Queen's BioMechatronics Team (QBMeT)As CTO of QBMeT, I lead a multidisciplinary team of 71 engineers that designs and manufactures wearable bionic systems to improve the human body. We analyze and enhance human motions using mechanical, electrical, and software engineering.
Each year, we compete at the ACE competition in Michigan against Universities from all across North America to showcase our design to the judges. The project can change year to year and there are several complex challenges that come with it. Below, I'll provide the details on each part of this project and what problems I had to solve to make this work. 
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Leg Exoskeleton (2022)
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Our 2022 project was creating an exoskeleton that could provide gait analysis and assist a user in lifting a 40 pound backpack. While it was an ambitious and intricate challenge, it was very rewarding as my team was able to meet these criteria successfully.
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Stage 1 - Research
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QBMeT is split into 3 sub teams - Power Systems, Software, and Structural Engineering. During our research phase we studied control systems integration, actuator dynamics, material specifications, and frame design.
This gave us a solid foundation of knowledge that helped us make decisions while programming and modelling. I personally took a dive into lower-limb ergonomics to explore what we could do to enhance human mobility. You can check out my written notes in the attached file. |
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Stage 2 - CAD
The CAD software my team used for this project was SOLIDWORKS. I completed this model with another team member after we took input from the sub-teams.
Some preliminary design decisions were made during this process. We decided to use perforated steel tubing for the frame due to ease of implementation and material stiffness. I designed the attachment mechanism (red) to incorporate nylon straps so it would be fixed firmly to the leg. |
Resources: Charles Hunter, Brett McGonigal
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Stage 3 - Prototyping
From our CAD model, we were able to start prototyping each of the joints. As a team, we decided that 3D printing would be the most effective method for testing our design because it is cheap and works quickly. I personally own two 3D printers, so I could often print parts and test them within the day. As CTO, I had several projects I was responsible for on my own, and I worked with my teammates to assist them with their projects. Below, I'll take you through a few design choices I made for these prototypes.
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Attachment Mechanism
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Timeline: 3 months
Resources: Brett McGonigal, Mitch Dellavedova |
The first problem I had with this project was the attachment curve needed to change for each part of the leg. I created multiple CAD drawings and consulted with my roommate Mitch who is a varsity athlete taking Kinesiology. In the end we had 3 different attachment pieces with unique curves (ex. calf needed a much tighter spline than the thigh).
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To save costs and speed up the process, I printed test "layers" to check the fit on my leg. Once Mitch and I tested the fit, I made adjustments in SOLIDWORKS and printed out another layer. After several iterations, we came out with a product that attached flush to the leg at each respective spot.
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Once Mitch and I were happy with the fit, I printed out the full attachments seen above.
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The last step was adding additional holes and features for mounting the frame onto the attachments. We also integrated the nylon straps and tested the strength of our design.
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Hip Joint
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Timeline: 2 months
Resources: Amy Browne, Brett McGonigal |
Ankle Joint
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Timeline: 2 months
Resources: Vanessa Yeung, Brett McGonigal |
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Stage 4 - Manufacturing
Once all the pieces were made, the last step was assembling everything and integrating our sensors, Arduino boards, actuator, and power systems. For this part of the project I worked closely with Charles Hunter to iron out the details and debug anything that went wrong.
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Stage 5 - Final Design
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