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Engineering Capstone Projects

As the school year draws to a close, seniors in Mr. Posa's engineering class are making the final touches to their capstone projects. These partners and groups of three were given free range to come up with prototypes of an idea of their own creation. 

Benjamin Dopukil and Pierce Erdele created a small sensor that can be placed on windows in your car or in your house to detect broken glass. Instead of loud, unreliable sound alarms, they programmed this small chip to send an alert to your smartphone on an app they created. Their hope is to decrease crime and avoid potential break-ins. Leah Beach and Gabrielle Solymosy came up with a better way to share a teacher's notes on the whiteboard for students who are not in the classroom or have learning disabilities. The accessory they created is placed on the whiteboard marker and sends the writing on the board through a writing-to-text processor. Their idea serves as a significantly less expensive alternative to interactive Promethean boards. Both the window sensor team and the whiteboard reader team are in the process of applying for patents.

Ellie Alban, George Hagle, and James Sy created their own electric scooter using parts they found online and at Home Depot. Albert He, Mary Louise Mannon, and Grace Nockolds created a new and improved prosthetic hand. Unlike the ones you see today that require assistance to physically open and close, the opposable thumb on their hand is more lifelike and functional. They are also adding a wrist to their prosthesis. 

After hearing how difficult and expensive it has been to clean subway stations in New York City during the pandemic, Amelia Schueppert and Luke Witten created a flying drone equipped with its own disinfectant spray. Their method provides for a contactless way to clean areas with high traffic. 

Finally, Jessie Beck, Aiden Down, and Georgianna Mathews created their own robot. Operated by a smartphone, the robot is capable of collecting cones and balls for a recreational game. Although COVID-19 kept them from being able to use beneficial and innovative equipment at the TXRX lab in Houston's East End, the teammates were still satisfied with the results of their final product. 

The final products will be presented in Mr. Posa's lab this week before the seniors' last day of class on Wednesday, May 5. Congratulations to each team for making such creative and useful products!
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