TechCentury v22 n4

techcentury A PUBLICATION OF THE ENGINEERING SOCIETY OF DETROIT

Enhancing Virtual Reality to Enhance Engineering

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ESD Members Use VR to Expand and Improve Services

Living the Life: LSSU’s Engineering Housing

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Possible is everything.

Expand your technical knowledge

with advanced engineering degrees and certificates from Lawrence Tech.

Learn more: ltu.edu/engineering

admissions@ltu.edu

ESD Members at the Guardian Building on an ESD members-only tour. See more tours on page 9.

techcentury A PUBLICATION OF THE ENGINEERING SOCIETY OF DETROIT

WINTER 2018

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DEPARTMENTS

3 4 6 7 8 9

PUBLICATION NOTES PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE MEMBERS IN THE NEWS NEW CORPORATE MEMBER PROFILE UPCOMING EVENTS TECHCENTURY IMAGE AWARD

13 LTU Biomedical Engineering Looks At Wearable Tech

BY MATT ROUSH

14 “It’s Virtually a Reality” Enhancing Virtual Reality to Enhance Engineering

BY SUSAN THWING

20 Living the Life LSSU’s Engineering House

BY CYRILL WEEMS

BY SUSAN THWING

22 Lighting Up Ideas and Keyboards with VR typing

FEATURES

16 Virtual Reality is Everywhere!

ESD Members use VR to Expand and Improve Services

BY ALLISON MILLS

24 Critical Thinking is Key to Making Ethical Decisions

BY MUMTAZ USMEN

26 10 Rules for Effective Networking

BY TERRY BEAN

28 Chynoweth Named Director of Bureau of Bridges and Structures www.esd.org | The Engineering Society of Detroit | 1

to Succeed

University of Detroit Mercy’s College of Engineering & Science offers flexible Professional and Graduate programs that prepare engineers to become industry leaders and executives.

Our programs blend theory and practice to prepare engineers for both Fortune 500 and midsize companies.

Working professionals can obtain a respected, high-quality education that is conveniently offered and within your company’s tuition reimbursement plan.

Advance your career with one of our Professional and Graduate programs including:

Graduate certificate programs • Advanced Electrical Vehicles (AEV) • Six Sigma Certification • Systems Engineering (SE)

Master’s programs • • • • • • • •

Major in Chemistry Civil Engineering Electrical & Computer Engineering Environmental Engineering Mechanical Engineering Product Development Software Engineering Technical Management

Automation Alley members receive a 50% discount on graduate tuition.

College of Engineering & Science 4001 W. McNichols Road Detroit, MI 48221-3038 esgradprograms@udmercy.edu 800-635-5020 udmercy.edu/esd

techcentury

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NOTES

20700 Civic Center Drive, Suite 450 • Southfield, MI 48076 248–353–0735 • 248–353–0736 fax • esd@esd.org • www.esd.org

TECHNOLOGY CENTURY® EDITORIAL BOARD

CHAIR: Karyn Stickel, Hubbelll, Roth & Clark Jason Cerbin, Honeywell Energy Services Group Sandra Diorka, Delhi Charter Township Tom Doran, Hubbel, Roth & Clark (Retired) Utpal Dutta, PhD, University of Detroit Mercy Richard, Hill, PhD, University of Detroit Mercy William A. Moylan, PhD, PMP, FESD, Eastern Michigan University

John G. Petty, FESD, General Dynamics (Retired) Dan Romanchik Matt Roush, Lawrence Technologicial University

Larry Sok, PE, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles Michael Stewart, Fishman Stewart Intellectual Property Filza H. Walters, Lawrence Technological University Cyrill Weems, Plante Moran CRESA Anne Williams, Baker College Yang Zhao, PhD, Wayne State University

Karyn Stickel Associate, Hubbell, Roth & Clark.

ESD BOARD OF DIRECTORS

PRESIDENT: Douglas E. Patton, FESD, DENSO International America, Inc.

VICE PRESIDENT: Daniel E. Nicholson, General Motors Company SECRETARY: Robert Magee, The Engineering Society of Detroit IMM. PAST PRESIDENT: Kouhaila G. Hammer, CPA, Ghafari Associates, LLC MEMBERS AT LARGE: Larry Alexander, Detroit Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau

Katherine M. Banicki, FESD, Testing Engineers and Consultants Michael D. Bolon, FESD, General Dynamics Land Systems (Retired) Michael J. Cairns, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles Patrick J. Devlin, Michigan Building Trades Council Robert A. Ficano, JD, Wayne County Community College District Farshad Fotouhi, PhD, Wayne State University Alec D. Gallimore, PhD, University of Michigan Lori Gatmaitan, SAE Foundation Malik Goodwin, Goodwin Management Group, LLC Ronald R. Henry, AiA, NCARB, Beaumont Health Marc Hudson, Rocket Fiber Alex F. Ivanikiw, AIA, LEED AP, Barton Malow Company Ali Jammoul, Ford Motor Company Leo C. Kempel, PhD, Michigan State University Scott Penrod, Walbridge Bill Rotramel, AVL Powertrain Engineering, Inc. Kirk T. Steudle, PE, FESD, Michigan Department of Transportation William J. Vander Roest, PE, ZF TRW (Retired) Lewis N. Walker, PhD, PE, FESD, Madonna University Terry J. Woychowski, FESD, Link Engineering Company.

TECHNOLOGY CENTURY STAFF

PUBLISHER: Robert Magee, Executive Director CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Nick Mason, Director of Operations

EDITOR: Susan Thwing GRAPHIC DESIGNER: Keith Cabrera-Nguyen

Technology Century® (ISSN 1091-4153 USPS 155-460), also known as TechCentury, is published four times per year by The Engineering Society of Detroit (ESD), 20700 Civic Center Drive, Suite 450, Southfield, MI 48076. Periodical postage paid at Southfield, MI, and at additional mailing offices. The authors, editors, and publisher will not accept any legal responsibility for any errors or omissions that may be made in this publication. The publisher makes no warranty, expressed or implied, with respect to the material contained herein. Advertisements in TechCentury for products, services, courses, and symposia are published with a caveat emptor (buyer beware) understanding. The authors, editors, and publisher do not imply endorsement of products, nor quality, validity or approval of the educational material offered by such advertisements. ©2018 The Engineering Society of Detroit

“What’s Real? The Virtual World of Technology and Engineering” is the theme of this issue of TechCentury.

In the not so distance past, the idea of Virtual Reality (VR) was limited to science fiction novels and movies. We all talked about the machines taking over, or beaming ourselves to other locations.

However, as advancements have been made in this emerging field, these once fictional items do not feel as far off.

As the development of new programs continues to push the edge of this exciting field, we as consumers are able to benefit.

From online gaming to the cloud and BIM modeling to driverless cars, virtual technology helps drive innovation and collaboration to improve and optimize design, and improve our way of life, including health and safety.

This issue includes features on wearable technology, which consumers continue to embrace to track their health, holographic keyboards, and the advancement of virtual reality in engineering and how it affects the architecture, design, health care and automotive fields. We continue our Grand Challenges article series with our fourth installment, focusing on new virtual technologies.

Our student chapter article in this edition focuses on the Lake Superior State University Student Chapter Engineering House, including their Mackinac Bridge trip.

We hope you enjoy!

www.esd.org | The Engineering Society of Detroit | 3

ESD President’s Message

Is Virtual Reality Overtaking a Personal Touch?

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f you could, like the characters on Star Trek, simply say “Beam me up, Scotty” and transport yourself into another space, would you? For your business, would it be the best choice?

In today’s engineering field, the ability to “virtually” be somewhere else without leaving your current space is becoming more and more prevalent. By simply donning a headset, automotive designers can test a car design together—one engineer in Amsterdam, another in Detroit, another in Germany—and feel as if they are in the same vehicle, looking at the same controls. Architects and project owners located in separate cities can walk through a proposed construction project and move walls, add flooring, and discuss design specifics—all before a brick has been laid.

The next step in this virtual reality process is the up-and-coming telepresence—a set of technologies which allow a person to feel as if they were present at a place other than their true location. Through telepresence, a projected 3D image of yourself is wherever you need to be.

It could be at a meeting, speaking at a conference or even just shopping.

You are represented by your virtual image and can see everything and interact with everyone in the meeting/conference/store whether they are there virtually or physically.

It sounds wonderfully efficient, cost-effective, and exciting.

But, we have to ask ourselves, is this really a good thing? One has to wonder if this new immersive technology could lead to isolation and a dissolving of the one-on-one interaction we require in successful business.

The futurist Ray Kurzweil predicts “By the 2030s, virtual reality will be totally realistic and compelling, and we will spend most of our time in virtual environments… We will all become virtual humans.” This idea of the downside of VR is nothing new—as critics of increased TV, Internet, and smartphone usage will tell you—so as VR technology continues to blossom and move beyond gaming and entertainment into our world of business, this separatism must be acknowledged.

There is no replacement for personal contact and interaction; personal connections are the underpinning of business today and tomorrow.

However, these interactions will become fewer and fewer as VR evolves and enhances our work world. We must be always cognizant of this evolution and work to retain the balance of efficiency and technology with eye-to-eye, handshake-to-handshake personal connections.

And that’s real reality in the engineering work world.

Douglas Patton, FESD President, The Engineering Society of Detroit Executive Vice President & CTO, DENSO International America, Inc. 4 | TechCentury | WINTER 2018

Join the DENSO team for an opportunity to impact the future of mobility. As a leading automotive supplier, we design, develop and manufacture advanced systems, technologies and components for the global automotive industry.

drive innovation Find your next career opportunity CONNECT WITH US DENSO in North America Linkedin.com/company/denso www.densocareers.com

Quality. Teamwork. Diversity.

Growth. Culture. Pride.

ESD Members in the News ESD MEMBERS MAKE “40 UNDER 40”

Employees from four ESD corporate member companies were named to Crain’s Detroit Business’ Annual 40 Under 40 list this year: Eric Morris—Morris is Michigan Office Leader at HNTB Michigan Inc. Morris leads operations throughout the state, including locations in Detroit, Grand Rapids, Jackson and Lansing. He manages 105 people and works on such high-profile projects as the $200 million I-75 Ambassador Gateway project.

Dannis Mitchell—Mitchell works as the Diversity and Inclusion Manager at Barton Marlow. Starting her career in construction in 2003 through an internship at Randolph Technical High School, she joined Barton Marlow in 2013. Her work accomplishments include recruiting 836 apprentices to the Little Caesars Arena project in downtown Detroit.

Graig Donnelly—Donnelly is Assistant Vice President for Economic Development at Wayne State University and Chief Strategy Officer at TechTown Detroit. He is co-founder and board president of Young Nation in Southwest Detroit, and serves on the boards of Jefferson East, Inc. and Woodbridge Neighborhood Development Corporation.

Clarinda Harrison—Harrison is Executive Director of the Business Engagement Center at the University of Michigan-Dearborn, where she works with major corporations to create internship programs or support research. She has also worked at the Michigan Economic Development Commission and is board chair of the nonprofit Teen Hype.

McCORMACK HONORED BY WATER FEDERATION

Hubbell, Roth & Clark Partner Keith McCormack, PE, has been honored by the Water Environment Federation (WEF) for his excellence in the planning, design and construction of water and sewer infrastructure. He has more than 30 years of experience in the planning, design, construction and regulatory compliance of municipal wastewater collection systems and treatment facilities. He maintains a wide-reaching influence throughout the industry and has continuously held leadership roles, both in title and responsibility for the past two decades with WEF and the Michigan Water Environment Association.

6 | TechCentury | WINTER 2018

ESD STUDENT CHAPTER ENJOYS RARE TOUR

ESD’s Lake Superior State University Chapter enjoyed rare access to the Mackinac Bridge, touring both the pier and tower. ESD Membership Director Heather Lilley is shown emerging from inside the pier.

MICHIGAN TECH SEEKS STATE FUNDING FOR NEW HEALTH, ENGINEERING BUILDING

Michigan Technological University’s Board of Trustees recently approved a five-year state capital outlay plan and capital project request that includes a new engineering and health technologies building and student maker spaces.

Phase 1 of the H-STEM Engineering and Health Technologies Complex is the top-ranked project. It is expected to cost $44.7 million, of which state funds would cover $29.7 million and Michigan Tech would be expected to contribute $15 million, about a third of the total cost. If approved for construction planning by the state, phase one—which would include drafting blueprints and using state funds to seek additional funding for naming opportunities—would start in 2018.

H-STEM stands for Health, Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. The complex would support a variety of educational programs that apply engineering and science to health and other problems related to the human condition.

MEMBERSHIP New Corporate Member Profile:

Helping a diverse roster of clients stay strong has been the foundation for SES Engineering.

The company offers structural and stress analysis manufacturing services to companies in the wireless telecommunication, crane and material transfer, automation manufacturing and boiler plant engineering industries. Founded in 1993 by Steven Smith, PE, this varied base of industries served has kept the company prosper, even in trying times.

“We are very diversified and this has helped us stay competitive over the years,” Smith explains.

“Even in the difficult economic years around 2008-2009, we were able to weather that time easily because of our diverse services and clientele.”

Smith’s first client was GM, where he established a framework for engineering standards for the company’s manufacturing tools and equipment.

SES flourished while helping to update GM’s engineering specifications for manufacturing automation. Smith and staff also has helped analyze the structural limits of existing equipment to ensure the safety of plant workers and reduce equipment failure.

Among the company’s projects, SES is currently working with the Hyundai Rotem Company at the

Ford Michigan Assembly Plant in Wayne, Michigan.

This long-term project is a failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA); a step-by-step approach for identifying all possible failures in a design, a manufacturing or assembly process, or a product or service. Smith is also considered an industry leader in Finite Element Analysis (FEA), a numerical method for solving problems of engineering and mathematical physics.

“Right now we are providing stress analysis on all equipment at the Ford plant in order to make sure all welds won’t fail and all structural conditions are strong,” he explains.

In addition, SES designs and certifies new cranes and material transfers for the crane industry; provides structural analysis and design modification for wireless towers, rooftops and telecommunications companies; provides design and development, failure analysis, fatigue analysis, and weld evaluations for the manufacturing industry; and consults on boiler plant constructions and manufacturing as well as facility fuel conversions.

Smith has a BSCE degree from Purdue University and an MSCE from the University of Michigan. In addition to his membership at ESD, he is a member of the American Concrete Institute.

For more information on SES Engineering, visit www.sesengineers.com. SES’s sister companies are SMJ International (www.smj-llc.com) and LAB Architects (www.labarchitectsllc.com).

In Memoriam With deep gratitude for their participation and service, The Engineering Society of Detroit acknowledges the passing of the following members:

PAUL F. DECKER

Retired, Daimler Chrysler Member since 2006

HARVEY HOHLFELDT

CEO, Northern Industrial Manufacturing Corp.

Vice President, Wakefield Bearing Corp.

Member since 1948

RICHARD T. LATIMER

Retired, Sales Engineer, Motch & Merryweather Machinery Member since 2004

ARNOLD MORRIS

Retired, Senior Engineering Technician, Detroit Edison Co. Member of the Senior Engineers Council Member since 1984

RALPH E. SCHWIND, PE

Retired, Orbis, Inc. Staff Engineer, General Motors Corp.

Exec. Advanced Design & Dev. Engineer, Vauxhall Motors Ltd. Member since 1953

JOHN O. STEELE

Retired, President, Spartan Engineers, Inc. Member since 1971

ALEXANDER VEKSLER Member since 2010

LORI WINTERS

Division Engineer, Waste Management of Michigan, Inc. Engineering Manager, Michigan Landfill - BFI Waste Systems General Manager, Onyx Arbor Hills Landfill, Inc. Member since 1998 www.esd.org | The Engineering Society of Detroit | 7

ESD Upcoming Events PE Continuing Education Classes

Education and Enrichment

FE/PE Information Session

Saturday, January 6, 2018 ESD is hosting a complimentary session on earning your PE license.

Engineering professionals will answer your questions and get you started on your path to licensure. The session will cover: •• Why you should consider becoming a PE •• State exam registration deadlines, requirements and processes •• Recommended study materials and steps for preparing for the exams •• Real-life experiences of PE’s who have taken the exam and passed The session is 9:30–10:30 a.m. at ESD Headquarters in Southfield.

Coffee and bagels will be provided. It is complimentary, but preregistration is required. For more details or to register, visit www.esd.org or contact Elana Shelef at 248-353-0735, ext. 119.

Professional Engineer License Review Courses

Since 1941, The Engineering Society of Detroit has successfully prepared thousands of candidates for the State licensing exam in a variety of disciplines ranging from civil and environmental to mechanical and electrical engineering. You’ll learn in a small classroom-like setting from instructors who have first-hand knowledge of the course material. Let our 70-plus years of experience help prepare you to pass the exam on your first try.

FE REVIEW COURSE Tuesdays & Thursdays, January 23–March 29, 2018 For candidates planning to take the CBT Exam, classes are held Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6-9 p.m., with additional Saturday classes for civil and mechanical. The Saturday session starts in February. Participants will be provided a schedule.

PE REVIEW COURSE Saturdays, February 10–March 17, 2018 This course is 24 hours of instruction, on six half-day Saturday sessions, focusing on problem solving techniques needed for the exam. The Civil and Environmental courses meet 8:30 a.m.—12:30 p.m. Mechanical and Electrical Power courses meet 1—5 p.m. The state exam dates are April 13, 2018 and October 26, 2018. To register, visit www.esd.org or contact Fran Mahoney at 248-353-0735, ext. 116, or fmahoney@esd.org.

8 | TechCentury | WINTER 2018

Looking to earn continuing education hours? The Engineering Society of Detroit (ESD) provides professional engineers in Michigan with opportunities to meet continuing education requirements.

Current PEs can take ESD review course classes on an à la carte basis to satisfy state requirements. The instructor-led, three and four-hour courses are taught by academic and industry professionals. All classes are held in the evening on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and in the morning and afternoon on Saturdays at ESD Headquarters in Southfield. Courses run from January 23 through March 29, 2018.

Cost to ESD Members: $100 per four-hour course, $75 per three-hour course. Cost to Non-Members: $125 per four-hour course, $100 per three-hour course.

For more information or to register, visit www.esd.org or contact Fran Mahoney at 248-353-0735, ext. 116, or fmahoney@esd.org.

ESD Upcoming Events

TOURS The Engineering Society of Detroit offers members the chance to tour iconic landmarks, state-of-the-art facilities and creatively designed buildings.

These behind-the-scene tours are unique in that they offer attendees the opportunity not only to tour great facilities, but also to learn technical information, and visit areas not open to the general public.

LURIE NANOFABRICATION FACILITY AT UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN Friday, January 19, 2018 NSF INTERNATIONAL LABORATORY Friday, February 16, 2018 PLASMADYNAMICS AND ELECTRIC PROPULSION LABORATORY AT UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN Friday, March 16, 2018 T.B. SIMON POWER PLANT AT MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY Friday, April 20, 2018 The tour cost is $25 for ESD members; non-members can join ESD for $99 and attend the tour free. (This offer is for new, first-time members only.)

For more information or to register online, visit www.esd.org, or call 248-353-0735, ext. 222 to register by phone.

CONFERENCES and FAIRS

DTE-ESD Energy Efficiency Conference and Exhibition

Tuesday, May 8, 2018 Call for Presentations Deadline: February 9, 2018 In its 21st year, this conference— hosted by DTE Energy and The Engineering Society of Detroit—the only one of its kind in Michigan, is designed to educate small to large commercial and industrial businesses on energy technology, products, and services that will assist them in successful energy management. The event draws close to 800 people every year.

You are invited to take an active role in this solutions-based event by submitting a presentation proposal.

Presentation time slots are 30 minutes and can feature a case study or proven example.

For more information and submission requirements, visit www.esd.org, or contact Leslie Smith, CMP, at lsmith@esd.org or 248-353-0735, ext. 152.

Engineering and Technology Job Fair

Tuesday, March 6, 2018 Employers—if you’ve been struggling to locate the right employees and would like to meet face-to-face with engineering and technology candidates, then join Michigan’s leading companies at this job fair.

Job Seekers—whether you’re a seasoned professional, a recent graduate or an in-between careers job seeker, the spring job fair is your best opportunity to meet one-on-one with representatives from leading engineering companies.

The job fair will be held at the Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi from 2–7 p.m. For more, visit esd.org or contact Leslie Smith, CMP, at lsmith@esd.org or 248-353-0-735, ext. 152.

28th Annual Solid Waste Technical Conference

Wed.–Thurs., April 11–12, 2018 This Solid Waste Technical Conference (April 11) and post-conference Training Day (April 12)—sponsored by ESD and the Michigan Waste & Recycling Association—focus on cutting-edge technological innovations related to the solid waste industry.

The conference takes place at the Kellogg Hotel & Conference Center in East Lansing. To register, visit esd.org. to sponsor or exhibit, contact Leslie Smith, CMP, at lsmith@esd.org or 248-353-0735, ext. 152.

www.esd.org | The Engineering Society of Detroit | 9

ESD Upcoming Events

VOLUNTEERS WANTED

Michigan Regional Future City Competition: Judges Needed

Competition Day: Monday, January 22, 2018 Inspire the future by taking part in the Michigan Regional Future City Competition. Future City is a cross-curricular educational program where students work as a team with an educator and volunteer mentor to design a city of the future. The program is designed to engage middle school students’ interest in math, science, and engineering through real-life, practical and hands-on activities.

Judges are needed on competition day to evaluate

team presentations and models. The competition will take place on January 22, 2018 at the Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi. The training for this phase of judging takes place at 8 a.m. The actual judging is from 9–11 a.m. At that time, teams display their model cities and three presenting students from each team give a five-to-seven-minute presentation to a panel of judges.

To volunteer, visit www.futurecity.org/register and register as a regional competition judge. Please choose Michigan when it asks you to choose a region. For more information on judging, contact Leslie Smith, CMP, at lsmith@esd.org or 248-353-0735, ext. 152.

SMARTER DECISIONS. ACCELERATED SCHEDULES.

ENHANCED PROCESS. With the power of virtual design and construction, Barton Malow builds the future of our communities. w w w.bar tonmalow.com

10 | TechCentury | WINTER 2018

ESD Upcoming Events ESD College of Fellows

Nominations Due Feb. 28, 2018 Once again, it is time to nominate ESD members for the prestigious rank of Fellows. Election to the rank of Fellow is one of the highest recognitions that ESD can bestow on one of its members. Please help us seek out and recognize the true engineering leaders within ESD by submitting applications

by February 28, 2018. Criteria and instructions can be found at www.esd.org, or contact Heather Lilley at hlilley@esd.org or 248-353-0735, ext. 120.

AWARDS

ESD Honor Awards

Nominations Due Feb. 28, 2018 OUTSTANDING YOUNG ENGINEER OF THE YEAR This award recognizes a young professional under the age of 35 who has best distinguished him/ herself in the engineering and scientific communities. Criteria include education, work experience, and professional and community activities. Applicants must be members of ESD. OUTSTANDING COLLEGE STUDENT OF THE YEAR This award recognizes an undergraduate student who has best distinguished him/herself in the engineering and scientific communities. Criteria include academics, extracurricular activities, and employment experience. The winner receives a $1,000 scholarship.

OUTSTANDING HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT OF THE YEAR This award recognizes a graduating high school senior. To be considered, applicants must have a least a 3.0 GPA, plan on pursuing a career in the field of engineering or the life sciences, and participate in volunteer activities. The winner(s) will receive a $1,000 scholarship.

Applications and additional criteria may be found at www.esd.org.

For more information, contact Sue Ruffner at sruffner@esd.org or 248-353-0735, ext. 117.

44th Annual ESD Construction & Design Awards

Nominations Due Feb. 28, 2018 ESD’s Construction and Design Awards are unique in that they honor the three primary members of the building team—owners, designers, and constructors—and recognize outstanding team achievement and innovative use of technology.

Submissions are being accepted from project teams composed of owner, designer and constructor. At least one of the primary members of the product team must be an ESD member. For more, visit www.esd.org or contact Leslie Smith, CMP, at lsmith@esd.org or 248-353-0735, ext. 152.

Gold Award Reception and Recognition

Wednesday, March 21, 2018 Join the ESD Affiliate Societies as we come together to honor and recognize our leaders—engineers, scientists and technical professionals who have distinguished themselves through outstanding achievement and service within their respective societies.

The event will feature this year’s Gold Award winner. This award is given to an individual who is collectively upheld by the council for his or her outstanding contributions to the fields of science and engineering.

The event will take place at the Polish Cultural Center in Troy.

More information can be found at www.esd.org or contact Elana Shelef at eshelef@esd.org or 248-353-0735, ext. 119.

ESD Annual Golf Outing

June 4, 2018 Our annual golf outing at Oak Pointe Country Club in Brighton sells out quickly—sign up early!. Contact Mary Sheridan at 248-353-0735, ext. 222 or msheridan@esd.org.

ESD Annual Dinner

SAVE THE DATE

June 20, 2018 The ESD Annual Dinner this year will be held at Ford Field in Detroit.

To sponsor, contact Elana Shelef at 248-353-0735, ext. 119 or eshelef@esd.org. www.esd.org | The Engineering Society of Detroit | 11

Nominations open for TechCentury’s Image Award Deadline is February 28, 2018 TechCentury is an awardwinning publication of The Engineering Society of Detroit that has been serving the needs of engineers and technical professionals since 1939. Published four times a year and online, the magazine covers a multitude of technical topics: the Blue Economy, Nanotechnology, Cyber Security, Sports Engineering, Smart Systems, etc. TechCentury’s Image Award is bestowed on a person who has advanced awareness of engineering and the technical professions in noteworthy and innovative ways.

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Award Criteria:

This award is intended to recognize individuals who have promoted, publicized, and enhanced the engineering and technical professions to the public-at-large through public engagement, mentoring, public speaking, authoring articles, and other publicly visible activities.

2018

NTURY TECH CE WARD IMAGE A

•

Nomination Requirements: Nominator provides the required supporting information to the ESD Editorial Board, including: • The Nominee’s CV • A 200-word, or less, description of why the Nominee fulfills the award criteria • The names of two (2) individuals, in addition to the Nominator, who can attest to the Nominee’s qualifications for this award • An example of the Nominee’s work: article composed, news article, event record, speech given, testimonial, etc.

Entries must be received by no later than 5 p.m. (EST) on February 28, 2018.

Nominees do not have to be ESD members. Nominators must be ESD members.

The award winner must be present at the ESD Awards Dinner held in June, or if they cannot attend, someone must attend on their behalf.

• • •

Nominator must submit entries to: TechCentury Image Award The Engineering Society of Detroit Susan Thwing, Editor, TechCentury magazine 20700 Civic Center Drive, Suite 450 Southfield, MI 48076 Fax: 248-353-0736 or e-mail: sthwing@esd.org

LTU Biomedical Engineering Design Course Looks at Wearable Tech

By Matt Roush

W

earable technology is an exciting area of the consumer electronics industry that has already led to the creation of new products for fashion, sports, lifestyle, computing and health, all of which include electronic or computer capabilities.

The products span the gamut from health trackers to virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) headsets, and the industry attracted nearly $1 billion of venture capital funding in 2015.

These devices are coming not only from big electronics companies but from the maker movement, which has opened the door for hobbyists, inventors and hackers to turn concepts into products by focusing on technology gaps and customer needs through rapid prototyping.

A new course in Lawrence Technological University’s (LTU) Department of Biomedical Engineering, “Wearable Technology Studio,” aims to unite maker-style skills and cross-disciplinary design project teams to develop wearable technology products.

The class has minimal previous programming or electronics knowledge required. Maker skills covered include sewing, soft electronics circuits, open electronics microcontrollers, sensors, actuators, displays, digital design, digital fabrication tools, big data analysis techniques, wireless communication, and programming.

The course recognizes the increasing popularity of wearable devices that include many sensors— from accelerometers to measure motion to heart rate, EKG and EEG

sensors to measure body functions.

They encourage LTU biomedical engineering students to learn design issues and human-computer interaction concepts more frequently found in industrial design and interaction design courses.

The course’s studio format includes a combination of interactive demonstration sessions, simple hands-on activities, and two guided 4-week design projects. This sequence of activities culminates in a midterm project to 3D print and assemble a smart watch. During the second half of the semester, students form groups and complete a self-determined wearable technology product development project. The final project includes the topics of user interaction, mobile app development, materials and manufacturability, funding, marketing and differentiation from competing products.

“During the first week of the class the students used and then investigated the capabilities and marketing strategies for different types of AR/VR products, including; Microsoft Hololens, Google Cardboard, Occulus Rift and HTC Vive,” said Eric G. Meyer, assistant professor of biomedical engineering at LTU. “It was fun to try out some examples of the latest technology available and also to compare cheaper alternatives. There may be different types of consumers that prefer each approach.”

A veteran journalist, Matt Roush is Director of the News Bureau and Director of Media Relations at Lawrence Technological University, a 4,500-student university that is world-renowned for its engineering, architecture and science programs. www.esd.org | The Engineering Society of Detroit | 13

Editor’s note: this is the fourth in a series of articles addressing key aspects of the National Academy of Engineering’s (NAE) and the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) list of The Grand Challenges of Engineering in the 21st Century. In this piece we look at ways to enhance the use of virtual reality to enhance our lives.

“IT’S VIRTUALLY A REALITY” ENHANCING VIRTUAL REALITY TO ENHANCE ENGINEERING

By Cyrill Weems

I

magine a world where high school biology students simulate complicated surgeries on people rather than on frogs. Scientists will be able to learn more about deadly animals without the risk of being face-to-face with real danger. Potential homeowners anticipating transatlantic moves can go house hunting without crossing the ocean. The world of conference and video calls being replaced with virtual meetings. Although currently used mainly for gaming, virtual environments can and will enable a completely new world of learning and connectivity and will be the future way of life.

Virtual Reality (VR) is an artificial environment which is experienced through sensory stimuli (such as sights and sounds) provided by a computer and in which one’s actions partially determine what happens in the environment. VR has allowed its users to experience a world where they are able to interact with video in a way that challenge their minds in the understanding of what is real and what is not. The success of VR enhancement to the gaming industry 14 | TechCentury | WINTER 2018

has sparked a new energy to investigate innovative VR uses in other industries.

EVOLUTION OF VIRTUAL REALITY The exact origin of virtual reality is unknown.

According to Jason Jerald, founder and president of NextGen Interactions, VR has been around a long time but has been used primarily for design visualization purposes to make sure things look right.

Starting in the 1960s, the technologies behind flight simulators, displays, video games, computer input devices and Hollywood effects cross pollinated to support the emergence of virtual reality environments.

More recently, developments in high performance computing added the processing power that makes real time responses possible. In the pre-internet 90s, Nintendo and Saga tried to bring virtual reality to the gaming masses by developing VR platforms and games. However, neither were successful due to lack of customer interest. In recent years, as tech firms poured billions of dollars into VR, customer interest followed.

Now, the discussion and research surrounding the possibilities within VR is real and vibrant.

VIRTUAL REALITY BEYOND GAMING While gaming and entertainment may be the more primary uses for virtual reality technology today, other industries are exploring possible benefits of this emerging technology. In aerospace, domestic pilots can train in simulators to allow them to get the necessary flight time and experience prior to flying planes with actual passengers. VR allows astronauts to experience the conditions and the environment that they will encounter in space without the risk of encountering real uncalculated hazards, preparing them for future expeditions. VR has the capability to support several types of training efforts including driving, skiing, golfing and many others to prepare people for work or leisure.

Virtual reality, in some cases, can also add culture to our daily lives as well. People can instantly be transported to locations of their choice including different cities, countries, and continents. It can also transport people back to previous experiences in an effort to conjure memories both pleasant and life-defining.

Health experts are leverage VR technology to help our heroic veterans diagnosed with PTSD overcome their challenging experiences.

In civil engineering, virtual reality can be used to design infrastructure and look for fatal flaws or design improvements prior to construction. Automotive design engineers have the opportunity to build multiple prototypes for decision making while cutting down the cost of building physical molds or models. VR can inevitably speed up the design development stage and allow industry leaders to be more efficient and effective in bringing products to market.

VIRTUAL REALITY CONCERNS There’s speculation that virtual reality can be much like a drug in the sense that it lulls users into a false sense of security. Training within the virtual reality environment can produce participants who have developed a more inflated confidence level than appropriate. While it may not be as concerning to have a golf enthusiast take his virtual reality trainings to the course and fail, it would be much more concerning to have professional practitioner failures.

Separately, some of the health, ethical, security and privacy concerns that apply to cell phone and internet usage apply to virtual reality. Researchers are concerned with the physical effects from devices with underdeveloped graphics and related features that contribute to headaches and nausea. Consumers are also concerned with security and the data that can be shared as core connectivity occurs with VR and

other devices, such as phones and computers. As with any revolutionary technology, there will need to be a conscious effort to adapt to the ongoing changes in laws and human behavior associated with the increased use of virtual reality to minimize potential adverse impacts to our daily lives.

FUTURE OF VIRTUAL REALITY Most agree that the benefits of virtual reality outweigh the concerns. Additional research and development is expected to enhance virtual reality across the news, travel, healthcare, sports, construction, transportation and engineering industries. Although the adoption of virtual reality has been a much slower transition in the workplace, some sectors such as construction, engineering, retail and healthcare are more open to adopting VR than others. In fact, Spiceworks’ “Future of IT” report shows that although only 5 percent of organizations in the construction and engineering industry use VR today, an additional 27 percent plan to adopt it over the next 5 years.

Rapid growth in the use of VR in conjunction with BIM (Building Information Modeling) and various 3D modeling programs have been observed in the AEC (Architect, Engineering and Construction) industry as a means to get higher quality designs, positive client interactions and faster project approvals. The use of VR is expected to contribute to a savings in time and money on complex projects now and into the future.

Mainstream use of virtual reality may be a little ways off, but it’s coming. The opportunities to improve safety and reduce risk by performing experiments in a virtual environment is extremely interesting to many industries performing life changing research and development.

The possible efficiencies to be gained as a result of virtual technologies are attractive and currently being investigated. With all of the excitement, attention and advancements in virtual reality today, it’s very likely that many innovators will begin to leverage the capabilities of this technology for advancements in efficiencies within their industries. Virtual reality is the future and has the potential to be a primary catalyst in the quest to connect many different worlds. It seems that time, to allow further research and development of this technology, is the major hurdle to virtual reality becoming a reality.

Cyrill Weems is senior vice president at Plante Moran Cresa with a project management career spanning more than 20 years. He is an active member of the Engineering Society of Detroit, the Project Management Institute, the Michigan Water Environment Association, and COMTO (Conference of Minority Transportation Officials) where he also serves as a board member. www.esd.org | The Engineering Society of Detroit | 15

Virtual Reality is Everywhere!

ESD Members use VR to Expand and Improve Services

By Susan Thwing

V

irtual Reality is not just for gaming anymore.

As augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) fulfill tremendous growth potential, the processes are gaining entry into an increasing number of engineering fields.

Virtual reality creates an illusory environment giving users the impression of being somewhere other than where they are—mimicking the actual experience by combining vision, sound, touch, and feelings of motion to give the brain a realistic set of sensations.

And it works. From architectural firms to automotive designing to healthcare, ESD members are using AR and VR more and more each year.

Here’s a look at how some member companies are taking full advantage: ARCHITECTURE, BUILDING AND DESIGN At Harley Ellis Devereaux (HED), architects use programs like Revizto and Enscape to design projects that are efficient, effective and meet the clients’ diverse needs.

HED primarily uses Revizto as a coordination tool, but Jason Rostar, associate and corporate design technological leader based out of the firm’s Chicago office, says the tool is capable of high quality visuals.

Revizto uses gaming technology and cloud solutions 16 | TechCentury | WINTER 2018

to bring together various BIM and CAD data and then track all project issues in one centralized 3D environment. Since the program is streamlined, it allows teams to speak a common language and share a single window into all project information.

HED also uses Enscape for photo realistic visuals.

This program gives the client a VR experience as if the architecture is already built: a virtual walkthrough of the building with just one click. Rostar says that using these programs allows architects, designers and clients to virtually walk through a space inspecting materials, lighting and other qualities of a space, before a brick is laid.

Michael Cooper, HED President and Managing Principal, says VR is “a very powerful tool that allows the design to evolve and revise as a real world experience—to show the owner what the space would feel like, tweak the design and test strategies, so they are much more confident with the proposed end result.”

Rostar agrees. “We can see how shadows will fall for lighting, see how a glossy floor would look … it allows for a much more fluid design,” he explains.

Another benefit is that the tools they use do not require the user to be an expert in order to experience the effect. “They are very user friendly. We can set them

up for use by contractors, project owners—basically everyone on the team,” Rostar says.

HED has been using the VR programs for about two years. Before the virtual reality tools were available, Rostar says projects would require a manual approach with mock ups and static images. This ability to quickly make design changes also improves the timeline of the process, shaving weeks, if not months off a concept design schedule.

Cooper says that VR is the future of architecture.

“As we look out into the future, what we’re going to see is this being a mainstream practice, where the owner conveys what they want in the design, how they think about it, and then we can create a vision of the project to show them without physically building anything.”

AUTOMOTIVE At Ford Motor Company, automotive designers and engineers can be in separate countries, but experience a vehicle test as if each team member is in the same car.

“Using our Immersion Virtual Reality headsets and programming, one designer can be in Melbourne, one in Dearborn and one in Germany, and it’s like we are in the same room or vehicle,” says Elizabeth Baron, Ford Virtual Reality and Advanced Visualization Technical Specialist. “We are surrounded in our environment with everything behaving as if we are there—as your head turns, you see what you would if you’re actually in the car.”

Ford’s virtual reality lab, located at their Product Development Center in Dearborn, is leading the automotive era of revolutionary design development by projecting and then becoming immersed in the environment of the new car. Engineers can quickly and easily improve the quality of early concepts.

“The benefits of VR is that we can look at three variations on a model without ever building a thing,” Baron says. “We can do a lot more ‘what ifs’ and simulate alternatives, remodel, retool and respond much more quickly to customer wants.

“We can make early evaluations on materials, colors and craftsmanship, as well as aesthetics, packaging and ergonomics. Also, our teams—no matter where they are located—can see the live feed and also make instant feedback,” she says.

An example of this quick feedback and global engineering was when the team was designing a right-hand drive Mustang to be sold in the global community. “It seemed simple, just make a few adjustments. But, we did a simulated review and audit on the design and found that the pedals would now be in the way of the fuse panel. With this knowledge, we were able to adjust the design before a vehicle hit the production line,” she says.

Baron says this collaborative process enhances Ford’s ability to work on a worldwide scale and with a global audience in mind. “With this technology, designers and engineers can enhance their ability to achieve that goal—while also improving vehicle quality.”

HEALTHCARE Virtual reality (VR) is increasingly being used in a wide range of medical applications. Thanks to VR, doctors can now look at the body in enhanced ways.

For example, most medical-imaging equipment on the market today can generate 3-D images.

However, Wayne State University’s assistant professor of computer science Zichun Zhong, PhD, is going a step further and researching using 4D models in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer.

This diagram illustrates a multi-organ meshing method used by WSU’s Dr. Zhong to model the sliding motion between different organs. www.esd.org | The Engineering Society of Detroit | 17

“There has been growing interest in using fourdimensional cone-beam computed tomography (4D-CBCT) for managing respiratory motion involved sites, including lung and liver tumors, in radiation therapy,” Zhong explains. “In the current 4D-CBCT process, individual phase images are first reconstructed from corresponding projections, and a motion model is then built from them. Due to the limited number of projections at each phase, the image quality is often degraded and the accuracy of motion modeling is affected by the quality of the reconstructed images.”

Zhong and his team are proposing new strategies to enhance the image quality of 4D-CBCT. Studies show that four-dimensional imaging gives doctors a better chance of finding cancer tumors early and accurately, and may reveal tumors that other imaging techniques might not, especially in dynamic scenarios. If cancer is detected, four-dimensional imaging makes it easier to discover additional tumors in the same area, he explains.

According to a recent Wall Street Journal article, virtual-reality technologies such as these, which can pull in imagery and data from multiple sources, have the potential to more dramatically affect patient outcomes.

In clinical trials, some VR simulations reduced surgical planning time by 40 percent and increased surgical accuracy by 10 percent.

Zhong is also working with his team and medical collaborators on a multi-organ meshing method to model the sliding motion between different organs and more accurately estimate the complicated motions inside the human body.

“During respiration, the lung, diaphragm and liver slide against the pleural wall while moving independently. For this reason, the motion fields between the internal organs and the pleural wall 18 | TechCentury | WINTER 2018

should be discontinuous. In the multi-organ meshing model, discontinuity is allowed for the motion fields along the direction tangential to the interface, which reflects the sliding motion,” he says. “On the other hand, the continuity of the motion fields along the normal direction is also required. By doing so, the gap in the motion fields can be avoided.”

Zhong’s proposed strategy is particularly important for improving the visualization and motion estimation accuracy of the tumor on the organ boundaries in 4D-CBCT. TEACHING VR is used in health care teaching as well. Instructors at the Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine (OUWB) have partnered with the Marcia & Eugene Applebaum Simulation Learning Institute (SI) at Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak to provide VR training to new physicians as well as those updating their skills. The SI is a $4.5 million educational facility designed to change the way health care professionals learn and train. With its state-of-the-art equipment and experienced staff, students practice hands-on skills in areas ranging from anesthesiology to internal medicine to pediatrics and surgery.

“Virtual Reality can mean something quite sophisticated, such as a mechanized simulated patient manikin who can speak, breathe, turn blue, have a cardiac arrest, etc., or can be as simple as a plastic model of the skin to use for suturing,” explains Kathryn Ziegler, M.D., Medical Director at the SI. “For example, training students on the steps of removal of a gallbladder laparoscopically, using a pig liver and gallbladder positioned in a laparoscopic trainer. The tissues are an almost perfect replica of human tissues, so the trainee can have a very realistic experience.

“We also routinely use the more computerized VR platforms, such as the GI Mentor (a virtual endoscopy simulator) and the Mimic (a virtual robotic simulator) to train students and residents in those skills.”

OUWB faculty member, Victoria Roach, PhD, says “surgical simulators are a game changer in surgical residency.”

“Historically, residents or surgical trainees were expected to live in the hospital—hence the term residency—for days on end, in the pursuit of surgical knowledge and experience. However, with the introduction of mandatory work limits for residents, coupled with the fact that new procedures and techniques are constantly being incorporated into mainstream practice, surgical trainees are being forced to master a rapidly expanding breadth of procedures in a drastically truncated time period.”

Roach says that with the introduction of surgical simulation, residents are now able complete an infinite number and variety of simulated procedures—allowing trainees to gain a breadth of exposure not limited by the procedures occurring in the hospital.

“Not only does simulation allow for increased opportunities for trainees to gain experience in less common procedures, but it also allows for ‘do-overs’— an essential aspect of the learning process, which as you can imagine, is impossible in the traditional operating room setting,” she explains.

Zeigler says robotic surgery also is a great example of how virtual reality can truly change the training paradigm.

“A required part of robotic surgical training, including faculty training, is the use of the virtual robotic surgical exercises. Passage of these exercises is mandatory prior to getting robotic operative privileges at Beaumont, along with other mandatory portions of training,” she says. “We also use the virtual robotic platform to follow the skill progression of our residents, and decide based on these skills whether the resident is ready for their next phase of training.

With traditional open surgery, we don’t have a computerized testing ground where residents’ progress is digitally scored and competence can be tracked objectively. That capability now exists because of virtual reality training capabilities.”

AND IN OTHER AREAS… These examples just touch on some of the areas and ways ESD members are using VR in many industries.

What is clear is, as Baron from Ford, says “Techniques are now available to virtually scan your environment, learn your environment and create objects out of what things are there and what they do. It’s a tool that is expanding and will allow us to get at the very heart of what we want to create.”

Seems like the possibilities are limitless.

www.esd.org | The Engineering Society of Detroit | 19

Living the life

LSSU’s Engineering House

By Susan Thwing

20 | TechCentury | WINTER 2018

W

hen the Engineering Society of Detroit’s Student Chapter members at Lake Superior State University (LSSU) share the motto “Engineering Our Future”, they mean it.

The 24-member chapter lives in the Engineering and Technology House, a Living-Learning Community at LSSU that is located within five row houses revamped to immerse students in their career field and interests. Originally built as officer’s quarters for Fort Brady—a frontier fort established in Sault Sainte Marie to guard against British incursions from Canada—these stately homes are now used to create a supportive community for the students.

Engineering majors are invited and encouraged to participate in the Engineering and Technology House, or Chippewa Hall.

But for the students in Chippewa Hall, it’s more than just having a study partner.

David Roland Finley, PhD, dean of the College of Engineering, says the Engineering House evolved into the Engineering Society of Detroit’s chapter house as the group became more involved in ESD activities. The chapter is about two years old.

“The engineering students were already living in the house, but as they met Robert Magee (ESD executive director) and his Heather Lilley (director of membership), and learned more about forming an ESD chapter, it became a clear win-win situation to focus and combine our efforts,” he says.

The house is “hardwired” to support the students full experience, Finley says.

“The house is just four houses down from the engineering classrooms, and they have specific computer resources as well as full support from the university,” he explains. “These are some of the strongest students coming in at the beginning of their engineering education, and living with older students who can provide insight and guidance. It’s a wonderful opportunity for them to learn and understand what engineering is all about.”

Working with the ESD as a student chapter is icing on the cake, he says.

“By combining opportunities, these student can learn, grow and inspire the next generation of engineers through ESD networking programs as well as outreach events in the local schools,” he explains.

The chapter is relatively new, so outreach programs and events are still developing and expanding.

Chapter members Allison Hamner, a computer engineering student, and Cord Sutter, who is studying mechanical engineering (both graduating in May 2018) say the proximity creates “a second family; a tight knit group of friends” who are available to support each other as they develop their careers.

Last fall, the LSSU chapter met with a local Cub Scout troop to encourage the scouts to explore the sciences.

Hamner says the connection to ESD is opening up numerous opportunities.

“One of the best things we’ve done already is taking a tour of the Mackinac Bridge. We were able to climb to the top, and see and learn how it was designed, and talk with experts in the industry. The lead engineer on the project was a woman who has been in engineering for many years. It was very inspiring to talk with her and learn from her experience,” she says.

A requirement for the Living Learning Community students is to create a house project. For the engineering students, the project is building a 3D printer which they plan to complete by next spring.

They are also coordinating events for local middle and high school students such as robotics programs. Last fall, the group met with a local Cub Scout troop for a science activity consisting of building a sound structure using uncooked spaghetti noodles and marshmallows.

More such events are in the planning stages.

Chapter advisor and LSSU associate professor of mechanical engineering, Zakaria Mahmud, PhD, says living in the house has huge benefits for the students.

“It’s a space that is immersed in mentoring, learning from peers and networking,” he explains. “And as ESD chapter members, the students have many opportunities to meet individuals and have discussions

that can lead to internships, career advice and even job offers down the road.”

But just as essential, he says, the students are able to explore the field and carve out a niche that will be satisfying in the long run.

“The students participate in activities, such as the Mackinac Bridge tour, a tour of the Soo Locks in Sault Ste. Marie, and building a 3D printer. They will also attend the North American Auto Show this year and work with younger students by volunteering at a First Robotics Competition—all of this leading to a fulfilling, comprehensive picture of where they want to go with their careers,” he says.

Looking back on his own academic experience and work at other universities, Mahmud says the ESD-LSSU partnership is unique.

“I have not seen something like this at other universities. Through this partnership the students at the Engineering House are blessed and excited to be ESD members,” he says. “The opportunities before them are limitless.”

ESD currently has Student Chapters at colleges and universities across the state. For a complete list, visit esd.org. For details on specific Student Chapters and how to join them, please contact Heather Lilley at 248-353-0735, ext. 120, or hlilley@esd.org.

www.esd.org | The Engineering Society of Detroit | 21

Lighting Up Ideas and Keyboards with VR Typing

By Allison Mills

W

hat’s better than a holographic keyboard?

A real one, apparently.

New research from computer scientists at Michigan Technological University delves into the different ways to type in a virtual reality (VR) space. They presented their work at the ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computer Systems (CHI 2017), noting that while cranking out text is an integral part of our digital lives, it’s a field of research that has a surprising lack of emphasis in VR development.

“Lots of people are buying head-mounted displays, but it’s mostly for video games,” says Scott Kuhl, an associate professor of computer science at Michigan Tech. “We’re trying to figure out how we can use a head-mounted display for office work like writing and editing a document or sending a message to someone.”

Though these mundane tasks aren’t ideal yet in VR, by wearing a headset that looks like an oversized 22 | TechCentury | WINTER 2018

To find out how to type better with virtual reality technology, computer scientists used a light-up virtual display, autocorrect algorithms and a physical keyboard.

sleeping mask, VR can make an enchanted forest walk feel real—or at least surreal—and can transport a viewer halfway around the world.

The key is balancing what a person can see through the head-mounted display and what they can touch physically. For typing, people need both visual and tactile feedback.

HEAD-MOUNTED DISPLAY James Walker, a lecturer in computer science, led the research as part of his dissertation, working with Kuhl. He says the challenge stems from the fact that people need to see what they’re typing—a bit difficult with an over-eye headset on—so he developed a

Virtual reality text entry is the focus of research by computer scientists Scott Kuhl, James Walker and Keith Vertanen.

light-up virtual keyboard synced with a physical keyboard. This virtual keyboard lets a VR typist see in the head-mounted display what keys they typed on the physical keyboard.

Other VR typing systems rely on either mid-air virtual keyboards or overlaying of real-world video into the VR display. But both approaches require extra equipment such as tracking cameras that can be error-prone and intrusive. People’s texting performance also declines with only virtual keyboards.

“Typing in mid­air is very fatiguing,” Walker says. “Our solution is noteworthy because it enables people to continue using their physical peripherals, which gives the best performance, and it doesn’t need any extra hardware or require superimposing a video feed into the virtual environment.”

VELOCITAP: AUTOCORRECT ALGORITHM To assess the effectiveness of a physical keyboard, Walker conducted an experiment in which participants typed on a keyboard they couldn’t see. In one part, participants wore a head-mounted

display—in this case, an Oculus Rift. In the other part, participants used a desktop monitor with their view of the keyboard occluded by a cover. In each part, Walker tested participants’ performance with and without his virtual keyboard.

To start, a large number of people reported their typing prowess to be expert or at least proficient. Being human, participants made mistakes—lots of them—especially those without the virtual keyboard lighting up keys. That makes this experiment a perfect set-up not just for testing VR text hardware, but also to examine how autocorrect fits in.

“People underappreciate the redundancy in natural language,” says Keith Vertanen, an assistant professor of computer science who assisted Walker and Kuhl with a language model to correct participants’ typing. “Our recognition touch screen program, VelociTap, is extremely accurate as it’s been trained on billions of words.”

Still, Vertanen says he and the rest of the team were pleasantly surprised by how well the autocorrect algorithm shifted from its touch screen origins to

predicting intended letters on a physical keyboard. In addition, the team observed that error rates declined as people continued typing with the VelociTap feedback and the model corrected about two-thirds of the text errors.

FULL TEXTING The team’s research has focused on the input of short, informal text messages. Next steps include supporting the input of numbers, punctuation and capitals, and to allow the editing and styling of text.

“The long-term goal is facilitating arbitrary input while wearing a head-mounted display,” Walker says.

The team knows how to catalyze that integration: use what’s at hand. Physical keyboards can help push VR into the text-filled world of work and play.

Allison Mills works as a science and technology writer for Michigan Tech.

She earned her master’s degree in environmental science and natural resource journalism at the University of Montana.

www.esd.org | The Engineering Society of Detroit | 23

CRITICAL THINKING IS KEY TO MAKING ETHICAL DECISIONS

By Mumtaz Usmen

W

ith rapid globalization and technological advancements, the importance of critical thinking for today’s workforce has come to the forefront.

Many employers seek out employees who are strong critical thinkers in addition to having robust technical and business skills.

At the heart of this issue is the need for individuals to make good decisions that will lead to personal and organizational success, which means not only more profits for the business, but also the long-term wellbeing of all stakeholders. There are many examples of failed careers and unsuccessful corporations because a series of poor decisions have been made at crucial points along the way. In most cases, decision makers have acted unethically, compromising the finances and reputations of firms and individuals involved. Enron, Volkswagen and Uber scandals are recent examples of such incidents.

Decision making and critical thinking are closely linked in the sense that critical thinking is a purposeful, organized and mental process that we use to understand the world so we can make informed decisions. Critical thinkers are characterized by independent thinking, intellectual curiosity, responsibility and empathy in addition to courage, perseverance, 24 | TechCentury | WINTER 2018

and strong rationale. Critical thinking involves actively and skillfully conceptualizing, analyzing and synthesizing information gathered by observation and experience, followed by reflection and reasoning to make effective decisions. Critical thinking plays a key role in ethics because it is the process we use for ourselves to determine whether or not something is right or wrong.

If critical thinking is not properly applied to the analysis of the ethical standards for a given situation, this can lead to decisions with negative outcomes.

Ethics are the standards of behavior telling us how we are supposed to act in various situations so our actions produce the greatest good and cause the least harm, protect and respect the moral rights of those affected, serve the community, are fair and just, and manifest good personal character. Ethics are not based on feelings and emotions, or self-serving motives; neither do they mean sheer compliance with the law, or following a religion. Professional societies, as well as commercial and public agencies, have adopted codes of ethical conduct that are useful in determining and communicating acceptable and unacceptable acts.

When code violations are identified, sanctions can be taken to discipline the individuals or entities involved.

However, ethical codes may have internal inconsistencies and be

difficult to enforce, and in and of themselves, they are not sufficient to understand and abide by ethical principles.

Breaches of ethics occur more frequently than desired as we make important technical and managerial decisions that affect various stakeholders. National surveys reveal that we have serious challenges with appropriate ethical conduct, especially by corporate leaders, as well as engineers and other professional staff, and it is no different in international projects and business activities. Most likely, not all unethical acts stem from bad character (e.g., greed, apathy, cruelty, egotism); people in hard and complex situations make wrong choices that they would otherwise not make if they had not been in that extreme situation.

In many cases, however, critical thinking can help avoid making unethical decisions.

When deliberating an action that may involve choices for alternative decisions, one can be guided by considering of a series of questions, such as: � Do the benefits of this choice outweigh harms, short- and long-term? � Would I think this choice was sound if I traded places with those affected? � What would professional colleagues say?

probability and magnitude of the consequences; time elapsed between the action and its consequences; proximity of the people affected; and the agreement with the expectations of a peer group, or of society at large.

Rest’s model displays the complexity and the multifaceted nature of the ethical decision making process, and it underscores the importance of critical thinking aimed at a Pondering over such questions sound understanding and effective will be helpful in resolving ethical use of broad intellectual criteria. The dilemmas and may sway our Universal Intellectual Standards come thinking toward the ethical courses into play at this juncture. As listed by to follow.

In 1983, James Rest, an American R. Paul and L. Elder (2010), they entail: � Clarity—meaning that the psychologist specializing in moral situation or decision can be psychology and development, grasped/understood proposed the Four Component � Accuracy—the decisions must be Model for pursuing a systematic based on the truth (factual, free ethical decision making process. from errors and distortions) The components are: � Precision—exactness of the � Moral sensitivity—awareness communications, relative to the of the presence of a moral issue desired level of detail and dimension of the situation � Relevance—relating to the at hand matter or issue at hand, rather � Moral judgment—evaluation of than missing the point or being alternative decisions to determine deceptive if morally sound � Moral motivation—choosing value � Depth—containing complexities with multiple interrelationships of morality over value of power (complex realities) and authority � Moral courage—deciding to take � Breadth—embracing multiple viewpoints and perspectives action in the direction of moral � Logic—parts making sense judgment and motivation together, without contradictions � Significance—focusing on what is All four components may be important, rather than dwelling on affected by the contextual moral the trivial issue intensity factors, including the � Would this choice violate law or policy (of employer, jurisdiction)? � How would this choice look on the front page of a newspaper or on the news? � What if everyone behaved this way? � What would my wise uncle or aunt do?

� Fairness—being justifiable, and not self-serving or one-sided The purpose of utilizing critical thinking skills is to get to the very core of an issue, topic or problem, and make a decision based on the information derived by incorporating the above standards. To think critically requires having command of these standards.

Ethics and leadership are also intimately related. Leaders are by nature good critical thinkers, and as such fair–minded individuals.

This is exemplified by adhering to intellectual standards. Survey findings on leadership attributes frequently include intellectual humility, empathy, courage, integrity, and perseverance, which are strengths that enable them to work through complexity, frustration, uncertainty and risk. It is not surprising that these common traits of leaders are the same as or similar to those associated with critical thinkers. In summary, critical thinking underpins ethical behavior which is a core element of effective leadership.

Mumtaz Usmen, PhD, is professor and chairman of civil engineering at Wayne State University.

www.esd.org | The Engineering Society of Detroit | 25

10 NEW RULES FOR EVEN MO

By Terry Bean

I

f you dig out your Winter 2017 issue of Tech Century (v.21 n.4, The Evolution of Engineering Education), you’ll notice I wrote about a similar topic in that issue, too. Why this knowledge now?

Because somewhere after “lose weight”, “make more $$,” and “find new love”, the phrase “network more” shows up on people’s New Year’s resolutions. And if you’re going to be out there networking, I want to make sure you, and your network, have the most enjoyable experience possible. So to that end, here are 10 new ideas (it’s actually 9—one is a different take on one of the ideas from last year— see if you can find it) to make your networking time effective.

1. Must be present to win. I’ve talked about the #1 rule of networking is you have to “show up.” You know what? It’s not enough to simply show up anymore. You have to be present. And I mean fully present. Not thinking about

26 | TechCentury | WINTER 2018

what’s for lunch or what’s on TV tonight. Put your phone down and pay attention.

Opportunities to be of service and to be referred happen quickly at networking events.

If you’re not present, you will miss them.

2. Stop bringing “enough cards for everyone.” You don’t have to meet everyone in the room.

If you meet 3-5 people you can really connect with, you win. Here’s the truth, you don’t need to give your card to everyone you meet. You know why? Because not everyone you meet wants it. And that’s okay. Cards should be passed out and collected sparingly.

Speaking of cards…

3. Ask people for their cards? No. Not everyone. Only the people with whom you want to build a relationship. Here’s the logic.

When you pass them your card, you have to wait for them to call you. When you get their card,

you can control the follow up.

You dictate if it happens, when it happens and how it happens.

4. Don’t just talk with people you already know. Networking is about meeting new people as much as it’s about reconnecting with folks you know. You have to have a balance. If you’re engaged in a conversation that lasts longer than 7-10 minutes, it may be time to schedule a follow-up meeting. Remember, other people are there to network, too. Don’t monopolize their time, and don’t let others monopolize yours.

5. Introduce people. Since people are there to meet people, be of service and make some introductions. You don’t have to hold onto your contacts like they’re a Pete Rose rookie card. Share them. Every once in a while you’ll make a very valuable connection and these two people will both be on the lookout for ways to help you.

RE EFFECTIVE NETWORKING 6. Stop selling us. Seriously.

People go to networking events to network. This is very different than a sales meeting.

You may get lucky and meet someone who has a need for your offering. Be cool. Setup a time to meet with them outside of the event. Who knows, the next person either of you meet may need those services, too.

Don’t miss that opportunity by staying in that conversation.

7. Talk less. Listen more. I’ve long said “I’ve never learned anything new with my mouth open.” You already know what you do and what good opportunities are for you. To be effective in networking, you need to learn how to help those in your network. You can’t do that if you’re too busy flapping your gums. .

8. Spend more time on the WHY and less on the WHAT. Most people at a networking event know what a loan officer does.

Same is true for an accountant, an attorney and a financial planner. Spend 3 seconds telling us what you do and the rest of the time telling us why you do it. That’s where passion lives. And passion is what engages people. You should also tell us for whom you do it. This is true for general networkers. Engineers get a break here. You’re allowed to geek out a bit about the cool projects you’re bringing to life.

This doesn’t mean you don’t have to follow the wisdom in Step 7. Give people a chance to ask questions or relate their world to what you’re doing.

In other words…take a breath every now and again.

9. Have a purpose. Know why you’re going to these events in the first place. Make sure you’re consistent with it. Far too often people want to tell you about their business, their other business, the non-profit they support and sometimes just

some silly stuff. Pick one thing and focus on it.

10. Follow up. This is more of an “after the event” thing, but it’s so important. If you tell someone you’re going to follow up with them, do it. Write this down somewhere: DWYSYWD— Do What You Said You Would Do. Be impeccable with your word. If you don’t intend to follow up with someone, don’t tell them you will. It’s that easy. .

Follow these 10 rules and not only will you have a better networking experience, so will the people with whom you’re networking.

A networking expert, Terry Bean is the author of Be Connected. In 2009, he received the “Presidential Volunteer Service Award” from President Obama. In 2010, he was honored as a Leader and Innovator through Lawrence Tech University.

www.esd.org | The Engineering Society of Detroit | 27

CHYNOWETH NAMED DIRECTOR OF BUREAU OF BRIDGES AND STRUCTURES

By Susan Thwing

L

ong time MDOT engineer and ESD member Matthew J. Chynoweth, PE has been named director of Michigan Department of Transportation’s (MDOT) new Bureau of Bridges and Structures. One of the initial projects under his supervision will be the Gordie Howe International Bridge, spanning the Detroit River.

Chynoweth, who has worked with MDOT since 2003, says the new bureau was formed based on a recognition

by MDOT that bridges and structures is a very high-risk, and technically specialized functional area. With numerous projects on the horizon, the new bureau will focus specifically on the bridge aspects of those two divisions.

“Our first goal is to develop a strong leadership team who can be in the strategic business of bridges at MDOT, aligning design and construction with our maintenance and infrastructure needs,” he says.

“Our plate is filled with a mix of fixes, so to speak, with some major redesigns and other rehabilitation projects.”

The Gordie Howe International Bridge, which is currently in the procurement stage of obtaining bids, is slated to begin construction in the summer of 2018.

The total length of the six-lane bridge will be about two miles, making it one of the five longest bridges in America.

The main span crossing the Detroit River will be 2,800 ft. Depending on whether a cable-stayed or suspension bridge design is chosen, the pylons could be as tall as 820 ft.—taller than Detroit’s One Campus Martius Building.

Bridges are not a new project for Chynoweth, who started at MDOT as a metro region bridge engineer and later served as the Detroit TSC development engineer, Bay City TSC manager and engineer of Bridge Field Services. Chynoweth holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Michigan State 28 | TechCentury | WINTER 2018

University and a master’s degree in structural research engineering from Wayne State University.

Chynoweth was front and center managing the Zilwaukee Bridge Bearing Replacement Project, which included four miles of construction. A key to the project was replacing the bearings that were installed in the original structure. Designed to support up to 8 million pounds each, wear and tear over the decades caused materials to shift, reducing the lifespan of the bridge. Chynoweth says the project was one of his most satisfying.

“We spent two years on design and two years on construction. We replaced 150 bearings in areas where we were lifting 15 million pounds of structure at a time. We chipped away some of the concrete material and removed the original bearings, then secured the new bearings with a pre-stressed concrete and grout material,” he explains. “It was a very stressful time, but an exciting one.”

The new bearings are disc bearings, which are a first for Michigan, and they are some of the largest disc bearings ever fabricated. The Zilwaukee bridge opened in 1988, and was designed to last 50 years. Chynoweth says the new bearings, along with MDOT’s asset management strategy for the bridge will ensure the bridge exceeds the original design life.

In addition to his work with MDOT, Chynoweth is a member of the AASHTO Subcommittee of Bridges and Structures, the American Segmental Bridge Institute, the Lawrence Technological University Civil Engineering Advisory Board and the MDOT/MTA Bridge Operations Committee.

Chynoweth is also an instructor for ESD’s PE Civil Engineering Review Course.

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Learn more at mtu.edu/mobility Michigan Technological University is an equal opportunity educational institution/equal opportunity employer, which includes providing equal opportunity for protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.

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