INSTRUCTIONS FOR MASTER AND SEMESTER PROJECTS
Please find below the links towards the instructions for the master or semester projects.
Note : the registration to the Instant-Lab secretary has to be done 3 weeks prior to the semester beginning
and the model sheet for the project resume
All the student projects of the section SGM are available in this link
Instant-Lab available projects:
Damping Compliant Mechanisms with Viscoelastic Material
Compliant mechanisms are the modern solution for avoiding wear, backlash and lubrication. These are essential features for precision mechanisms in space, from the precise positioning of optical devices to the orientation of satellite thrusters. One of the disadvantages of these compliant mechanisms is their high quality factor: due to the absence of friction, unwanted vibrations are not damped and can last for a very long time.
CSEM, a recognized specialist in compliant mechanisms for space, is studying ways of remedying this disadvantage. The idea is to add a viscoelastic material to the compliant metal mechanism to improve damping. An initial project has shown promising results, but many questions remain to understand the interactions between the viscoelastic material and the compliant mechanism.
Project consists of:
- Correlation of an existing FEM model with past and upcoming measurements
- Qualitatively understanding of the viscoelastic damping phenomena
- Optimization of the existing sandwich blade design to enhance damping
- Development a simplified analytical model for sizing of such blade
Required background:
- Mechanical design
Project type: Master’s project
Location: CSEM, Neuchâtel
Section: SGM or other interested
Contact email: [email protected]
Biomimetic Mechanical Sound Generation 
The goal of this project is to design a new type of biomimetic sound producing mechanism inspired by the stridulation of crickets. The well known sound chirping of crickets is very pure in tone, loud, consumes very little energy and is low volume. Several applications like mechanical watch alarms or musical instruments can be imagined.
Project consists of:
Two subjects depending on student background:
- Mechanical design and manufacturing of a prototype (Sections: MT, ME)
- Physical modelling of the stridulation principle in crickets (Sections: MT, ME, MA, PH)
Location: EPFL Associated campus of Neuchâtel
Contact email: [email protected]
Flexure based surgical tool
Growing life expectancy goes together with improvement of healthcare. New threatment methods are becoming less invasive, allowing for shorter recovery time. Following this trend we would like to propose a new micro-surgical tool.
Project will focus on development of flexible structure for flexture based surgical tool. It will allow for 2DoF of rotations. End effector integrated in such flexure will be a gripper, or other depending on medical application.
Whole structure should be open for either manual or robotic actuation.
Required background :
- Mechanical design
Location : EPFL Associated campus of Neuchâtel
Sections : SGM or other interested
Contact email : [email protected]
Design of a flexure-based hexapod robot for positioning a 1.5-ton cryostat (Already taken)
In partnership with CERN, EPFL INSTANT-LAB is participating in the development of new medical systems for particle beam treatment of patients with different types of cancers. The proposed study aims to design a support system for the cold mass of a superconducting magnet inside a mobile cryostat cooled down to 4 K. One of the innovative aspects is the use of a mobile transfer line composed of superconducting magnets.
Project consists of:
- Propose a hexapod type robotic architecture (Stewart platform) in order to move the 1500 kg cryostat.
- Study a solution based on flexible elements for the joints at both ends of each leg of the hexapod.
- Use a numerical tool for the evaluation of the direct and inverse kinematics of the 6-leg system.
- Asses the impact of the cryogenic temperature on the system.
Required background:
- Kinematic design
- Mechanical design
Location: EPFL Associated campus of Neuchâtel
Section: SGM or other interested
Contact email: [email protected]
Flexure-based pick-and-place robot (Already taken)
The goal of this project, in collaboration with Mikron, is to actuate and control a new type of 2-DoF flexure-based pick-and-place robot close to its eigenfrequency. The flexure-based implementation, in addition to the voice coil actuation, allows for energy-efficient trajectory planning strategies.
The project consists of:
- Familiarizing yourself with the TI LAUNCHXL-F28379D Development kit.
- Control the 2-DoF pick-and-place robot close to its eigenfrequency.
- Realizing a pick-and-place operation with an electromagnet attached to the end-effector.
Required background:
- Control
- Mechanical design
Location: EPFL Associated campus of Neuchâtel
Sections: SGM or other interested
Contact email: [email protected]
Bistable gripper (Already taken)
Grippers are commonly used in robotics to grab and deliver parts at a precise location. In the medical domain, grippers are used as surgical tools for example. However, it is difficult to scale them down to a few millimeters due to tolerances of manufacturing and assembly. Fabricating a gripper based on flexure and bistable mechanics could be a solution and brings multiple other advantages and applications.
Project consists of :
- Kinematics design of the gripper
- Prototype design, fabrication and testing
Required background :
- Mechanical design
- Concept of flexure mechanics
Location: EPFL Associated campus of Neuchâtel
Sections: SGM or other interested
Contact email : [email protected]