumentation, in vitro testing, biomaterials/biomechanics (orthopaedic)
      Team requirements: This is a team project for 3-5 people with various engineering backgrounds, including electrical and mechanical. Some undergraduate training in biology and FEA would be an advantage in one or more team members.
      Project elements: The project will be conducted as a classical design project:
  • Background and literature research
  • Define problem
  • Analyze key performance aspects and specify target parametric values (and criticality)
  • Develop alternative design approaches
  • Screen for feasibility and elect one or more designs to elaborate
  • Fully develop selected alternative(s)
  • Perform pilot testing (either in laboratory or by FEA simulation) to obtain initial values of target parameters
  • Fully evaluate completed designs and selected preferred one
  • Fabricate and functionally test a prototype design*
  • Prepare and present final report

There will be periodic intermediate design reviews. A final design report (with design history) will be written by the team and presented in a formal final public design review. There will be opportunities to meet with experts, including surgeons and technical representatives.
Mentors: Professor Jonathan Black (jb2245@cornell.edu, skype: jonathan.black39), sponsor representative Abhiram Varadarajan, (abhiram.v111@gmail.com, skype: abhiram.varadarajan), Surgeon (TBD)
*Note: This project will operate on an accelerated design schedule with a secondary goal of producing a working prototype of the selected design before the end of the Spring '13 semester
4). Project Title: Functional repair of the Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ) Sponsor:TMJ Association, Milwaukee, WI Contact:Terrie Cowley info@tmj.org (Jonathan Black is the project advisor)
Problem statement:
Disorders of the temporomandibular joint (jaw joint or TMJ; positioned bilaterally between the maxilla and the mandible) and associated musculature and nerve processes affect 10 million US patients acutely or chronically. Temporomandibular Joint Disorders (TMJDs) are a complex and poorly understood set of conditions characterized by pain in the jaw joint and surrounding tissues and limitation in jaw movements. Injury and other conditions that routinely affect other joints in the body, such as arthritis, also can affect the temporomandibular joint.  One or both joints may be involved and, depending on the severity, can affect a person's ability to speak, eat, chew, swallow, make facial expressions, and even breathe. Also included under the heading of TMJD are conditions involving the jaw muscles. These may accompany the jaw joint problems or occur independently and are often confused with jaw joint disability because they produce similar signs and symptoms.* TMJD is frequently accompanied by a confusing array of painful and debilitating conditions (comorbidities) in other parts of the body.
Research and treatment to date have focused on pharmacological alleviation of pain and mechanical restoration of joint structure. An initial design study identified biological restoration or replacement of the TMJ disc as a promising approach to definitive treatment.
Project field: Problem and application analysis, device design, in vitro testing, biomechanics/biomaterials (orthopaedic), animal studies (surgery, neurophysiology)
Team requirements: This is a team project for 4-5 people with various engineering and (possibly) biological backgrounds. It is essential that one or more members either have FEA experience or will be taking a course in analysis in the Fall '12 Semester.
Project elements: The project will be conducted as a classical 1st phase design project:

  • Background and literature research – Tissue engineering of load bearing soft tissues.
  • Define problem
  • Analyze key performance aspects and specify target parametric values (and criticality)
  • Develop alternative design approaches
  • Screen for feasibility and select two or more designs to elaborate, leading to a final design


In Fall, 2012, the team will address one of the selected design approaches through a traditional Design History development and documentation program. There will be periodic intermediate design reviews. A final design will be presented in a formal public review in late Fall '12. There will be opportunities to meet with experts, surgeons and patient representatives, referred by the sponsor. Several of the team members will continue in Spring '13, working with Prof. Lawrence Bonassar's Tissue Engineering group, to reduce the selected design to practice.
Mentors: Prof. Jonathan Black (jb2245@cornell.edu, Skype: jonathanblack39), Terrie Cowley (sponsor representative) and Robert Karpman, MD.
* Adapted from: Sponsor's web site: http://www.tmj.org/site/content/tmjd-basics
5). Project Title: Multmodal Pain Control of Temperomadibular Joint Disorder (TMJD) Sponsor:TMJ Association, Milwaukee, WI Contact:Terrie Cowley info@tmj.org (Jonathan Black is the project advisor)
Problem statement:
Disorders of the temporomandibular joint (jaw joint or TMJ; positioned bilaterally between the maxilla and the mandible) and associated musculature and nerve processes affect 10 million US patients acutely or chronically. Temporomandibular Joint Disorders (TMJDs) are a complex and poorly understood set of conditions characterized by pain in the jaw joint and surrounding tissues and limitation in jaw movements. Injury and other conditions that routinely affect other joints in the body, such as arthritis, also can affect the temporomandibular joint.  One or both joints may be involved and, depending on the severity, can affect a person's ability to speak, eat, chew, swallow, make facial expressions, and even breathe. Also included under the heading of TMJD are conditions involving the jaw muscles. These may accompany the jaw joint problems or occur independently and are often confused with jaw joint disability because they produce similar signs and symptoms.* TMJD is frequently accompanied by a confusing array of painful and debilitating conditions (comorbidities) in other parts of the body.
Research and treatment to date have focused on pharmacological alleviation of pain and mechanical restoration of joint structure. An initial design study identified simultaneous multi-modal non-pharmacological treatment as a promising approach to acute or chronic TMJD pain management.
Project field: Problem and application analysis, device design, in vitro testing, biomechanics/biomaterials (orthopaedic), animal studies (surgery, neurophysiology)
Team requirements: This is a team project for 3-5 people with various engineering and (possibly) biological backgrounds. It is essential that one or more members either have FEA experience and another have a background in electrical engineering.
Project elements: The project will be conducted as a classical 1st phase design project:

  • Background and literature research – Non-pharmacological management of soft tissue pain..
  • Define problem
  • Analyze key performance aspects and specify target parametric values (and criticality)
  • Develop alternative design approaches
  • Screen for feasibility and select two or more designs to elaborate, leading to a final design


In Fall, 2012, the team will address one of the selected design approaches through a traditional Design History development and documentation program. There will be periodic intermediate design reviews. A final design will be presented in a formal public review in late Fall '12. There will be opportunities to meet with experts, surgeons and patient representatives, referred by the sponsor. Several of the team members will continue in Spring '13, to construct a working prototype and perform non-biological functional evaluation of it.
Mentors: Prof. Jonathan Black (jb2245@cornell.edu, skype: jonathanblack39), Terrie Cowley (sponsor representative) and Robert Karpman, MD.
* Adapted from: Sponsor's web site: http://www.tmj.org/site/content/tmjd-basics




6). Project Title: Improving Safety and Utility of Closed Chain Exercise Equipment for Seniors Sponsor: In negotiationContact: Jonathan Black
Problem statement:
Considerable attention has been given to design of new facilities and specialized equipment for fitness training of the significantly disabled. However, increasingly in recent years people over the age of 70 are being attracted to gyms and exercise facilities by tailored programs such as Silver Sneakers™. Even such relatively healthy seniors have strength, memory, attention and sensory deficits suggesting that the unsupervised use of free weights and range of motion machines (that require changing weight plates by hand) is unwise. Seniors are discouraged from progressing with fitness training because they have trouble transitioning to the use of safer closed chain machines (with prescribed ranges of motion and constrained weights). Thus an opportunity exists to design novel adjuncts to existing closed chain exercise machines with the following principal (required) characteristics:

  • Can be placed and removed easily on existing machines, without alteration or adaptation.
  • Are attractive with intuitive function and use
  • Enable safe unsupervised exercise by healthy seniors with various age-related deficits


Project field: Problem and application analysis, mechanical design, prototype construction, lab and field evaluation, human factors.
Team requirements: This is a team project for 2-3 people with primarily mechanical engineering back ground. Some UG training in psychology would be an advantage for one or more team members.
Project elements: The project will be conducted as a classical design project:**

  • Background and literature research
  • Field observation
  • Define problem(s)
  • Analyze key performance aspects and specify target parametric values (and criticality)
  • Develop alternative design approaches
  • Screen for feasibility and elect one or more designs, per device, to elaborate
  • Fully develop selected alternative(s)
  • Fabricate test articles
  • Functionally (and possibly field) testing of prototype devices
  • Fully evaluate completed designs and select preferred one per device.
  • Prepare and present final report.


There will be periodic intermediate design reviews, a final design report (with design history) will be written by the team and presented in a formal final public design review. Opportunities will be arranged to meet with trainers and rehab experts and to observe elderly rehabilitation and training sessions.
Mentors: Prof. Jonathan Black (jb2245@cornell.edu, skype: jonathanblack39), Sponsor representative (to be named), physical trainer and laboratory collaborator (also to be named)

  • A collaborator with mechanical fabrication facilities will be identified and recruited during the Fall 2012 semester.
    • See: Black, J: Biological Performance of Materials: Fundamentals of Biocompatibility, 4th ed., p. 427 ff.
      7). Project Title: In Vitro Simulation and Evaluation of Total Hip Replacement Component Insertion Sponsor: Stryker Orthopaedics, Mahwah, NJ Contact:Matt Poggie (Matt.Poggie@stryker.com) – Jonathan Black is the project advisor
      Problem statement:
      During the design and development of acetabular and femoral components for total hip replacement (THR), extensive static and dynamic laboratory testing must be performed before animal or patient trials may begin. The principle purposes of these studies are examination of the dimensional stability of components under load and prediction of the initial and continuing stability of component fixation to bone.  Contemporary methods use a variety of support geometries, utilizing various porous and non-porous materials to simulate bone, in universal testing machines.  However, these approaches fail to accommodate adequately for varying qualities of bone encountered in patients, for varying geometry of the surgically prepared bony bed and for the physiological environment encountered in service.
      The aim of this project will be to design and develop an improved in vitro mechanical simulation procedure for a specific component or component class produced by the sponsor. The project will run on an accelerated schedule so as to permit prototype construction and limited experimental validation during the Spring '13 semester.
      Project field: Problem and application analysis, material and process design, in vitro testing, biomaterials/biomechanics (orthopaedic)
      Team requirements: This is a team project for 3-4 people with various engineering backgrounds. Some UG training in biology would be an advantage for one or more team members. This would be a good project for a mechanical engineer with some industrial design experience, especially with FEA software.
      Project elements: The project will be conducted as a classical design project:*
  • Background and literature research
  • Define problem
  • Analyze key performance aspects and specify target parametric values (and criticality)
  • Develop alternative design approaches
  • Screen for feasibility and elect one or more designs to elaborate
  • Fully develop selected alternative(s)
  • Perform testing to obtain initial values of target parameters*
  • Functionally test (in vitro) prototype assemblies
  • Fully evaluate completed designs and select preferred one
  • Prepare and present final report.


There will be periodic intermediate design reviews, a final design report (with design history) will be written by the team and presented in a formal final design review. There will be opportunities to meet with experts, including surgeons and technical representatives.
Mentors: Prof. Jonathan Black (jb2245@cornell.edu, Skype: jonathan.black39), Sponsor Matt Poggie (mailto: Matt.Poggie@stryker.com)

  • See: Black, J: Biological Performance of Materials: Fundamentals of Biocompatibility, 4th ed., p. 427 ff.
    Jack Thompson (jmt248@cornell.edu) Projects:
    1). Patch Thermometry Project Problem statement, Area of investigation, Un-met clinical need, etc.
    Welch Allyn has developed a novel method for determining the temperature of the contents of a container from outside the container. This technique may have applications in the clinical measurement of core body temperature. The project is to evaluate the technique for clinical applicability.
    Project field:
    Device development
    In vivo experiments
    The project will require understanding of heat transfer and some material science. Skills in electronic engineering are a must as is software development on Android or iOS based systems.

    Criteria for success or key milestones

    The proposed technology shall be evaluated in the lab to understand material choices and the limits of the thermometry solution. A device shall be fabricated to digitize the signal and transmit it via a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) radio. An application shall be written for an Android or iOS device to capture the temperature signal and log it. Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval shall be obtained to test the device on human subjects. Tests shall be run to evaluate the correlation between gold standard oral temperature and the new device.
    Other relevant materials or resources needed for the project.
    The proposed human trails shall be run on volunteer athletes. Students will be required to enlist the volunteers and monitor their core temperature while running on a treadmill. Access to a treadmill is required.
    Skills students will learn during the project if they are not already inherent.
    Students will learn how to construct experiments to evaluate the limits of the technology for the intended application. Student will learn how to obtain approval and conduct human trial to test the technology in vivo and compare the results to current technology.Contact information: Jack Thompson (jmt248@cornell.edu)
    2). Environmentally Powered Blood Pressure project
    Problem statement, Area of investigation, Un-met clinical need, etc.
    Blood pressure is measured most commonly by ascultatory method and also using oscillometric techniques. These methods are well established with ascultatory being considered the gold standard. Each method has its strengths and weaknesses. In the developing world ascultatory technique is the most common way of measuring blood pressure. It has the advantage of being inexpensive and does not require any power source beyond the human operator. These features are important in an environment where money and power sources and not available. However, the method does require considerable skill to obtain an accurate measurement and inexpensive gages are prone to breakage go out of calibration when dropped.
    Oscillometric (digital) BP is less technique dependent and more robust but the equipment costs considerably more and battery power is required to operate it. These issues do not make it a practical solution in developing nations.
    The problem is to re-engineer an oscillometric BP device such that it can be powered by alternative energy sources readily available in developing nations and meet a cost point comparable to ascultatory equipment while providing a robust, low skill level BP measurement system for deployment in developing nations.


    Project field:
    Device development
    Electronic and mechanical engineering skills are required.

    Criteria for success or key milestones

    The objective is to select a piece of oscillometric BP equipment and re-engineer it to run from an alternative power source(s). An argument will be made to explain why the end result could be considered to be at a similar cost point to ascultatory equipment without sacrificing any accuracy and ease of use of the original device. Data will be collected and arguments will be made to explain how the resulting product is more robust that other oscillometric or ascultatory devices.

    Other relevant materials or resources needed for the project.

    Students will need access to electrical & mechanical engineering laboratory. They will be expected to have standard test equipment to be able to operate it.
    Skills students will learn during the project if they are not already inherent.
    Students will learn about how Blood Pressure is measured and the strengths and weaknesses of the available techniques. By dissection of commercially available products they will learn how power is consumed in the devices and look at ways to reduce the power consumption by re-engineering the components of the system until the goals are met.
    Contact information: Jack Thompson (jmt248@cornell.edu)

    4) Welch Allyn Kiosk and Ecocuff Delivery System
    Problem statement, Area of investigation, Un-met clinical need, etc.
    Welch Allyn currently manufactures diagnostic medical equipment as well as medical disposable products for worldwide clinical applications.
    This project would entail developing an innovative blood pressure eco friendly disposable product and a delivery system, that could be utilized in clinics and triage. The designed hardware and system would essentially provide a system to prevent cross contamination when a blood pressure measurement is taken in a clinical triage or mass screening setting. The disposable development would need to be low cost, not attenuate the oscillometric signal, as well as provide a cross contamination barrier for mass screening of blood pressure.
    The team would have opportunity to understand market competitive analysis, Intellectual property and patent analysis, blood pressure mechanics and simulation, disposable medical materials and designs, as well as design a product that can help diagnose cardiovascular disease.
    Outputs of the design team would a be product design and delivery system of a disposable cuff, testing, patent and competitive analysis, and to prototype the design of the kiosk type delivery and cuff system.
    The base Blood Pressure technology that would be utilized is found in a Connex Pro BP device. The device can be seen at
    http://www.welchallyn.com/apps/products/product.jsp?id=14-jf-114-1294939080847


    Project field:
    A)Hardware
    B)Device development
    C)Theoretical analysis
    D) In vivo or in vitro experiments
    Students can expect to create a design and prototype of a medical device. The prototype will be designed, built, tested on human subjects or BP simulators, and compared to a theoretical model. The project will likely include study of mechanisms, blood pressure, and materials.
    Criteria for success or key milestones
    The first milestone is a review of the marketplace including market size, growth, market shares, and a competitive analysis of existing products. This should include an interview with an appropriate clinician. Then there will be a comprehensive review of current technologies and their shortcomings. That will be followed by a brief patent search for prior art held by competitors. One (or possibly two) technology(s) with the highest probability of success will be chosen as the basis for the design of a prototype device. The project team will choose the design direction to pursue. The final report will include a comparison of the prototype to the theoretical model and a recommendation for further development.

    Other relevant materials or resources needed for the project.
    The students will need time to manufacture a prototype. The internal core base technology will be provided in part by Welch Allyn.
    Skills students will learn during the project if they are not already inherent.
    Students will explore marketing research, competitive analysis, intellectual property analysis, FDA classification, creative problem solving, computer model simulation, use of specific laboratory equipment, product design, CAD drawing, estimation of production costs, estimation of sales volumes, design review, and successfully working on a team.




    Project Title:RHECS-MIRA: Motion Control Module, Phase-1


    Sponsor(s):Radiation Oncology Center for Engineering and
    Applied Physics, of Weill Cornell Medical College
    Contact: John C Cheeseborough, M.S.
    Director of the Radiation Oncology, Center for
    Engineering and Applied Physics of Weill Cornell
    Medical College
    Email: joc2053@med.cornell.edu
    Phone: 212-746-6341

    Problem statement, Area of investigation, Un-met clinical need, etc.
    Please provide a description of the background area, need, and related information to provide a context for the student.
    RHECS-MIRA: Motion Control Module
    Radiation therapy machines produce intense radiation fields within the treatment room during their operation. These fields include mega-voltage x-rays and electro-magnetic fields of other energies, free electrons and often neutrons. These fields may corrupt the operation of or even destroy electronic components. This makes it necessary to locate many components of the radiation therapy machine outside of the treatment vault where they may be shielded from the radiation. Components that must be placed within the treatment vault must be implemented with older electronics that are more tolerant of the radiation, but must be replaced often as they are quickly destroyed by the radiation. The RHECS-MIRA ("Radiation-Hardened Embedded Control Systems for Medical Instrumentation and Robotics Applications") project is a line of research to develop medical robotic systems and instrumentation that may operate for long periods of time within the radiation field. We expect that such systems will result in the development of radiation therapy machines that are more compact, economical and reliable than existing radiation therapy machines, making it possible to provide radiation treatment to a large proportion of the world population to whom such treatment is not yet available due to the barrier of cost. We also expect that this research will result in the availability of additional capabilities for patient care during the delivery of radiation therapy, such as increased capacity for patient monitoring. Furthermore, as RHECS-MIRA is also a general, flexible controller for instrumentation and robotics, it may also be used in many other such applications. This phase-1 project will begin the development of the Motion Control Module (MCM) to support the development of robotic servo-mechanical assemblies to operate within the radiation field.
    Project field:
  1. Software : X
  2. Device development: X
  3. Biochemical process
  4. Theoretical analysis
  5. In vivo or in vitro experiments
  6. Microfabrication or nanotechnology
  7. Other- describe: Servo-Mechanics


  1. Is this a Team project (Y/N) : YES How many students 3-4 ?
  2. What background should student have: ME, CBE, ECE? EE, SE?


Please indicate the relevant technological field(s) in order to help the student understand where they will develop expertise.

  • EE: Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA)
  • EE: System-On-Chip (SOC)
  • EE: Verilog HDL
  • EE, SE: Embedded Systems
  • SE: Firmware Development
  • SE: Applications Software Development
  • ME: Servo-Mechanical Systems Development


Criteria for success or key milestones

Please estimate what would constitute a successful outcome and any interim steps or objectives that might help clarify the path the student needs to follow. What deliverables do you wish?
The Project Deliverable
The deliverable for this project is a working prototype of the RHECS-MIRA MCM, servomotor controller with the application software to provide the user interface running on a computer workstation. The prototype will be implemented using an Altera FPGA and SOC technology.
The Project Key Milestones
The key milestones for the first phase prototype development are as follows:

  1. Key Milestone 1: Overview Presentation of the RHECS-MIRA Project (by John Cheeseborough)

This is an overview presentation of the RHECS-MIRA project to the project team. The present will include the detailed requirements for the Motion Control Module (MCM) and a discussion of the desired objectives for Phase-1 prototype. The timeframe will be determined for the completion of milestone 2.

  1. Key Milestone 2: Review of the Project Plan and System Architecture

This milestone will include presentations of the plan of execution for the project and of the proposed device architecture including the mechanical design, embedded system hardware and firmware, and the application software. A brief written specification describing each area will also be required. The timeframe will be determined for the completion of milestone 3.

  1. Key Milestone 3: First Engineering Design Review

This milestone will include a detailed presentation of the phase-1 device design and the status of the work completed to date. It will also include a visit to the laboratory to physically present the work completed.

  1. Key Milestone 4: Project Final Report, Presentation and Device Delivery

This milestone is the completion of the project. It will include a presentation of the completed device and a demonstration of its functionality. It will also include a written final report containing the complete specifications of the device and will end in the turnover of the completed device for subsequent development.

Other relevant materials or resources needed for the project.

Please identify resources or contacts the student will need to secure or other faculty or people that will be helpful during the project.
The following materials will be delivered to the project team for development of the phase-1 prototype:

  • One (1) Terasic DE2-115, Development & Education Board. This circuit board is an Altera Cyclone-IV FPGA evaluation board having sufficient hardware resources for development of the MCM phase-1 prototype.
  • One (1) Motion-Fire, servomotor controller board.



















Project Title:Optical Surface-Tracking System (OSTS), Phase-2


Sponsor(s):Radiation Oncology Center for Engineering and
Applied Physics, of Weill Cornell Medical College
Contact: John C Cheeseborough, M.S.
Director of the Radiation Oncology, Center for
Engineering and Applied Physics of Weill Cornell
Medical College
Email: joc2053@med.cornell.edu
Phone: 212-746-6341

Problem statement, Area of investigation, Un-met clinical need, etc.
Please provide a description of the background area, need, and related information to provide a context for the student.
Optical Surface-Tracking System
In radiation therapy, the objective is to deliver a lethal dose of radiation to the tumor while sparing the surrounding healthy tissue. This requires precise knowledge of the location of the tumor during dose delivery. Treatments of tumors in certain regions of the body, such as the lung, are complicated by organ motion resulting for patient respiration. Imaging modalities such as orthogonal x-rays and cone-beam CT have been combined with respiratory gating to model the location of the tumor during treatment. Such modalities result in increased radiation dose to the patient. The surface of the patient (i.e. the chest) has been used as a alternative surrogate for location of the tumor during treatment. Optical tracking of the patient surface in 3 dimensions has been established as a viable surrogate for location of the tumor as it moves during respiration. We are developing our own optical surface-tracking system (OSTS) for inclusion in the development of new radiation therapy machines. The project has completed its first phase of development and is ready for continuation into its second phase.
Project field:

  1. Software : X
  2. Device development: X
  3. Biochemical process
  4. Theoretical analysis
  5. In vivo or in vitro experiments
  6. Microfabrication or nanotechnology
  7. Other- describe


  1. Is this a Team project (Y/N) : YES How many students 2-3 ?
  2. What background should student have: ME, CBE, ECE? EE, SE?


Please indicate the relevant technological field(s) in order to help the student understand where they will develop expertise.

  • EE: Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA)
  • EE: System-On-Chip (SOC)
  • EE: Verilog HDL
  • EE, SE: Embedded Systems
  • SE: Firmware Development
  • SE: Applications Software Development


Criteria for success or key milestones

Please estimate what would constitute a successful outcome and any interim steps or objectives that might help clarify the path the student needs to follow. What deliverables do you wish?
The Project Deliverable
The deliverable for phase-2 of this project is a working prototype of the OSTS that captures images from two digital cameras in real-time, transmits the data to a computer workstation where both images are displayed in real-time. The prototype must be developed using the platform developed in OSTS phase-1.
The Project Key Milestones
Phase-1 of the project produced the OSTS workstation (described below) for development of the experimental prototype of the system. The key milestones for the second phase of the prototype development are as follows:

  1. Key Milestone 1: Overview Presentation of the OSTS Project (by John Cheeseborough)

This is a detailed overview presentation of the OSTS project to the project team. It will present the history and current status of the project and discuss the desired objectives for Phase-2. The timeframe will be determined for the completion of milestone 2.

  1. Key Milestone 2: Review of the Project Plan and System Architecture

This milestone will include presentations of the plan of execution for the project and of the proposed system architecture including the embedded system hardware and firmware, and the application software. A brief written specification describing each area will also be required. The timeframe will be determined for the completion of milestone 3.

  1. Key Milestone 3: First Engineering Design Review

This milestone will include a detailed presentation of the phase-2 device design and the status of the work completed to date. It will also include a visit to the laboratory to physically present the work completed.

  1. Key Milestone 4: Project Final Report, Presentation and Device Delivery

This milestone is the completion of the project. It will include a presentation of the completed device and a demonstration of its functionality. It will also include a written final report containing the complete specifications of the completed device and will end in the turnover of the completed device for subsequent development.

Other relevant materials or resources needed for the project.

Please identify resources or contacts the student will need to secure or other faculty or people that will be helpful during the project.
Phase-1 of the OSTS project produced the OSTS workstation containing the basic physical and electronic components of the experimental prototype of the OSTS. This workstation will be delivered to the project team for further development. The workstation includes the following:

  • One (1) Terasic DE2-115, Development & Education Board. This circuit board is an Altera Cyclone-IV FPGA evaluation board having sufficient hardware resources for development of the OSTS phase-2 prototype.
  • Two (2) Terasic D5M, 5 mega pixel digital cameras
  • One (1) OSTS workstation platform (shown below), including the mounting fixtures for both camera and servo-mechanical platform and mount for the imaging objective.



Figure 1: Photo of the OSTS Workstation Developed in Phase-1




Project Title: Personalized Motion Phantom for Radiotheapy


Sponsor(s)
Jenghwa Chang, Ph.D., Associate Professor and Director of Centralized Treatment Planning, Department of Radiation Oncology, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical College
Contact:
525 E 68 St, Box 575, New York, NY 10065
TEL: (646)-317-8301, Fax: (212) 746-8850
Email: jec2046@med.cornell.edu
Problem statement, Area of investigation, Un-met clinical need, etc.
Breathing motion is a major source of dose delivery error for radiotherapy of lung tumors. Many motion management techniques have been developed to address this problem but the effectiveness is difficult to measure on real patients. In this project, we propose to construct a personalized motion phantom for evaluating the accuracy of the motion management techniques for lung tumors.
It is a standard practice that a lung cancer patient receives a four-dimensional (4D) CT during the treatment simulation. A typical 4D CT scan contains cross-sectional images of the tumor for (e.g., 10) different breathing phases. The hypothesis of this project is that the trajectory of tumor motion can be reconstructed from different phases of the 4D CT scan and can be used to drive a phantom emulating the tumor motion.
This project consists of hardware and software developments. For hardware development we will build a 3D moving phantom driven by DC or servo motors. For the software part we will develop codes capable of importing the 4D CT, segmenting the tumor for each breathing phase, and modeling the tumor trajectory for the full breathing cycle. The whole system need to be run on battery so that it can be positioned on a rotating platform for CBCT acquisition.
With the proposed motion phantom the accuracy of the motion management technique can be evaluated before the first treatment for each individual patient. Potential delivery errors can be identified and corrected during the planning stage. In addition, the proposed motion phantom can also be used to test new motion management techniques that are being developed.
Project field:

  1. Software X
  2. Device development X
  3. Biochemical process
  4. Theoretical analysis
  5. In vivo or in vitro experiments X
  6. Microfabrication or nanotechnology
  7. Other- describe


  1. Is this a Team project (Y/N) Y How many students ___2___?
  2. What background should student have: ME, CBE, ECE, ? ECE, ME?


The goal of this project is to build a motion phantom that can emulate the tumor motion of a lung cancer patient. The relevant technological field(s) required includes:

  1. The hardware part of this project will need techniques in building a moving object. The 3D motion of the phantom is driven by DC or servo motors.
  2. The software part of this project will require programming skill in DICOM, image segmentation and motion modeling of a moving tumor in 4D CT.


Criteria for success or key milestones

The students will be expected to

  1. Have the preliminary design of the moving phantom and initial software flow chart in the first month.
  2. Finish the final design and flow chart before the end of month 3.
  3. Build the first prototype before the end of month 6.
  4. Deliver the final product by the end of month 9.


The final product should be able to

  1. Import the 4D CT of a patient.
  2. Identify the lung tumor position for each breathing phase.
  3. Reconstruct the moving path of the tumor.
  4. Control the phantom movement to emulate the tumor motion for different breathing phases.
  5. Run on battery.
  6. Be positioned on a rotating platform for CBCT acquisition.


Other relevant materials or resources needed for the project.

The Department of Radiation Oncology will fund the cost for material, machine shop and computing devices for building the proposed motion phantom. Participation of faculty members familiar with automatic control or image processing will greatly improve the chance of success for the proposed project.






Project Title: Personalized Motion Phantom for Radiotheapy


Sponsor(s)
Jenghwa Chang, Ph.D., Associate Professor and Director of Centralized Treatment Planning, Department of Radiation Oncology, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical College
Contact:
525 E 68 St, Box 575, New York, NY 10065
TEL: (646)-317-8301, Fax: (212) 746-8850
Email: jec2046@med.cornell.edu

Problem statement, Area of investigation, Un-met clinical need, etc.
Breathing motion is a major source of dose delivery error for radiotherapy of lung tumors. Many motion management techniques have been developed to address this problem but the effectiveness is difficult to measure on real patients. In this project, we propose to construct a personalized motion phantom for evaluating the accuracy of the motion management techniques for lung tumors.
It is a standard practice that a lung cancer patient receives a four-dimensional (4D) CT during the treatment simulation. A typical 4D CT scan contains cross-sectional images of the tumor for (e.g., 10) different breathing phases. The hypothesis of this project is that the trajectory of tumor motion can be reconstructed from different phases of the 4D CT scan and can be used to drive a phantom emulating the tumor motion.
This project consists of hardware and software developments. For hardware development we will build a 3D moving phantom driven by DC or servo motors. For the software part we will develop codes capable of importing the 4D CT, segmenting the tumor for each breathing phase, and modeling the tumor trajectory for the full breathing cycle. The whole system need to be run on battery so that it can be positioned on a rotating platform for CBCT acquisition.
With the proposed motion phantom the accuracy of the motion management technique can be evaluated before the first treatment for each individual patient. Potential delivery errors can be identified and corrected during the planning stage. In addition, the proposed motion phantom can also be used to test new motion management techniques that are being developed.
Project field:

  1. Software X
  2. Device development X
  3. Biochemical process
  4. Theoretical analysis
  5. In vivo or in vitro experiments X
  6. Microfabrication or nanotechnology
  7. Other- describe


  1. Is this a Team project (Y/N) Y How many students ___2___?
  2. What background should student have: ME, CBE, ECE, ? ECE, ME?


The goal of this project is to build a motion phantom that can emulate the tumor motion of a lung cancer patient. The relevant technological field(s) required includes:

  1. The hardware part of this project will need techniques in building a moving object. The 3D motion of the phantom is driven by DC or servo motors.
  2. The software part of this project will require programming skill in DICOM, image segmentation and motion modeling of a moving tumor in 4D CT.


Criteria for success or key milestones

The students will be expected to

  1. Have the preliminary design of the moving phantom and initial software flow chart in the first month.
  2. Finish the final design and flow chart before the end of month 3.
  3. Build the first prototype before the end of month 6.
  4. Deliver the final product by the end of month 9.


The final product should be able to

  1. Import the 4D CT of a patient.
  2. Identify the lung tumor position for each breathing phase.
  3. Reconstruct the moving path of the tumor.
  4. Control the phantom movement to emulate the tumor motion for different breathing phases.
  5. Run on battery.
  6. Be positioned on a rotating platform for CBCT acquisition.


Other relevant materials or resources needed for the project.

The Department of Radiation Oncology will fund the cost for material, machine shop and computing devices for building the proposed motion phantom. Participation of faculty members familiar with automatic control or image processing will greatly improve the chance of success for the proposed project.





Project Title: Drug pump for pregnant

women during labor (pitocin)


Sponsor(s) Weill Bugando Medical Center in Tanzania
Contact: Dr. William Frayer, wwf@med.cornell.edu


Project field:

  1. Software
  2. Device development
  3. In vivo or in vitro experiments
  4. Microfabrication or nanotechnology
  5. Other- describe


  1. Is this a Team project (Y) How many students _2-4____?
  2. What background should student have: ME, CBE, ECE, BME



Criteria for success or key milestones


A device to control the infusion of a drug given to pregnant women during labor to encourage contractions (pitocin). The First World solution is an expensive infusion pump which either pumps "in line" from an IV bottle or a motor driven pump which pushes on the plunger of a syringe at a precise rate. A BME Third world solution could pump liquid from an IV solutrion container by doing "something" to the regular iv tubing to move the solution along. Most pumps which have worked this way have needed special "pumping chambers" which were an expensive consumable. This is not possible in the third world – but they do have IV tubing. The device needs to give the fluid at a calibrated rate.



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