Draper Labs – Edge Computing

We are incredibly grateful to have worked under the guidance of our technical directors, Stephen Lawrence and Rick Wang. Their mentorship, expertise, and continuous feedback throughout the project helped us achieve our project goals, along with teaching us how to approach real world engineering problems. We also thank Dr. Harish Sunak and the ELECOMP Capstone Design Program at the University of Rhode Island. Working with Draper and the Capstone program has given us a solid experience in team-based problem solving and impactful communication. We are incredibly thankful for the growth this program has instilled in each of us as engineers.

Draper Labs – RISC-V

The ELECOMP Capstone Design Program provided a highly valuable opportunity to gain real-world engineering experience on a complex, industry-sponsored project. Through our collaboration with Draper, we designed and implemented a safety-critical control system using Rust on a RISC-V platform, integrating sensing, control, and actuation into a fully functional embedded system. The project pushed us to apply knowledge from across our undergraduate studies while developing new skills in embedded systems, real-time control, and system integration, all while working with real hardware under real-time constraints.

Working as an interdisciplinary team reinforced the importance of communication, adaptability, and accountability, and the guidance from our Technical Directors during weekly meetings helped us refine our technical approach and better understand real-world engineering expectations. Overall, this experience has been instrumental in preparing us for our future careers as engineers.

Participating in the ELECOMP Capstone Design Program as engineering students, our experience working with General Dynamics Electric Boat has been extremely valuable. This project gave our team meaningful real world experience by allowing us to work alongside an established engineering company while applying what we have learned in the classroom to a real design problem. Throughout the project, we strengthened our skills in project management, technical communication, meeting deadlines, design trade studies, simulation, procurement, and prototyping. We also gained a better understanding of how engineering decisions are shaped by technical, economic, and practical constraints. None of this would have been possible without the ELECOMP Capstone Design Program.

The program places engineering students in direct contact with practicing engineers, and that was one of the most beneficial parts of this experience. Our Technical Directors, Mike Brawner and Matthew Huestis, provided valuable guidance, feedback, and project direction throughout the design process while also helping connect our work to real industry expectations. The ELECOMP Capstone program also assigned an outstanding Consulting Technical Director, Mike Smith, whose continued technical insight and support during regular meetings played an important role in helping our team work through challenges and stay on track.

Finally, we would like to sincerely thank Professor Sunak, the Program Director, whose continued effort in building and maintaining industry partnerships makes this program possible. His support, coordination, and commitment to student success were essential to the progress of our project and to the overall value of this experience.

The ELECOMP Capstone Design Program experience at URI provided a comprehensive introduction to real world embedded systems engineering. Under the mentorship of Professor Harish Sunak, founder of SANCTUARI Joe Moreira, former Technical Director Chris Rothwell, and Technical Director Mike Smith, our team designed and developed a wildlife tracking device in collaboration with SANCTUARI. This project exposed us to the full engineering design cycle, from system architecture and schematic design to hardware bring up, debugging, and validation. We gained hands-on experience working with embedded microcontrollers, cellular communication modules, and low power system design, while addressing real world constraints such as size, power consumption, and reliability. Overall, this experience strengthened our technical foundation and problem solving abilities, preparing us for careers in embedded systems and hardware focused engineering environments.

The ELECOMP Capstone program has served as an invaluable insight into what it means to work in a real engineering environment. Over the course of the Fall and Spring semesters we faced many moments where our problem-solving skills were put to the test. Throughout this program we had the honor of working with the engineers at Taco Inc., Adam, Nick, and Aaron, who continuously supported us in our research and development efforts. The development of our project was greatly rewarding in many ways.

We are grateful for the opportunity to work on such a fulfilling project under the technical guidance of Dr. Guoyi Xu, who is knowledgeable in every aspect with regards to communication systems and signal processing. Under his mentorship, our team was able to build a working prototype that has the potential to explore research topics within the transportation and robotics industry. We are also proud to have gained networking opportunities and skills related to academic research, concluding our work with a conference paper.

Additionally, we extend our appreciation to Dr. Harish Sunak and his ELECOMP Capstone Program, which provided a productive space to apply our skills and knowledge towards improving our confidence as young professional engineers.

We are grateful to have been given the opportunity to complete the ELECOMP Capstone at the University of Rhode Island. This outstanding program provides students with valuable hands-on experience prior to entering the work force, while also fostering meaningful connections among peers and possible employers.

The knowledge and skills we have developed throughout our time in capstone will directly benefit each of us as we begin our time as engineers. In addition to strengthening our technical abilities, this experience has enhanced our teamwork, communication and problem-solving skills. This program truly sets students apart as they enter the early stages of their professional journeys.

We would like to extend our sincere thanks to Dr. Sunak for overseeing such a rewarding and impactful program, as well as to our technical directors Dr. Lin, Meem Tasfia Zaman, Jake Nicynski, and Zack Notarianni for their guidance and support throughout our time together.

We are grateful for the guidance of Professor Yeonho Jeong and Sooan Pack throughout this project. Their mentorship, technical insight, and consistent support were critical at every stage of development. Whether addressing design challenges or refining our approach, their feedback enabled us to navigate complex engineering problems with confidence and clarity. Their involvement not only strengthened our technical skills but also helped prepare us for the expectations of professional engineering practice.

We also extend our sincere thanks to Harish Sunak and the ELECOMP Capstone Design Program at the University of Rhode Island. The opportunity to work within the URI Power Electronics Laboratory allowed us to apply our academic knowledge to a meaningful, hands-on engineering project. The Capstone program provided valuable experience in collaborative problem solving, technical communication, and real-world system design. Dr. Sunak’s commitment to integrating academic learning with practical application played a significant role in making this experience both impactful and professionally rewarding. We are truly appreciative of the growth this program has given us as emerging engineers.

We are grateful for the opportunity provided to us at the University of Rhode Island. Participation in the ELECOMP Capstone program has been an invaluable experience, allowing us to apply our knowledge in a practical setting. The skills and insights gained while working with the URI Robotics Lab on the RoboToy project will directly support our future professional careers.

We believe this program is an essential component of engineering education, as it challenges students to step outside their comfort zones and develop both technical and professional skills. We would like to thank Dr. Sunak for facilitating such a meaningful program, as well as our technical directors, Dr. Stegagno and Cameron Amaral, for their guidance and support throughout the project.

The URI ELE Capstone was such an awarding experience to be a part of. The project served as an opportunity to gain hands-on experience and knowledge of what working in an engineering-oriented job is like. While it may have been a challenging experience, it was also a vital experience to go through to understand the expectations and skills needed to succeed in the engineering industry. The project taught us how to work in a more collaborative way and also taught us how important it is to communicate with each other to ensure all work is completed by their deadlines.

We would like to extend our sincerest thanks to our technical directors, Liam Crisfield and Al Binder, for helping us through the experience of creating this project and ensuring it reached its best possible outcome. We would also like to give thanks to Professor Harish Sunak for creating the Capstone and creating an experience that has helped us gain a much better understanding of the expectations that go into working in the engineering field. He assigned each student into the project he believed their skills would be the most beneficial in, and we believe we showcased our skills in Electrical and Computer Engineering to their fullest extent with the outcome of our project.

XMOS – XNAV

Reflecting on our time working together on this project, it’s amazing how much more confident we are with working on engineering problems. Before starting our Capstone Design Project it was hard to imagine truly how much we would learn from it. But coming out the other end of it, we can say that this experience has given all of us integral engineering skills, working on embedded systems and robotic design principles that we will be benefiting from well into our careers.

Of course, this project was made even more valuable through the guidance and training of our technical directors, Andrew Cavanaugh and Chris Rothwell. Both of our mentors have a deep understanding of the embedded systems and robotics knowledge needed to complete this project. To any future capstone team, we cannot stress enough how important it is to communicate and work with your technical directors. Not only were they a tremendous help, but we gained lots of valuable insight we wouldn’t have otherwise. As long as you put your all into the Capstone Design Program, you will gain much from this experience.

XMOS – XROS

Participating in the ELECOMP capstone project was a privilege for every single one of us. We are extremely grateful to our technical director, Andrew Cavanaugh. His continuous guidance and support was invaluable and instrumental in our project. We are also grateful to XMOS, for creating a project that challenges us and gives us real-world experience. In addition, we have the utmost gratitude to Dr. Sunak as well, for putting us together and choosing us for this project. Our capstone project has been an incredibly enriching experience, which allowed us to gain technical knowledge and fine-tune our professional skills.

Zebra Technologies – AI/ML

While challenging, working with Zebra Technologies on this AI/ML project was one of the most rewarding experiences in our undergraduate careers. In the beginning we had some classroom exposure to machine learning and computer vision. By the end, we had finished the project having engineered a smart hardware solution from the ground up. Dr. Sunak’s program built habits of documentation, accountability, and professional communication that will serve us beyond graduation. Our Technical Directors, Matthew Corvese and Joe Hegarty, brought the perspective of engineers who have solved real problems in industry, and that mentorship was irreplaceable when we encountered unexpected obstacles. The biggest lesson that our team learned was that data quality is the engineering problem. We leave this program not just with a working system, but with a clearer understanding of what it actually means to build one.

Zebra Technologies – Resonance

We are grateful to our technical directors Eric, Zareena, and Joe for the large degree of freedom and support they gave us in approaching this project. Having the ability to do every step of the RFID tag production process at the university ourselves allowed us to tackle the project the way we wanted and develop our design skills.

Zebra Technologies – Thermal Control

The ELECOMP Capstone Design Program is a unique, industry-focused program at the University of Rhode Island for electrical and computer engineering students to develop and apply their technical and professional skills in a real-world setting. The program allows students to work alongside engineering companies on projects that reflect challenges commonly encountered in industry, helping bridge the gap between academic learning and professional practice. It also provides direct interaction with practicing engineers, enabling students to build professional connections and gain insight into real engineering workflows and expectations.

The program emphasizes both technical development and professional growth, including communication, teamwork, leadership, and project planning. These skills are developed through collaboration with peers, technical directors, and industry professionals who provide mentorship throughout the design process. I would also like to acknowledge Program Director Dr. Sunak for establishing and supporting the ELECOMP Capstone Design Program and for creating opportunities for students to engage directly with industry professionals. Overall, the experience has been highly valuable in preparing students for future careers by combining academic learning with real-world engineering applications.

Zebra Technologies – Torque

Participating in the ELECOMP Capstone Program with Zebra Technologies provided us with the opportunity to work on a real-world engineering problem focused on stepper motor torque characterization. We designed and developed a dedicated torque measurement fixture that integrates a torque transducer, magnetic particle brake, and microcontroller-based control system. This project allowed us to apply concepts from electronics, embedded systems, and system integration while gaining hands-on experience in troubleshooting and refining a complete working system.

We would like to thank our Technical Directors, Morgan Malone, Jeff Berry, and Joseph Moreira, for their guidance and support throughout the project. Their feedback helped us navigate technical challenges and better understand industry expectations. Additionally, we are grateful to Dr. Harish Sunak and the ELECOMP Capstone Program for providing a structured and meaningful experience that strengthened our teamwork, communication, and problem-solving skills. This project has been a valuable step in preparing us for our future careers.

Zebra Technologies – Universal Printhead Fixture

Our capstone project provided a hands-on opportunity to bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and real-world embedded systems design. Through the development of a functional test fixture for thermal printheads, we gained experience working with hardware-level communication, timing-critical signal control, and the challenges of integrating mechanical and electrical systems into a simple and practical solution.

Additionally, this project strengthened our ability to collaborate as a team and adapt to evolving project requirements. We are grateful for the guidance and support provided by our Technical Directors and Dr. Sunak, whose insights were invaluable throughout this process. Overall, this capstone experience has prepared us to approach real-world engineering problems with confidence, structure, and a practical mindset.