The Vitality of Clean Air in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia: A Health Analysis of Koyash, a Novel, Off Grid Air Purification System

Description
Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia is one of the world’s coldest capital cities with roughly 1.5 million residents. About fifty percent of the city’s residents are off the electrical grid and millions continue to live nomadic lifestyles, raising livestock for food. Problematically, residents…

Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia is one of the world’s coldest capital cities with roughly 1.5 million residents. About fifty percent of the city’s residents are off the electrical grid and millions continue to live nomadic lifestyles, raising livestock for food. Problematically, residents often turn to raw coal - Mongolia’s largest export - as a means to cook food and stay warm. Project Koyash is a philanthropic engineering initiative that was founded in the Arizona State University Program Engineering Projects in Community Service (EPICS) to combat the air quality crisis plaguing the ger districts of Ulaanbaatar. Koyash has already deployed 13 fully functional and autonomous units consisting of a solar powered air filtration system in Ulaanbaatar. Koyash innovated a solution of solar panels, air filters, batteries, inverters, PCB Arduinos, and other necessary components for providing crucial humanitarian services. The team is working to send more units and develop a local supply chain for the systems. This thesis project explores the development of Koyash, assesses the human health implications of air pollution, and reflects on the entire process.
Date Created
2024-05
Agent

Heat Warning Detection System - Utilizing Connective Solutions to Reduce
Heat-Related Deaths in Low-Income Communities

Description
Every year, Arizona mobile home residents suffer hundreds of fatalities and severe illnesses due to the effects of extreme heat within their homes exacerbated by high energy costs, a lack of energy-efficient infrastructure, and underlying socio-economic issues. Many of these deaths…

Every year, Arizona mobile home residents suffer hundreds of fatalities and severe illnesses due to the effects of extreme heat within their homes exacerbated by high energy costs, a lack of energy-efficient infrastructure, and underlying socio-economic issues. Many of these deaths and severe illnesses can be prevented via active monitoring and reporting of temperature and humidity data from these living spaces. The team will design, build, test, and implement a Heat Warning Detection System (HWDS) to mitigate heat-related illnesses and deaths. The HWDS will detect when temperature and humidity levels have reached a dangerous threshold and will issue notifications to the emergency contacts of the resident over SMS and/or email. This will allow for timely preventative measures to be taken to ensure the safety of the resident. The team will investigate the ideal threshold to notify the mobile home residents. HWDS will require minimal user interaction. Apart from the initial physical installation of the device, the user will have to provide a list of emergency contacts that they would like the system to notify in the event that HWDS detects dangerous conditions in their residence. By deploying prototypes of HWDS to volunteer participant homes, we will be able to validate the functionality of the system as well as the usability of the physical device by homeowners. HWDS provides homeowners and their loved ones with the opportunity to take preventative measures before being exposed to conditions that could potentially have more severe implications. In the spirit of promoting accessibility and prevention among the most vulnerable communities in Greater Phoenix, our team partners with the Knowledge Exchange for Resilience at ASU (KER) to interface with organizations such as the Arizona Association of Manufactured Home, RV & Park Model Owners (AAMHO) to promote legislation and subsidies aimed towards making solutions such as ours more financially viable for the communities that need it most.
Date Created
2024-05
Agent

Heat Warning Detection System - Utilizing Connective Solutions to Reduce Heat-Related Deaths in Low-Income Communities

Description
Every year, Arizona mobile home residents suffer hundreds of fatalities and severe illnesses due to the effects of extreme heat within their homes exacerbated by high energy costs, a lack of energy-efficient infrastructure, and underlying socio-economic issues. Many of these…

Every year, Arizona mobile home residents suffer hundreds of fatalities and severe illnesses due to the effects of extreme heat within their homes exacerbated by high energy costs, a lack of energy-efficient infrastructure, and underlying socio-economic issues. Many of these deaths and severe illnesses can be prevented via active monitoring and reporting of temperature and humidity data from these living spaces. The team will design, build, test, and implement a Heat Warning Detection System (HWDS) to mitigate heat-related illnesses and deaths. The HWDS will detect when temperature and humidity levels have reached a dangerous threshold and will issue notifications to the emergency contacts of the resident over SMS and/or email. This will allow for timely preventative measures to be taken to ensure the safety of the resident. The team will investigate the ideal threshold to notify the mobile home residents. HWDS will require minimal user interaction. Apart from the initial physical installation of the device, the user will have to provide a list of emergency contacts that they would like the system to notify in the event that HWDS detects dangerous conditions in their residence. By deploying prototypes of HWDS to volunteer participant homes, we will be able to validate the functionality of the system as well as the usability of the physical device by homeowners. HWDS provides homeowners and their loved ones with the opportunity to take preventative measures before being exposed to conditions that could potentially have more severe implications. In the spirit of promoting accessibility and prevention among the most vulnerable communities in Greater Phoenix, our team partners with the Knowledge Exchange for Resilience at ASU (KER) to interface with organizations such as the Arizona Association of Manufactured Home, RV & Park Model Owners (AAMHO) to promote legislation and subsidies aimed towards making solutions such as ours more financially viable for the communities that need it most.
Date Created
2024-05
Agent

Heat Warning Detection System - Utilizing Connective Solutions to Reduce Heat-Related Deaths in Low-Income Communities

Description
Every year, Arizona mobile home residents suffer hundreds of fatalities and severe illnesses due to the effects of extreme heat within their homes exacerbated by high energy costs, a lack of energy-efficient infrastructure, and underlying socio-economic issues. Many of these…

Every year, Arizona mobile home residents suffer hundreds of fatalities and severe illnesses due to the effects of extreme heat within their homes exacerbated by high energy costs, a lack of energy-efficient infrastructure, and underlying socio-economic issues. Many of these deaths and severe illnesses can be prevented via active monitoring and reporting of temperature and humidity data from these living spaces. The team will design, build, test, and implement a Heat Warning Detection System (HWDS) to mitigate heat-related illnesses and deaths. The HWDS will detect when temperature and humidity levels have reached a dangerous threshold and will issue notifications to the emergency contacts of the resident over SMS and/or email. This will allow for timely preventative measures to be taken to ensure the safety of the resident. The team will investigate the ideal threshold to notify the mobile home residents. HWDS will require minimal user interaction. Apart from the initial physical installation of the device, the user will have to provide a list of emergency contacts that they would like the system to notify in the event that HWDS detects dangerous conditions in their residence. By deploying prototypes of HWDS to volunteer participant homes, we will be able to validate the functionality of the system as well as the usability of the physical device by homeowners. HWDS provides homeowners and their loved ones with the opportunity to take preventative measures before being exposed to conditions that could potentially have more severe implications. In the spirit of promoting accessibility and prevention among the most vulnerable communities in Greater Phoenix, our team partners with the Knowledge Exchange for Resilience at ASU (KER) to interface with organizations such as the Arizona Association of Manufactured Home, RV & Park Model Owners (AAMHO) to promote legislation and subsidies aimed towards making solutions such as ours more financially viable for the communities that need it most.
Date Created
2024-05
Agent

Understanding and Addressing Barriers to Effective Procedure Logging Among Residents

Description
The significance of precise and prompt documentation of procedures within medical residency programs is important for medical residents due to its direct influence on the evaluation of competency, appraisal of the residency program, and the provision of high-quality healthcare. The…

The significance of precise and prompt documentation of procedures within medical residency programs is important for medical residents due to its direct influence on the evaluation of competency, appraisal of the residency program, and the provision of high-quality healthcare. The motivation of the research study is driven by the concerns expressed by medical professionals in the residency program. The research in this honors thesis explored complex difficulties encountered by residents at medical hospitals in relation to the documentation of medical procedures. The study comprised of three parts: an in-depth literature survey specifically with respect to the duties and lives of Residents and survey of previously conducted structured interviews of Residents at hospitals. The study revealed that the current logging processes at hospitals, have become cumbersome, inefficient, time-intensive, and reduced motivation to log the procedures correctly and in a timely manner. Frequently, the procedures are logged from memory and therefore accuracy of the data is unknown. This study did not find evidence that the data logged was used for continuous improvement of processes and the improvement of the curriculum for Residents. The thesis has made a detailed system requirement based on the understanding of the subject and a detailed analysis of current methods and technologies used. Given the permeance of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and software such as ChatGPT, a literature survey of use of AI/ChatGPT was also undertaken. AI technology may provide an opportunity to streamline data logging and analysis. As the technology progresses and legal and ethical issues are resolved, many AI technologies and recommendations from this paper could become part of ongoing Engineering Projects in Community Service (EPICS) projects at Arizona State University (ASU).
Date Created
2023-12
Agent

Analysis of Grid-Independent Clean Energy Solutions in Vietnamese Schools

Description
Central Vietnam and the communities located within the country experience a high level of natural disaster due to flooding and typhoons. The mission of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command and the United States Army Corps of Engineers is to build new…

Central Vietnam and the communities located within the country experience a high level of natural disaster due to flooding and typhoons. The mission of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command and the United States Army Corps of Engineers is to build new primary schools that have been damaged due to flooding. The goal of this research is to find a viable solution for the powering of each school, as many communities can’t handle the additional grid load of a fully functioning school. In this research, two main methods were considered after brainstorming possible solutions. First, the total usage of a typical school housing roughly 300 students and staff were calculated. Then, monocrystalline photovoltaic cells were evaluated using given efficiencies, energy usage, and incident shortwave radiation to calculate the total number of panels needed. Small scale wind turbines were also considered, using power curves and a PDF of wind speeds in Ho Chi Minh City for the year 2022, the amount of annual energy generated by turbines was calculated. It was found that solar energy was a much more viable solution. The average price of solar was found to be $19961.77 while the lowest price of wind turbines was $240000. With these high material costs, not factoring in workers or maintenance cost, wind energy is clearly not viable. Instead, installing a solar system on and around the school would be able to accomplish the requirements of the school.
Date Created
2023-12
Agent

Acid Rain Monitoring and Catchment System

Description

As a result of the increase of pollution related to industrialization in Vietnam, acid rain has become a prevalent issue for Vietnamese farmers who are forced to rinse their crops – risking damage due to overwatering and poor harvest. Thus,…

As a result of the increase of pollution related to industrialization in Vietnam, acid rain has become a prevalent issue for Vietnamese farmers who are forced to rinse their crops – risking damage due to overwatering and poor harvest. Thus, the team was motivated to develop a solution to harmful impacts of acidic rainwater by creating a system with the ability to capture rainwater and determine its level of acidity in order to optimize the crop watering process, and promote productive crops. By conducting preliminary research on rainfall and tropical climate in Vietnam, existing products on the market, and pH sensors for monitoring and device material, the team was able to design a number of devices to collect, store, and measure the pH of rainwater. After developing a number of initial design requirements based on the needs of the farmers, a final prototype was developed using the best aspects of each initial design. Tests were conducted with varying structural and aqueous materials to represent a broad range of environmental conditions. While the scope of the project was ultimately limited to prototyping purposes, the principles explored throughout this thesis project can successfully be applied to a fully-functioning production model available for commercial use on Vietnamese farms. Given more time for development, improvements would be made in the extent of materials tested, and the configuration of electronics and data acquisition, in order to further optimize the process of determining rainwater acidity.

Date Created
2023-05
Agent

Sustainable Manufacturing of PETG 3D Printed Prosthetics

Description

3D printing prosthetics for amputees is an innovative opportunity to provide a lower cost and customized alternative to current technologies. Companies, such as E-NABLE and YouBionic are developing myoelectric prosthetics, electrically powered terminal devices activated by electromyography (EMG), for transradial…

3D printing prosthetics for amputees is an innovative opportunity to provide a lower cost and customized alternative to current technologies. Companies, such as E-NABLE and YouBionic are developing myoelectric prosthetics, electrically powered terminal devices activated by electromyography (EMG), for transradial amputees. Prosthetics that are 3D printed are less expensive for juvenile use, more sustainable, and more accessible for those without insurance. Although they are typically not outfitted with the same complex grip patterns or durability of a traditional myoelectric prosthetic, they offer a sufficient durability (withstanding up to 150 N on average) and allow for new opportunities in prosthetic development. Devils Prosthetics, a student research and development group associated with Engineering Projects in Community Service (EPICS), has investigated the benefits and pitfalls of utilizing polyethylene terephthalate glycol (PETG) for 3D printing prosthetics as well as combining a MyoWare EMG sensor with machine learning for optimal control of the prosthetic.

Date Created
2023-05
Agent
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