It is truly incredible to witness the transformation of students’ confidence throughout their project journey. From their initial hesitation to the final presentation, their growth is astonishing. It’s a testament to their hard work, and dedication, as well as the support they receive from their peers as well as the dedicated teaching team of demonstrators and tutors. This year once again I was blown away by the students’ comments and reflections about their own personal growth over the last semester. It is a privilege to witness and celebrate their achievements, as they showcase their newfound skills and knowledge.
Student Project Portfolios
This year the student could choose from two different projects. One was to great an Electromyogram (EMG) controlled robotic interface and the second was to evaluate the pressure being applied on the body during robotic surgery. In both cases, the students built the analog interface and electronics.
David Connidaris: Link to Video Portfolio
Description: In this video, David demonstrates the circuit they built to measure the EMG signals and explains the process of recording and analyzing the signals and then control a robotic interface. For the project involving the Electromyogram (EMG) controlled robotic interface, the students focused on designing and constructing an analog interface that could accurately interpret and respond to the electrical signals emitted by muscles. They perform amplification, filtering, peak detection and pulse width modulation generation to successfully translate EMG into commands that could be utilized to control a robotic arm.
Jayani Galketiya: Link to Video Portfolio
Description: In this video, Jayani demonstrates the circuit they built to measure the EMG signals and shows a strain gauge being deformed to generate a response on the screen. Similarly, for the project centered around evaluating the pressure applied during robotic surgery, the students took on the challenge of developing an analog interface, that calibrated the signals, amplified the signals, and performed filtering and peak detection. They aimed to capture and analyze the precise amount of pressure exerted on the body during surgical procedures performed by robotic systems. Through meticulous design and implementation of the electronics, they were able to accurately measure and record the varying pressures.
Personal Reflections
I am amazed and encouraged by the student’s hard work throughout the semester and what they can achieve in just 12 weeks. They demonstrate grit, and dedication and they grow in confidence. They showed an unwavering persistence to get the job done and not take shortcuts. These projects exemplify the students’ dedication, problem-solving skills, and ability to create tangible solutions through their expertise in building analog interfaces and electronics. This project not only enhanced our understanding of robotic-assisted surgery but also demonstrated the students’ proficiency in engineering and innovation.
Sometimes as educators, we wonder if our students learn anything from us, or did we make a difference but it’s times like this when you see what they produce you cannot but feel proud of them. As an educator, a big takeaway for me is that students want to know the goal and how they can know they have achieved it, they want to know why they are doing the given tasks, and they want our help to set the path and nudge them along. Once we set these in place then we can give them the freedom and allow them to excel. Sure they may start off a bit wobbly and unsure but as we teach and encourage and guide, in the many learning tasks their confidence will improve and they will make us proud.
Community of Inquiry 