Author Archives: tihhuang

Seeing Stars in the Innovation Lab

by tihhuang on February 14, 2017.

Physics graduate students Luca Agozzino and Evan Philip do not have any previous experience with astronomy or photography. But a single long exposure shot with a newly-purchased Canon SL1, and the two were seeing stars.

Luca and Evan worked on a personal project pursuing this interest, constructing it from its base materials, right here in the Innovation lab.

Night sky landscapes and photography are difficult to capture perfectly, even with the best settings and cameras. The right atmospheric conditions need to be present, with a location where lights and objects (such as trees) will not obstruct the view.

One clear night around Christmas 2016, Luca and Evan, who live in the same house off-campus close to the Stony Brook, were testing out the new camera. They pointed it upwards, at the sky, expecting just a black screen playback.

This picture is of the Orion sword, taken by Luca and Evan’s camera and DIY star-tracker.

“We put the setting on for 30 seconds, and saw that it [the result] was really amazing. You don’t need fancy equipment for this,” Evan said, “but you need a tracker, or you will only see lines.”

The problem with taking pictures of these night landscapes is the rotation of the Earth. When looking up at stars in the night sky, they change position over time because the Earth is turning, which drives our 24-hour day-to-night period. As a result, when long-exposure shots are taken, depending on the amount of time, “star trails”, lines of these “moving” stars begin to appear in the photograph.

To counter this, “star-trackers” exist for this niche of astro-imaging, often being on the high-end scale of photography equipment, costing at least several hundred dollars. The two decided that they could build something they could use the same way, but wouldn’t be out of reach for a graduate student budget. “It’s a camera on a box!” Evan said.

Luca describes it as, “a barn-door sky tracker to do astrophotography; it is a device which can hold a camera and at the same time make it rotate around an axis which is parallel to the Earth rotation axis, which is fundamental if you want to photograph stars and planets at long exposure and avoid trails.”

The personalized sky tracker was built with a wooden box that was purchased off Amazon for about ten dollars, and assembled in the Innovation Lab. To construct it, a mount with a screw underneath that could move and bend was installed to hold the camera inside. An old table lamp was used as a tripod. The lab’s 3D printers were used to custom print the gears. Here, they also programmed the Arduinos controlling the attached motor that allowed the box to open very precisely such that 360 degrees would be covered over 24 hours.

Luca Agozzino working on his project.

Evan said, “In both cases I realized them for the fun of a DIY project and because buying them would have costed me several hundred dollars, without any possibility of personalization. The Innovation Lab was crucial to realize it, because I needed 3D printed components (though I wish I could set up the printing myself to fine tune it) and especially to solder all the parts.”

Custom 3-D Printed Wrist Brace Meets a Friend

by tihhuang on April 21, 2016.

Our Innovation Lab’s featured wrist brace has found a new friend!

Matt Skolnick, 26, a graduate student studying social work at Stony Brook University, has a genetic bone condition, type I Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI) that affects about 6 to 7 per 100,000 people worldwide. The term “Osteogenesis Imperfecta” translate to, and literally means “imperfect bone formation”. People with OI have bones that are sensitive to breaks and fractures from what would be considered mild trauma, like bumping an arm or leg, or a trip or fall.. According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, there are currently eight recognized types, varying in characteristics and severity.

The milder and more common one is Type I, which is what Skolnick experiences. Bones are most fragile and easily broken during the younger years, childhood, and into adolescence. He compares it to “Osteoporosis in reverse”. After puberty and into adulthood, the bones get stronger, and breaks and fractures begin to occur less frequently. People with OI can experience up to 100 or even more fractures in their lifetime, depending on the type of OI they have. Skolnick said that he has experienced a total of 25 fractures, type III, some of which required surgeries to repair. Type III fractures are also known as Salter-Harris fractures, where they occur through a growth plate, typically unique to younger children. They have a more favorable prognosis, and rarely result in any functional limitations. He shares that the most common places for breaks are in his arms and legs – particularly his left leg, which he has broken four times. He chooses to use a wheelchair because he believes it is the safer option, and has helped to prevent more severe injuries like broken arms and legs from falling.

Skolnick first came across our Innovation Lab’s wrist brace at our HSC Pop-up table earlier this semester. He has seen other designs about different 3D printed casts as the future of healing bones. They provide the lightweight breath-ability and custom fit that current casts lack. Casts that are currently used have been the same for many years. They are stiff and made of plaster and/or fiber glass to immobilize the joint or bone after a fracture. These casts cannot get wet and need to be covered with plastic bags when showering. They are also known to get itchy and uncomfortable, and are removed by saw. While this is known to be a safe procedure, it may be a traumatizing experience for young children. These new designs are significantly less bulky, waterproof, more comfortable due to the fit, and even stylish in some peoples’ eyes. They cost less, and can be produced in a much faster rate – some taking only 20 minutes. Skolnick was excited to see that Innovation Lab on campus has it available, in our own version of it. He came by our lab to see it again in person, ask us questions, and to get his own wrist brace.

The printed wrist brace is put into boiling-hot water to make it soft and pliable.

After removal from the water, it is repositioned.

Darron (left) and Jenny (right) pressed the wrist brace onto Skolnick’s hand to ensure a good fit.

Our Innovation Lab specialists Jenny Chen and Darron Charles worked with Matt to get his measurements and wrist brace fit. They took his measurements with the length and width of his hand, and prepared the print as such. After several tries with placing the print in hot water and blow drying the more critical areas, such as around the thumb, they were able to provide a tight-fitting brace that conformed to his hand and wrist. The entire fitting process post-print took about an hour. After that, the last step and finishing touch was just adding on the velcro straps.

Skolnick putson his wrist brace, while our lab specialist Jenny adjusted the straps.

“Having it [the wrist brace] is an affirmation of my identity because casts are tied to my experience of disability,” he said, “which is a part of what makes me who I am.”Skolnick identifies the environment as the greatest barrier. Labor force participation rate for disabled people is at 20%, compared to the 68.6% for those without disabilities. He, alike others, combat the view that disabled people are inherently “less than” and lack the ability to have just as enjoyable and fulfilling lives as anyone else.

Skolnick has plans to work in higher education, preferably in academic advising or career counseling. He became interested in it through helping his older sister with course selection when she was a returning student at Suffolk Community College. He enjoyed guiding her through the process of figuring out what she wanted to do, and what she could do to achieve those goals. Skolnick looks forward to graduating with his Master’s degree in December and obtaining a job where he can help other students.

“The most disabling aspect of a disability is the environment. Whether it be ramps, peoples’ attitudes, or just plain lack of expectations,” Skolnick explains, “Overall, one thing I think it teaches us is how to adapt and think outside the box, working around it to just do anything anyone else could do. This is especially true for someone who has experienced it since birth. It is something I have always known and experienced. This is our idea of normal, and I am proud of how I am.”

Other designs:
http://www.wired.com/2013/07/is-this-cast-the-future-of-healing-broken-bones/

http://www.cnet.com/news/3d-printed-cast-uses-ultrasound-to-speed-healing/

Referenced:

http://www.oif.org/site/PageServer?pagename=TypeI

https://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition/osteogenesis-imperfecta#

http://www.dol.gov/odep/

Ruchi Shah, Innovation Lab member in Glamour

by tihhuang on April 19, 2016.

Earlier this month, Ruchi Shah, a member of the SBU Innovation Lab, was recognized in Glamour Magazine as one of the 2016 College Women of the Year.

The full article can be found here.

The featured photo of Ruchi Shah pictured here is right in our own lab!

iLab on FiOS1

by tihhuang on March 25, 2016.

Yesterday, March 24, the Innovation Lab visited Stony Brook Hospital Pediatrics and got to meet with young children and talk to them about 3D printing. We were also able to unveil a 3D printer to the children and adults in the area.

FiOS1 was present for the event, and the video can be viewed on the following link:

FIOS1 Video Story

3D Printing Manual Posted!

by tihhuang on March 8, 2016.

Great news and and update to those who are interested in 3D printing at the Innovation Lab;

Our printing manual has just been updated and posted on our website at this link. It is on our Stony Brook University Innovation Lab page, under “Facility” and “Tools and Resources”.

This manual thoroughly goes over all the steps necessary to start a print, from the request form procedure, to the preparation of the design and 3D model, to the actual print itself! Feel free to contact any member of the 3D print team in the Innovation Lab for any further clarification or explanation.

[ File # csp7403202, License # 3176625 ]
Licensed through http://www.canstockphoto.com in accordance with the End User License Agreement (http://www.canstockphoto.com/legal.php)
(c) Can Stock Photo Inc. / alexmillos

AV Services Stencils

by tihhuang on February 29, 2016.

AV services, a part of Department of Information Technology (DoIT), teamed up with the Innovation Lab earlier this month to work on a special project – creating new stencils for its equipment. Rich Fantasia, a part of the AV staff at Javits center works to provide instructional support to faculty and staff with the various classroom equipment and technology. He also maintains both the old and new equipment as the department gets new items to freshen up the inventory periodically. There is a standardizing procedure that all equipment needs to go through. Each item is entered into the system, given its own control number, and labeled under AV Services.

After using the same, old, worn cardboard stencils over and over again, Rich Fantasia decided that it was time for an upgrade. The cardboard stencils were worn from being cleaned over multiple uses, and did not work as well. It also took a very long time to individually label each number onto the equipment, because multiple numbers needed to be put onto each piece of equipment. The ideal product of this sounded simple: something durable and flexible, easy to clean, and shuffle around numbers. First, he looked into TLT Media Lab, another subdivision under DoIT, only to realize that they specialized in different areas than from what he needed. Then, the Innovation Lab came to mind, from its e-mails and growing presence on the campus. He came in with his concern, consulted with our staff, and was able to work with Taylor Campbell to find a solution.

Taylor Campbell is one of the Innovation Lab staff members. She is a junior and mechanical engineering major who started working at the lab over this past winter 2016. Taylor is a part of the 3D print team – responsible for handling the print queue, printer-related problems, and help on special projects. Working with the stencils for AV Services was her first project at the lab.

The Innovation Lab’s vinyl cutter, and its respective sign on the wall of the lab.

To make the stencils, Taylor learned to – and successfully – use the Innovation Lab’s vinyl cutter. Rich Fantasia was able to provide a PDF file of what he wanted the stencils to look like, with the words, numbers, and sizes needed for each. Taylor manipulated the file in the program and printed out samples on cardstock. This also allowed her to get familiar with the program for the vinyl cutter, as well as to test out how it printed. It takes some level of familiarity to be able to adjust the vinyl cutter to cut into the material correctly due to its specificity on the thickness of the material it is cutting into. After the successful run-through with these cardboard duplicates, she switched to a durable, flexible medium-weight plastic. They would last longer over time than cardboard, and would make it easy to clean and wipe off after use. It was also flexible enough to wrap around rounded surfaces – another limitation the cardboard stencils struggled with.

Taylor demonstrating how the vinyl cutter was used.

Some examples showing several different designs of the stencils that were made.

Aside from the plastic stencils themselves, Taylor also specially designed and 3D printed a holder to fit the number stencils. She designed it so that could hold two number stencils at once while still allowing the user to shuffle them out easily as needed. This would resolve the issue with the tedious time commitment previously required to label equipment with numbers. When Rich Fantasia saw the final results of the stencils, he could not be more satisfied. “It’s amazing; it’s exactly what I had in my mind. It’s beyond what I asked for, because she invented something to solve what I asked for.”

Taylor’s custom printed number stencil holder. In the first picture, we see the slot for how the stencil is inserted and removed. In the second picture, we see an example of how it would look with a number stencil in it.

After seeing the tour, and the work that has been done so far, Rich Fantasia says that he believes the Innovation Lab is a great resource on campus, and that he would definitely see the lab again for future projects and/or problems that come up.

Custom-Fitted 3-D Printed Wrist Braces

by tihhuang on February 1, 2016.

Angad Singh, a freshman Biology major, and one of our SBU Innovation Lab staff, used our 3-D printers to create an adjustable wrist brace. He became interested in biology after taking an AP Biology course in high school. After hearing about the Innovation Lab on campus through a friend, he found his background in shadowing and research to be a great fit at the lab, bringing in new perspectives alongside working with new technologies. Singh was inspired by his uncle, a physician, who has many patients with difficulties concerning uncomfortable, and inconvenient wrist braces. One such issue was that they could not shower or bathe with it, and patients would need to wrap their arm in a plastic bag first. This unique wrist brace can be easily manipulated to conform to anyone’s hand for a more comfortable, custom fit, and eliminates the need to keep it dry. It is a very simple and affordable option, costing under $10, and can be made available in a relatively short period of time. Singh is currently working on improving a sizing scale, so that it can be scaled accordingly to fit hands of people of all sizes and ages. This Spring 2016 semester, Singh will be working on printing and constructing prosthetic hands. He says that, “In the field, prosthetic hands are very expensive – sometimes as expensive as $30,000, but using the technologies available at the iLab, creating a prosthetic hand costs as little as $50.” The wrist brace is currently on display at our HSC table location.

The above is an image of the wrist brace while it is was being printed.

The following includes the steps Angad Singh took to making his 3-D printed wrist brace.

1) Print the brace with no support and no raft on about a 30% infill from: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:403001
*NOTE: This template is for the left hand. In order to print one for the right hand, it must be flipped in the program.

2) Once the brace has printed, remove it from the printer carefully, and place the brace in boiling hot water.

3) Place a paper towel or thin glove on the intended hand/wrist, and remove the brace from the boiling water using tweezers and place it on the wrist. Pat down the brace so it fits snugly.

4) Run your hand/wrist under cold water to solidify the brace. Once it has solidified, take it off your wrist and attach Velcro straps.

5) If it is not a perfect fit, a hot air drier can be used to touch up certain spots to adjust and achieve the best fit.

Feel free to contact the SBU Innovation Lab, or Angad Singh about any further questions regarding our adjustable, custom wrist brace!

Inside Stony Brook University’s Innovation Lab, Where 3D Printers Are Creating Medical Devices Of The Future

by tihhuang on December 15, 2015.

Medical Daily, a website which covers the latest health news, scientific trends, and medical information, featured the Innovation Lab in an article. They highlighted the medical devices that are being printed in the lab. Some of these devices include the prosthetic arm printed by lab intern Ellie Evans, over the summer, and Akshay Asok, the Innovation Lab’s technical lead, even printed out ear prosthesis, that amplify hearing.

Asok goes on to discuss the financial benefits for 3D printing medical devices, especially prosthesis. Lab member, Paul Phillipsberg, even discusses the brain wave technology he is working with,. His goal for this technology is to make a drone fly perfectly with it. Yes, he wants to fly a drone using just his brain.

3D printing holds many benefits for the future, especially to advance medicine. Asok even touches on what else can be done with 3D printed prosthesis and brain wave technology.

Read the full article here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1z9Uj__uw0

Originally posted on SBU Innovation Lab Blog by Alysha Bullock.

Congratulations Allisha!

by tihhuang on December 3, 2015.

The Innovation Lab would like to congratulate one of our own. Allisha Pavez, a Innovation Lab staff member and 3D print guru, was awarded the first ever Intelligent Product Solutions Scholarship.

Allisha is a Junior studying mechanical engineering and University Scholar. She will be awarded an annual $2,500 scholarship until she graduates.

“By creating this scholarship, we hope to help support the education and careers of promising female engineering students,” said Mitch Maiman, president of Intelligent Product Solutions. “Allisha is the first recipient of this award, and was selected as part of our commitment to supporting hard working, energetic and bright women in technology.”

To read more about Allisha’s career goal and interests, check out the IPS blog for the full article.

We are very proud.

Originally posted on SBU Innovation Lab Blog by Alysha Bullock.

Brain Control of Drones

by tihhuang on December 2, 2015.

Paul Philipsberg, a biomedical engineering major on the pre-med track graduating this December 2015, is student working on one of the unique projects only found at the Stony Brook University Innovation Lab. Over the last few months (starting in September), he has been able to assemble a brain-controlled drone using a Mindwave headset, an Arduino board, a wireless module, Xbox 360 controller, and a quadcopter drone – all connected to a laptop.

This drone is the Syma Quadcopter, shown turned off in this photo.

A Mindwave headset is a portable EEG (electroencephalogram) sensor that monitors brainwave signals. This is wirelessly connected to the laptop. The laptop is directly connected by wire to an Arduino board, and the Xbox 360 controller. When the sensor detects the brainwaves, it sends the information to the laptop. Brainwave signals and activity are measured as numerical values. Upon receiving these values, the computer checks the level of relaxation to set a different value for the throttle, and sends it to the Arduino board, where the wireless module communicates it with the quadcopter. To control the movements of the quadcopter, Philipsberg practices control of his current emotional states that affect the brainwaves. When calm, the quadcopter rises off the floor, and is capable of hovering if he maintains that composure. For this to be possible, these calm and excited states had to be defined. Values within a certain threshold were set to reduce drift.

This is the Mindwave headset used to measure the brainwave signals.

It took Philipsberg several different versions to get to this point in his project. Before working with the quadcopter, he used a remote control toy car to test how it worked. Currently, Philipsberg is working on improvements. He is considering making changes using open VCI (a file extension) to refine its performance. Ideally, he would want the quadcopter to have more sensors, because it would be capable of balancing and controling movement better if it were “aware” of itself in XYZ space.

These are the some of the first components that Philipsberg worked with: a toy car, its remote, and an Arduino board.

Philipsberg sees potential in this project to build up to the technology necessary to making 3D gaming happening or wireless IP security cameras. It would need to be a joint effort of brain control and muscle control. Like the EEG sensor used, there is also one that is capable of detecting muscle activity and movement – the EMG, electromyogram. For 3D gaming, it would be necessary to include things such as a gyroscope, or an accelerometer. So far, this provides a potential answer to some of the environmental feedback necessary to make it work. For the security cameras, simple but distinct arm motions could be used to the control the way the cameras move. For example, moving your arm such as pointing in one direction could control the camera to point in that direction also. There are many possibilities to where Philipsberg could choose to branch out to.

Though Philipsberg has never worked with wireless modules or an EEG sensor before, he does, however, have experience working with Arduino, quadcopters, and LabVIEW (software used). This is currently his independent study project under Professor Baldwin and the Biology department. Philipsberg took up this project as a personal challenge while working in the Innovation Lab along with several other projects, but found this to be most interesting and relatable to the career he wants to pursue in neuropsychology. Philipsberg will be preparing to apply to graduate schools and medical schools after his graduation. He has plans to take the MCATs and to continuing working in this field after graduation.

Philipsberg giving a demonstration of his project. The quadcopter is beginning to hover a few inches above the floor.

For more, you could view a video of this on our video page: https://you.stonybrook.edu/researchtech/videos/

Blog for SBU iCREATE

Covering News @ SBU iCREATE