The
Cambridge
Engineer A 2014 Student Publication
LENT EDITION 1
ASSOCIATE SPONSORS
MAIN SPONSORS
BAE Systems Detica Editorial Helen Sheehan, Joanna Chan magazine@cuengineeringsociety.org.uk
Feature Chris Bellamy, Marisa Kurimbokus, Jaguar Land Rover Vaishnavi Balachandran CUTEC Kevin Lau, Sarah Tariq Katie Cornish Peter Birch, Mihir Bhushan, Will Harborne Rolls-Royce EcoHouse Transitional Team BAE Systems Eric Rosen, Abhi Singh, Siddarth Gupta, Max Thoma, Sana Waheed, Nikhila Ravi
Cover Photo and Back Photo Christ’s College, Front Court, Levin Tan Contents Page Photo SEM scan of nanofibres produced by Electrospinning, Sana Waheed
Disclaimer The material contained in this magazine represent views of the respective authors and not necessarily those of CUES or the organisations referred to. No material in this magazine can be reproduced partly or wholly without obtaining permission of the respective authors and/or organisations concerned. While we try to maintain accuracy and prevent misrepresentation of information, CUES or any of its members will not accept any responsibility for errors and omissions. The Cambridge Engineer is Copyright Cambridge University Engineering Society (CUES) 2014
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CONTENTS 4 5
EDITORIAL LIFE AFTER CUED: JAGUAR LAND ROVER
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A MINHA CASA E A SUA CASA
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CUTEC: TVC
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LIFE AFTER CUED: SHELL
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INCLUSIVE DESIGN
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PROJECT VOXEL
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EXPLORING ECOHOUSE HOW CAN WE COMMUNICATE UNDERWATER?
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SNEAK PEEK
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WELCOME TO THE CAMBRIDGE ENGINEER! Sadly, this is our last edition as editors!! Although it’s hard to believe it’s coming to an end, it’s been a very fun role and we wish the new magazine editors all the best. In this edition we have a range of new articles from students and companies alike, including CUED graduates giving us great insights into their work in some very wellknown engineering companies; PhD student Katie Cornish introducing us to the world of Inclusive Design, right on our doorstep in CUED; and our fellow second years introduce to their new engineering project, Project Voxel.
Helen Sheehan
In terms of the engineering societies, read on to find out about CUTEC’s largest event of the Technology Ventures Conference, with a host of the biggest names in technology and some of the most successful entrepreneurs giving keynote speeches and presentations, and how you can attend. EcoHouse Transisional Team tell us not only what they accomplished this summer, but also their plans for the future, which will improve the lives of thousands of people – what better use of engineering; and BAE Systems let us in on the secret of underwater communications. Last, but most certainly not least, a whistle-stop tour of some of the amazing projects that fourth-year engineers from a range of specialisations have been working on this past year. It has been an amazing year working with all the fantastic committee members, and we would like to thank you for all your hard work. Continuing in this trend, a massive thank-you to everyone who contributed to this year’s editions; particularly Levin Tan, whose amazing photography skills have been showcased on numerous occasions in the magazines this year.
Joanna Chan
We really hope you enjoy this edition, and good luck for exams! Helen and Joanna 4
LIFE AFTER CUED:
JAGUAR LAND ROVER Chris Bellamy and Marisa Kurimbokus are two engineers who
graduated from Cambridge University Engineering Department in 2012. They both joined Jaguar Land Rover in September last year, and at the end of their first year of work, we asked them a few questions to see how they were finding it: What interested you about engineering?
decided I wanted to do something that helped people and thought a doctor can only vaccinate so many Chris: Initially it was being able to in one day; an engineer can dig a apply classroom Maths and Phys- well and save millions from cholics to the real world, but now, it is era for generations, no? the knowledge that by using my education and experience, I could What are your fondest memories make the world a significantly bet- from your time at Cambridge? ter place. Chris: The people. It was absolutely Marisa: Originally, I wanted to be- amazing to have so many bright, come a surgeon, but on reflection, I inspiring and interesting people in
the same place. Marisa: There are far too many to recall! From bumps in my first year to performing at May Balls and June Events there were many great times to be had. Why did you choose to join Jaguar Land Rover? Chris: I always had a real love of the Land Rover brand having grown up with them, but what really made me want to join was how wide and varied the opportunities available on the graduate scheme were. With marketing, engineering, design, manufacturing, finance etc. all under one roof, I can now experience all of these things as part of a global business. Marisa: The engineering degree opens a lot of doors. My 4th year project was with Cambridge University Eco Racing, and Jaguar Land Rover offered the team a lot of support as we designed
Marisa at the wheel of the new Jaguar F-TYPE.
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on what projects I wanted to be involved with. For example, my strategy work requires less technical detail, but still needs a good understanding of materials and processes. On the other hand, my design work requires detailed mechanical and structural analysis. If it ever gets too difficult there is always an expert to help out. Marisa: Lots! I don’t Chris exploring the Range Rover Evoque using the Virtual Reality Cave at Jaguar Land Rover in sit staring at formulae and equations, but Gaydon use the basic princithe new race vehicle. I liked the on a bit of admin before heading ples gained from my graduate scheme: it offers the op- home. degree. I have been working on portunity to do placements on rosome exciting projects to reduce tation around the company, which Marisa: My role in Jaguar Land fuel consumption and have used is very beneficial as a first career Rover involves working on ‘Pre- a lot of my lecture notes, Master’s move, since I didn’t have any set development’ ideas with a special- work and text books to help me. career ambitions. ism in aerodynamic technologies. I collect, develop and agree business How do you find working in the What is your typical day at Jaguar plans for all the ‘Blue Sky’ ideas that Midlands? Land Rover like? people come up with from all areas of the business and assess their ma- Chris: It’s brilliant. There are huge Chris: Every day is completely dif- turity. I have a lot of opportunities numbers of young graduates workferent; however my calendar for to present my work to senior man- ing at Jaguar Land Rover, and betomorrow is as follows: Cycle into agement and chief engineers. I get ing right in the middle of the UK work for 8am and complete some to work on projects which could means that I can get everywhere at CAE analysis of a component I be seen on vehicles tomorrow or the weekends. have designed for a new vehicle, in 5-10 years’ time. I also run ‘Exand send it off to be prototyped. I treme Blue Sky Think Tanks’ to Marisa: I grew up in London and then have my weekly meeting with collect innovative ideas as well as spent 2 months on a summer placemy manager, to discuss my cur- brainstorming my own by looking ment in Hammersmith. I hated rent projects, and my personal de- into the latest technologies. This facing the 2 hour rush hour on the velopment. Tomorrow we will be can include anything from making tube every morning. People underlooking at how I can spend some the driving experience more pleas- estimate the amount there is to do time abroad with JLR. Following urable and luxurious, to fuel saving in the Midlands and it’s a beautiful this I’ll be reviewing future trends and reducing CO2 emissions. place to live and work. with marketing to understand how these might impact our strategy. In How much do you get to use your What do you enjoy most about the afternoon I’ll grab some lunch Engineering Degree? your job? with other graduates before visiting our Virtual Reality Suite to test Chris: At least once a day, but this Chris: It has to be the brands and a new system. I’ll then catch up could be more or less depending the products. Knowing that eve6
rything you do is helping two fantastic British brands is inspiring, and seeing something I designed overtake me on the motorway creates an enormous sense of pride. Obviously testing them from the driver’s seat on the track is great as well!
Italy; there are so many amazing things to do during your time as a graduate at Jaguar Land Rover, having to choose between them is unbelievably difficult.
network or expanding your technical skills and knowledge. Don’t chase the money; do what you really love and you will always be rewarded for it. You will do far better and have great fun at the same Marisa: It’s getting used to the cul- time. ture and the new environment. The automotive industry is extremely Christopher Bellamy (cbellamy@ fast paced and surprisingly secre- jaguarlandrover.com) graduated tive! A lot of my first few months from Cambridge in 2012 from the was spent getting used to a whole Manufacturing Engineering Tripos new language: acronyms, codes, and is currently working in Adand even the vehicles that we sold vanced Product Creation for Jaguar and were working on. Land Rover.
Marisa: I love the mind set and the people in Jaguar Land Rover. In such a large company, I haven’t met anyone who wasn’t totally driven for the company to succeed or willing to help. We make fantastic and beautiful products and it’s all fuelled by extremely passionate Do you have tips for life after and intelligent people. CUED?
Marisa Kurimbokus (mkurimbo@ jaguarlandrover.com) is a System Integration Engineer working in What has been your biggest chal- Chris: Choose a job you will love, Body Engineering at Jaguar Land lenge since you started? and one that will make you smile Rover. She read Aeronautical Engievery day. You’ll probably spend neering at Homerton College and Chris: Choosing where to go on half your time awake at work, so graduated in 2012. your placements! Whether it is you had better love every second running media drives in Morocco of it. with the PR team, working as part of advanced research back in the Marisa: Work hard. You need to be Midlands or high speed testing in proactive: either developing your
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A Minha Casa é a Sua Casa On one of EcoHouse’s many ventures last summer, VAISHNAVI BALACHANDRAN travelled to Brazil to work with TETO, designing and building housing for the local population...
S
ix members of EcoHouse went to Brazil this summer, working with TECHO (or TETO in Brazil) for 8 weeks on their new transitional housing redesign project. Our aim was to improve our relationship with TETO and form a partnership with the new Redesign Team to construct the prototype we’d Bugre favela, the site for TETO’s construction
Prototype construction
been designing throughout the year, combining our skills to produce the final design ready to implement next year. Beginning in Brazil, TECHO will be expanding out across all the 19 countries in Latin America, and it is working on redesigning the original house designs to make them better adapted to each individual country’s needs. Eco8
House and TETO-Brasil were leading the way on an exciting new phase for TECHO. For our first week we joined TETO’s biggest construction ever for the last five days in the coastal city of Sao Vincente. We experienced first-hand the many technical and logistical issues that TETO has to contend with in the densely
populated Brazilian favelas. From rummaging for rocks to support the piles and lifting heavy wooden panels to each volunteer writing their wish for the family’s future on the final plank of wood, these first few days gave us both an engineering and emotional perspective of the value of TETO’s work. It has such a significant impact on the lives of the families and communities that TETO helps, and EcoHouse’s work is really important in helping them to provide better houses. With the experience of conditions in the favelas fresh in our minds we focused our attention on the prototype design, which was smaller in area to allow TETO to build in the smaller plots but included a mezzanine floor to maintain the same living space. We had a lot of work before us: meeting the Redesign team, presenting the design to the TETO directors, building new
Getting to know the families who live in the TETO houses
partnerships, finding a location to construct, organising the logistics, constructing two prototypes and evaluating their designs. Over four consecutive weekends we worked side by side with TETO-Redesign constructing both our design and theirs with the aim of exchanging ideas and knowledge. We even organised an Exhibition Day similar to the one in Cambridge to share our work with the directors and volunteers. This is just the beginning of an exciting new
step for TECHO and EcoHouse and we look forward to what we can achieve over the coming year. It was a lot of hard work, but working with such enthusiastic volunteers, seeing the impact of TETO’s work in improving the living conditions of poor families and knowing that our new combined design will enable TETO to help more families has made our placement in Brazil an unforgettable experience.
Photo Credits: EcoHouse Brazil Placement Team 2013 The Exhibition Day
Construction work on a prototype house
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Beyond the Now The Technology Ventures Conference 2014 June 23rd, Cambridge UK Cambridge is the largest entrepreneurial hub in the UK, receiving up to 24% of the country’s total invested risk capital annually. Since 2003, the Cambridge University Technology Enterprise Club (CUTEC) has worked to: • Inspire entrepreneurship • Assist spin out companies • Facilitate interaction between industry and academia We are a non-profit, student-led society which runs Cambridge’s leading technology conference. Historically we have entertained attendees from all around the world, representing over 100 different companies and 17 universities. The 11th annual Technology Ventures Conference titled “Beyond the Now” aims to showcase moon-shot thinking and technology innovation for long horizons. Surrounded by over eight centuries of history, the University of Cambridge is a wonderful setting from which to cast an eye for humanity’s next technological frontiers. Spacecraft and autonomous vehicles are being developed to mine the moon. The “Tricorder”, a hand-held, allpurpose, medical diagnostic device, originally seen on “Star Trek” is being prototyped. Synthetic meat, commercial space flight and 3D printed human organs were technological moon-shots, and all exist today. J.P. Rangaswami, Chief Scientist of Salesforce, TVC Keynote 2013
TVC 2014 Confirmed Speakers
Naveen Jain - Keynote Founder Moon Express, Director Singularity U
Michael Skok North Bridge Venture Partners
Andrew Parker Hatem Zeine Biomimetics, Oxford Founder and CEO, Ossia Inc. University
Other speakers include David Dalrymple , the youngest MIT student.
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• Four discussion sessions • Startup Competition • 3D Printing Innovation Award • Technology Showcase • Diamond Company Exhibition • Interactive Workshops • iTeams presentations TVC 2013 Startup Competition finalists • 11 Startups • 5 Judges • 5 Prizes
Academics 3% Professionals 34%
Students and Post-doctoral researchers 63%
Breakdown of the 300+ TVC2013 attendees
Past TVC Speakers
Please contact Quintus Liu at sl609@cam.ac.uk if you are interested in attending the conference or would like more information. Featured Sponsors and Partners
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LIFE AFTER CUED: KEVIN LAU and SARAH TARIQ give us a glimpse of what the future could hold for graduate CUED engineers at one of the biggest engineering companies: Shell...
KEVIN What is a typical day like at Shell? What do you work on? I am currently working on the Prelude fLNG project – the first floating LNG (Liquid Natural Gas) plant in the world in which I work on the development and delivery of the subsea system. We are very involved in various aspects of the design of the subsea equipment, such as defining the required parameters and functionality that is needed to operate the entire subsea system safely and efficiently, looking at the mechanical design of the equipment and ensuring that it can be fabricated in a safe manner, and managing the delivery of the equipment at the fabrication plant by ensuring that the HSSE, Quality, Schedule and People aspects are taken care of. Of course, these things only look great on paper, so it is always a challenge to ensure that all these objectives are met during my day to day work! Never easy but it is definitely extremely exciting. I currently work in two different locations – the design office at Kuala Lumpur, and the fabrication yard at Johor Bahru. Both locations are in Malaysia, and the challenge in working in both locations is to ensure that communication between both sets of staff is always constant and aligned. An example would be how we view safety – in the design office we design for safety all the time but we can never be sure if it’s feasible. This is where the need for good communication with the fabrication yard is needed – any mistakes from the design office can cause some real consequences. What was your training and development at Shell? Shell has always been well recognised for providing a well structured path for personal and career development. As a graduate, we are placed in a two year programme called the “Shell Graduate Programme” in which the main components are technical learning and leadership courses; two job roles – this will vary depending on which engineering discipline; coaching or mentoring from senior engineers; an assessment at the end of two years. The development programme provides everyone great depth as well as a broad view of the whole industry – I have attended some great courses involving how we design a well a l l the way to how we can influence our stakeholders.
What has been the most challenging experience on the job so far? Being involved in the testing of the subsea equipment has to be the most challenging aspect of the job so far – working twelve hour shifts to ensure that the testing can be carried out efficiently and safely was certainly a test of character. Having to change the test sequence due to unavailability of equipment, and troubleshooting during any failed tests or equipment was never straightforward. However it was all very exciting as it req u i r e d on-the-spot decisions and ensuring that the appropriate processes were still being followed.
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SARAH What is a typical day like at Shell? What do you work on? I started working at Shell about six months after graduating, at the Pearl Gas-toLiquids plant in Qatar. This is a complex and highly integrated plant that takes cheap natural gas and catalytically converts it to valuable crude oil products. Pearl GTL is one of Shell’s largest and most profitable assets, and with its huge size and technical complexity, it is an amazing place to kick start an engineering career. I initially started off as a maintenance engineer on the Shell Graduate Scheme, based at the site office. After Cambridge’s highly theoretical course, I welcomed the chance to see and feel the actual equipment in the field, and learned how difficult it is to troubleshoot and maintain it. In my first couple of months onsite, I was lucky enough to witness a major plant shutdown, and took the opportunity to crawl in and out of offline reactors and columns, and see huge gas turbines being dismantled and inspected! These experiences gave me the chance to translate my engineering knowledge from equations and diagrams to actual steel and concrete. This was absolutely essential to gain the trust and respect of my colleagues: most of whom were highly experienced and came from very hands-on backgrounds, like welding and construction. The first couple of months were a serious learning curve, and at times very frustrating to realize that I didn’t even know what the simplest things looked like in the field! Fortunately, my colleagues were always happy to show me around, and with such a large plant there was always something interesting going on to get involved with. After about a year in maintenance, I wanted to move into a more technical discipline, and seeing an opportunity in the Technology department, I changed role to become a graduate technologist. Technologists are essentially chemical engineers who give onsite support to operations, by investigating unexpected process behaviour, ensuring process safety in any changes made on the live plant, and monitoring of the plant performance. A typical day for a technologist starts off with the daily morning operations meeting, which is where we get the bulk of our work. We’re briefed on plant performance and activities for both the last and upcoming 24 hours, and provide support in making plant changes and investigating issues that operators face in running the plant. In addition, we’re also responsible for process optimisation, and frequently connect with the Shell R&D group to discuss future improvement opportunities. One of the best things about Shell is the interaction between different parts of the business – nobody can work in a silo, and every role gives you the opportunity to work with a diverse group of people. My main stakeholders are the operations staff, but I also work closely with safety and discipline engineers, maintenance, finance, product supply and marketing team, and R&D. Each group brings their own views and areas of focus to discussions, and ensuring that we all align on how to achieve safe and reliable production is one of the most fascinating parts of the job.
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What was your training and development at Shell? Coaching by peers and learning on the job are the most common (and effective!) ways of learning in my role, but the Shell Graduate Program also suggests a number of training courses to accelerate development and build up leadership skills. Regarded as having one of the best programs for engineering graduates, Shell gives you the opportunity to build up skills and work with deliver value in a structured way, and the feature of rotations and multiple assignments lets you see different parts of the business (or even different countries!) very quickly. What has been your most challenging experience on the job so far? One of the most challenging aspects of my role is regarding process safety: taking accountability to ensure that there is no harm to people and no leaks. As a technologist, process safety is one of the most important focus areas of my day-to-day activities, and whether I am making changes to the live plant, or looking at performance trends for my units, I need to thoroughly risk assess and ensure that my actions will not lead to an incident. It may sound pretty melodramatic, but as we’ve seen with Piper Alpha, and more recently the Deepwater Macondo blowout, incidents can occur and we need to ensure that our actions do not cause them. Luckily, there are a number of resources available at Shell to give instructions and guidance on how to ensure safety in engineering activities, which are freely available on the internet, along with training on how to use them. In addition, Shell has a very visible and proactive safety culture, where people are encouraged to talk about safety, and so my colleagues are always happy to discuss technical issues and give coaching as necessary. Any words of advice for current CUED students considering a career with Shell? Kevin: If you are looking for a job which provides you an opportunity to look into all the aspects of engineering - design, manufacturing, stakeholder management, commercial – and being involved in the day to day work as well as the management of these, Shell is certainly the place to be. Shell will help develop you personally in the skills you aim to achieve and provide you a holistic view of the industry. Sarah: I’ve really enjoyed my time at Shell so far, and I’d advise interested students to get to know more about the different graduate roles and Shell’s different assets before applying, so you can make more informed decisions about your career. Internships are the best way to quickly get a flavour of the potential roles (and can result in job offers!), but careers events are also a great way to meet and talk to Shell employees and campus ambassadors. Kevin Lau and Sarah Tariq graduated from CUED in 2010 and 2011 respectively.
Photo Credits: Shell
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Inclusive Design Deep in the heart of CUED there exists a research group whose aim is to improve the lives of not just a small fraction of society, but everyone on the planet! Second year PhD student KATIE CORNISH sheds light on what the Inclusive Deisgn Group is and how they do it...
“W
hat actually is inclusive design?” This is a question I must heard 100 times or more during the first year of my PhD. Within the Engineering Design Centre at Cambridge University, tucked away in the aptly named ‘Loft’, is the Inclusive Design Group. The group is a collection of researchers exploring how to make the world more accessible to everyone: be it someone with a disability, your elderly grandparent or even you! I started my PhD in the group a year ago having graduated from Loughborough University with a BSc in Ergonomics, and I have really enjoyed it (so far!). It’s great to get the opportunity to get so involved in something that really interests me, and I get to make all the decisions. My particular area of interest is how we can create tools to help designers consider and improve the visual accessibility of their designs, be it products, services or the built environment. With an ageing population being affected by reductions in visual capabilities, this field is only going to become increasingly important, and if anything, I am improving the world for my future self! What more of a reason is there to consider a PhD in inclusive design than that?! Katie wearing the Simulator Suit with motion and vision simulators developed by the group. 16
The members of PROJECT VOXEL are working on an exciting new engneering project, with applications from partying to potentially lifesaving, which they tell us all about...
P
roject Voxel is an electrical/ information extracurricular engineering project. Our team comprises of Peter Birch, Mihir Bhushan and Will Harborne – all in the second year of the engineering course at Sidney Sussex College and looking to specialize in the relevant fields. The definition of the word “voxel” is a “volumetric pixel”, a single point holding a specific value in a three dimensional grid. Just as many pixels make up a picture on a screen, many voxels make up a three dimensional shape – little points in space coming together to form something bigger and better. The real world is exactly this, many small individual things put together to create fantastic results. We are concentrating on one particular case, crowds. Each voxel is a wristband worn by a member of the crowd, covered with bright, multicoloured LEDs. The wristbands can be programmed to react to the music in particular ways to
create incredible effects. The wristbands can also be programmed to communicate with one another allowing them to pass colours on from band to band, creating amazing pattern proliferation effects.
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many small individual things put together to create fantastic results
”
When people come together they can do fantastic things and create amazing atmospheres. Take festivals as an example, thousands of strangers coming together for only a few days to relax and party. Crowds of people come together to watch live events be it music, dance or theatre. However they can’t interact with the act; no mat17
ter how enthusiastic they are they can’t be on the stage, be part of the cast or stand in the limelight. We want to change this, we want to involve the audience in a performance – allow them to change the mood and control at least some part of the atmosphere. We think that interactive lighted wristbands are one way of doing this. Light shines out, bathing its surroundings in colour and causing shadows to dance. Patterns of colour and pulses can be used to change the mood and interact with music – and when brought together as part of a large crowd the effect is immense. We want to create a device that allows every member of the crowd to control their own part of the lighting and to be drawn even further into world of the performance. We’ve been playing around with a tool called Upverter to help us collaborate when working on the circuit diagrams or PCB layouts.
If you haven’t heard of it it’s an online EDA (Electronic Design Automation) tool. It is really easy to learn to use and you can start designing your own PCBs in minutes. It has a huge prebuilt parts library, each of which has a schematic and PCB template, and if you can’t find a part then you can build and share it easily. Our first layout was for the nRF51822 microprocessor from Nordic Semiconductor We were wanting to design the smallest module we could, so everything is crammed in quite a bit – feel free to fork the design and space things out a bit if you need to. The design is based upon the example circuit provided by Nordic in their specification document for the chip which can be acquired from their website. We have gone for a module layout where the majority of the bottom layer is dedicated to a ground plane, only a few traces for VCC run through the layer and this is because we didn’t block the GPIO pins. Ideally a board would have more than two layers so that you
could have a complete ground plane, but we don’t have the luxury of that. A second thing to note is the large cut out from the ground plane in the top right and this is due to the antenna trace that runs over the top. The antenna in this design is not tuned as that really depends upon the rest of the layout, manufacturing technique and the material substrate used. If you are interested, you can view our Upverter page here: https://upverter.com/voxel/ ea7368b858587996/Voxel-BandLayout/. The above design would necessitate a flexible PCB on which to put the LEDs. However, we have recently decided to change tact and buy an LED strip and connect it to a small section of rigid PCB. The first major reason is price. For our (relatively) small run of 1600 boards we were looking at a raw PCB price of around £6 – which for our target audience is just not acceptable. The component cost of the board comes to around £3 and then we would also need to pay for casing and assembly costs 18
on top of that. The major player in the high cost was the low quantity, as at this point the tooling costs dominate the manufacture and for flexible PCB we need a lot of tooling. If instead we were ordering ten times the amount, it would be feasible. Our solution to the price problem is to move to a rigid PCB as both the tooling costs and manufacturing complexity are much lower.
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exciting applications in the medical sector
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Secondly, documents detailing the nature of a USB interface were recently made available to us. This USB interface is a very exciting aspect of our product, as it will enable the user to plug it into their PC and play with it. We hope that this will promote the technologies used to build the bands as well as
providing a fun environment to write code for. Once these finishing touches have been applied to the electronics, we will be able to prototype it and experiment to discover the full potential of the product. We view these bands as having the potential to be much more than the incredible spectacles we first planned to release at concerts etc. The really exciting thing about our bands is that they will be able
to communicate with each other, forming master-slave relationships between bands. This has exciting applications in the medical sector for example. If we found the appropriate sensors to put on the band, we could create a system that monitors the environment or vital signs of an old person or baby for example and alerts family members in other parts of the house when one of the signals is not within a pre-specified range of acceptability. Investigating this possibility is one of the many in-
teresting challenges that lies ahead of us. We are maintaining a blog http:// projectvoxel.com where we update our progress for interested parties to see. Links to technologies we use and circuit diagrams or PCB layouts can all be found on the blog along with contact details. We hope you are as excited about the project as we are and we welcome any feedback/questions regarding it.
One of Project Voxel’s Upverter PCB layouts
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As home to two of the world’s most iconic brands, there’s no where better to start your journey in Engineering. Whether you join us on our graduate programme or our 3, 6 or 12-month undergraduate placement scheme, this is a place where you’ll use your creativity and initiative to bring your ideas to life. Where you’ll push the boundaries of your potential as you work alongside industry-leading experts. Where you’ll develop the specialist and commercial skills that will make an impression around the world. To learn more, visit
jaguarlandrovercareers.com
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EXPLORING
ECOHOUSE The ECOHOUSE TRANSITIONAL TEAM tell us what’s coming up following on from their summer projects...
O
ver the academic year the EcoHouse Transitional Team in Cambridge have been working alongside TECHO in Brazil to come up with a revised design that would address the issue of the space constraints in the Brazilian
Constructing the wooden panels
favelas. The new design fits into a plot of 2.44 x 4.88m with a mezzanine floor giving it a greater living space with a smaller land footprint than the current 3 x 6m house. The design also features increased modularity giving it more flexibility to be built in more than one arrangement and allows the family to extend their house safely whilst maintaining its structural integrity. Members of the TETO-Brasil Redesign Team came to Cambridge towards the end of Lent Term to meet the EcoHouse Society and construct the new prototype design that will be constructed in favelas in SĂŁo Paulo and Quito this summer. They have been sharing their knowledge and experience gained through working with TECHO with us, through a number of talks and design workshops. These have been invaluable for
Constructing the prototype in Cambridge Photo Credits: Ecohouse Initiative Student Society
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members of EcoHouse, to hear first-hand about the conditions in the favelas for which they were designing for and the challenges that TECHO face in providing transitional housing for families in Latin America. At the end of term EcoHouse students joined by TECHO built the final transitional prototype over one weekend in Cambridge (the same time constraint that TECHO have in Latin America). Following its completion the EcoHouse Society will be holding an Exhibition Day where we will be opening the door sharing our work with the public. This will enable us gather feedback and evaluate the design and its construction before beginning to construct around 50 of these houses for families in the summer.
HOW CAN WE COMMUNICATE
UNDERWATER?
A challenge that has been attemped numerous times over the years, but that has never had a fully realised solution...until maybe now. Engineers at BAE Systems tell us about their new technology that could revolutionise underwater communications and the implications it could have... The DRx is a software-defined radio designed and built by BAE Systems Applied Intelligence (formerly BAE Systems Detica). The DRx is designed to act as a Low Frequency (LF) and Very Low Frequency (VLF) radio receiver allowing submarines to receive transmissions around the world. How do VLF waves help communicate underwater? Lower frequency waves propagate further into sea water. Electromagnetic waves propagating through a conducting medium produce alternating, electromagnetically induced currents resulting in amplitude attenuation. Maxwell’s equations for electromagnetism show that the amplitude of radio waves decreases by a factor of 1/e over a depth of δ (skin depth). Furthermore, it can be shown that the skin depth is inversely proportional to the square root of both the frequency of the electromagnetic radiation and the conductivity of the conductive medium. Hence, lower frequency radio waves can penetrate further into sea water. What if the distance between the receiver and transmitter changes? The analogue filter has three channels to expand the DRx dynamic range. There is a great dynamic range over which a radio receiver must operate on a submarine. If the submarine is close to the transmitter and above water the signal will
be strong; however, if the submarine is far away and submerged, the signal will be weak. The DRx can only achieve the required dynamic range by using three input channels, each with a different gain. Different filters must be designed for each of the three channels.
How can you compensate for the effect of the weather?
Lightning significantly affects the VLF band. LF and VLF signals are known to be susceptible to broadband noise signals such as lightning strikes anywhere in the world. A varying range of amplitude How can you accommodate the ef- spikes are seen in the received sigfects of ocean waves? nal depending on the distance of the lightning strikes from the DRx. Cyclic phase fluctuations intro- The DRx uses a software algorithm duced by ocean waves reduce signal to detect and remove these noise integrity. The solution to Maxwell’s spikes from the signal. equations for an electromagnetic wave travelling in a conductive Why are VLF waves suitable for medium also describes a phase de- long distance communication? pendency on depth. Ocean waves effectively produce cyclic fluctua- VLF waves enable global comtions of depth and therefore intro- munication without the need for duce cyclic phase and amplitude satellites. VLF waves are capable fluctuations into the radio wave- of propagating around the globe form. MSK (see below) requires a due to the Earth-Ionosphere wave phase coherent waveform, and so guiding effect. This effect is based ocean waves present a problem to on the channelling and reflection radio demodulation. The DRx uses of electromagnetic waves between a software algorithm to estimate the surface of the Earth and the the effect of the ocean waves, and lower Ionosphere. It should be nothence recover the signal phase. ed that the VLF band is limited to specialised applications due to the large antenna size required and the low bandwidth available. 22
What is the most efficient way of transmitting the signal?
How do you cool electronics in a How do you design a product with water prone environment? a long life expectancy?
The DRx uses signal modulation schemes optimised for the limited bandwidth available. Common methods of digital modulation include Amplitude, Frequency and Phase Shift Keying (ASK, FSK and PSK). As bandwidth is highly constrained in the VLF band, a form of coherent FSK known as MSK is optimal. MSK utilises a continuous phase frequency shift, at the minimum practical level, taking bandwidth and signal-to-noise ratio into account. MSK therefore provides spectrally efficient communication.
The heat exchanger enables fully waterproof cooling in a 3U form factor. Designing a waterproof cooling system for the DRx unit posed a significant engineering challenge. The heat dissipation in the DRx is handled by a partitioned counter-current heat exchanger, where the heat exchange takes place at the interface between an external air channel and the waterproof interior. The opposing air-flow optimises heat dissipation by maintaining a nearly constant temperature gradient over the entire length of the heat exchanger element.
A robust design and a low susceptibility to obsolescence are essential for longevity. The long term operating life of a radio receiver, such as the DRx, leads to a high probability of the components becoming obsolete. In addition, the operating environment of a radio receiver requires that the components are robust and reliable. Considering these issues at the start of a project is essential to reduce long term costs and to compensate for obsolescence.
BAE Systems Applied Intelligence BAE Systems Applied Intelligence protects and enhances clients’ critical operations and assets using intelligence-grade security and large-scale data exploitation and analytics information. We help government and commercial organisations exploit information to deliver critical business services more effectively and economically. We also develop solutions to strengthen national security and resilience, enabling citizens to go about their lives freely and with confidence. By combining technical innovation and domain knowledge, we integrate and deliver world-class solutions – often based on our own unique intellectual property – to our clients’ most complex operational problems. Our solutions comprise software and hardware technologies, consulting, systems integration and managed services. Electronics Systems Group (ESG) Our Electronic Systems Group is an integral part of our Communications Intelligence capability. We are a world-class team specialising in communications and security technology. Our services span the full systems engineering lifecycle from small research studies to multi-million pound product development programmes, through to field support. The group’s specialist areas include high-sensitivity radio receivers; high-performance platforms for sonar, communications and generic data computation; carrier line-rate IP-data processing platforms; low-level software engineering capability across a wide range of platforms and operating systems; and adaption of consumer mobile phone technology for specialist use.
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SNEEK PEAK
Six 4th-Year Engineers provide an insight into their final year projects, giving a taste fo life to come...
NAME: Eric Rosen GROUP: Information and Computer Engineering PROJECT: SLAM In order for an autonomous machine to be able to navigate an environment it needs a representation of its surroundings that it can use for path planning (a map), and be able to localise itself within that representation using various sensors. For cases where a map representation of the environment is not available, the robot needs to be able to generate this map itself. To build a consistent map, we need to simultaneously estimate the robot’s location in the map, while updating the map as new measurements are taken. This is known as SLAM - Simultaneous Localisation and Mapping. The goal of my project is to perform SLAM on a domestic robot in order to be able to navigate a domestic environment using a Kinect camera. Here is a 2D map of part of the DPO that the robot can use for navigation and a 3D point cloud representation of the same map which I’ve generated using my SLAM algorithm:
Image Credits: Eric Rosen
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NAME: GROUP: PROJECT:
Abhi Singh Information and Computer Engineering Conductive Jacket
Quantitative measurement of a cyclist’s joint positions is a desirable need for optimising aerodynamic performance. This project aims to investigate a promising method that utilises conductive fabrics as `strain sensors’. An investigation into the suitability of conductive fabrics for wearable strain sensing applications was carried out using a Lego robot. The results have shown that a set of sensors is able to correctly predict a one-dimensional rotational motion with a high accuracy. Efforts on developing something wearable and capable of measure a cyclist’s position accurately are ongoing.
NAME: GROUP: PROJECT:
Siddarth Gupta Information and Computer Engineering Circular Data
Circular data is all around us. For example, audio signals are often described in terms of a time-varying phase, molecules are often summarised by their bond-angles, and phase signals from the heart and brain are used for medical diagnosis. Often these measurements are corrupted by noise and one would need to infer the true measurement. Methods to do this with circular data have been largely untouched in machine learning and hence this project aims to redress this imbalance.
NAME: Max Thoma GROUP: Mechanical Engineering PROJECT: Superconductivity Superconductivity is the phenomenon of exactly zero electrical resistance and of expulsion of magnetic fields from the bulk of a material that occurs below a characteristic critical temperature in some materials. Yttrium barium copper oxide (YBCO) single grain bulk superconducting materials have a great potential for use in many practical applications because of their high achievable critical current densities and trapped fields, along with their high critical temperature. Various well-understood methods of growing single grains are available, but research on parameters that affect this growth has so far been limited. These factors include temperature, cooling rate, and properties of the precursor powders used. This project aims to study the effect of one of these factors, the particle size in the precursor powders, on the growth of large grains and on the superconducting properties of the samples produced.
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NAME: GROUP: PROJECT:
Sana Waheed Engineering for the Life Sciences Electro Spinning Blood Vessel Scaffolds
Due to complications with the use of natural autologous blood vessels or synthetic vessels as prosthetics, tissue engineered vascular grafts are seen as a good alternative for transplantation. Electrospinning is gaining interest as a potential route to making scaffolds for such tissue engineering. My project focuses on characterising how the viscoelastic properties of electrospun samples can be controlled by changing the electrospinning process parameters. This is important so as to be able to tune the scaffold properties to match specific vascular tissues.
Sana’s electrospun samples ready for mechanical testing image Credits: Sana Waheed
NAME: Nikhila Ravi GROUP: Engineering for the Life Sciences PROJECT: Hydrogels Controlled release systems are of considerable interest for drug delivery applications as they enable sustained therapeutic drug levels without systemic toxicity. Studies have shown that the efficacy of several drugs and proteins is enhanced when they are delivered in a sustained manner rather than as a single bolus administration. Hydrogels provide an ideal matrix within which solutes can be incorporated to modulate their release. In particular, gels derived from natural polymers such as alginate are highly desirable due to their excellent biocompatibility and biodegradabilty. In my project I will be investigating the effect of silica nanoparticles on the hydraulic permeability of alginate-silica composite hydrogels. Proteins will then be encapsulated in the gel and the release profiles measured in order to determine whether permeability can be used as an indicator of the release behaviour of a composite gel. So far I’ve used the Instron for indentation testing, taken FTIR spectra and used Lego Mindstorms to build a mixer for my gels! 26
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Cambridge Tower, Levin Tan 27
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