Monday, May 13, 2024

Spartan Superway is unique in PRT-Podcar-ATN development

What is unique about Spartan Superway? One word ……… Students!

2024
The 2023-2024 teams gave their final presentations on Friday, May 10 at the Spartan Superway Design Center in San José. These presentations are available on Spartan Superway's YouTube channel:


2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

2013
 

International Summer Program

In addition to the regular ME195 program, Spartan Superway has conducted numerous summer workshops over several years, with students from Brazil, France, Mexico, South Korea, and Sweden working at the Spartan Superway Design Center in Silicon Valley. 

Also several student activities have been conducted in the Netherlands, South Africa, and Sweden. Participating universities are listed here: 

 

2022-2024

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014




























Tuesday, February 2, 2021

Revised Guide for creating ME195 Team Blogs

General note: The following instructions are for the Leads for each respective team. Team blog spots are important for checking accountability for each individual team member. Please submit a post once a week at the end of the Wednesday class period. You are encouraged to have a different member submit a blog post each week. Include details about your progress in your Team Blog posts.

Creating a Blogger

  1. Create your account to access the Blog posts here, and follow the directions: https://support.google.com/blogger/answer/1623800?hl=en
  2. State the name of your team and the term in the prompt: Choose a Name for your Blog (e.g. Bogie Chassis Team 2020/2021)
  3. Enter in a relevant blog spot title, and an address such as "BOGIE-CHASSIS-2020/2021-SpartanSuperway.blogspot.com"
  4. To allow for multiple authors to participate and collaboratively, add information into a single blog spot,  the first author (Team Lead)  will invite all other team members as authors with admin permission (i.e., adding other team member's gmail addresses)
    • Specifically, go to: [ Blog] > Settings > Permissions  > Invite More Authors
  5. Upon completing this, please copy & paste your address in this Google Form:
    • https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdDjSFQLheYoS9qMrqiUApI-O8zLtFE3PCu8AMa9o6HoPOLNg/viewform?usp=sf_link
  6. This is very important as weI need your address(es) to upload your team blogs to https://spartansuperway.blogspot.com/ so they are visible for everyone to see.
  7. Congratulations! You have created your individual blog spot! We will get your blog spot hyperlinks uploaded to https://spartansuperway.blogspot.com/ soon!
Creating a Blog Post
  1. Click on “New Post” and create a title with the week as the input, for e.g. : 2021-02-01--2021-02-05
  2. Your Team Blog Posts should include:
    • Objective/Goal for the week as a whole team
    • Individual Tasks of team members with a detailed description of each responsibility to be completed for the week as a subcategory.
    • Individual Progress of each team member with detailed explanation of their findings. Technical drawings, CAD models, calculations, and anything else related to the team's involvement in the project's design, rapid-prototyping, fabrication, assembly, and testing of your project should be included.
*Please use Arial Font type and Normal for Font Size*
*Use Sub-heading font for creating Objective and Individual Task sections, use Paragraph font for description*



Information to post in first Team blog post:
  • Title should be: Introduction of the Bogie Chassis Team 2020/2021
  • Full name of members in the group
  • Contact information (email address, phone number)
  • Brief description of why you want to work on Automated Transit Networks
  • A picture of yourselves
  1. To successfully post your blog, click "Publish" on the right side of the screen
  2. Congratulations! You have successfully posted your first blog spot.

Saturday, December 26, 2020

Spartan Superway in the Year of Covid-19 (2020-2021)

Beginning in the spring of 2020, Spartan Superway migrated from a hands-on program at the Spartan Superway Design Center to an online presence. Progress accomplished by the class of 2020 and the class of 2021 can be seen at the online library of our sponsor INIST:

(Please note the chronological order of publications. Final reports from ME 195 undergrads and ME 295 graduate students are typically found in May and December. 

Additional information on progress by the Spartan Superway mentor team can be seen here:

Thanks for stopping by!

Wednesday, January 30, 2019

Spring 2019 Schedule +

Spring 2019 week-by-week schedule (Monday - Sunday):

Of course, complete tasks ahead of time to leave your team some wiggle room at the end of the semester in case you need extra time for some task (you likely will!).

01/28/2019 - 02/03/2019: First day of Spring 2019 semester (Jan 30th, 2019) - General session
1. Meet with teams. Determine what, if any, design goals still need to be achieved. Do you have a final, prime design that is ready to go? Have you tested your design (FEA, bench models, rapid prototyping)?
2. Look at your Fall 2018 grades, feedback, etc. What did you lack on? What did you excel at? Please use this data to better yourself during the Spring 2019 semester.
3. Create / update your Gantt charts for the Spring 2019 semester.
Consider goals such as finalizing design and testing, ordering parts (GET APPROVED by management team first), in-house fabrication (lay out a time table for getting custom parts built, if applicable), out-sourced fabrication (lay out a time table for getting custom parts made for your project, if applicable), determine if other sub-teams on your project need help so you can all create a successful prototype together, assembly of sub-prototypes (i.e., sub-team specific), testing of sub-prototypes (i.e., sub-team specific), fabrication of master assembly (i.e., full scale team, half scale team, small scale team), testing of master assembly (i.e., full scale team, half scale team, small scale team), time for iterations / additional fabrication time / sourcing new parts in case something goes wrong (it likely will...), retesting your sub-assemblies / master assemblies, detailed documentation of ALL STEPS when fabricating / assembling / testing, final testing prior to Maker Faire, determine who is doing what and when at Maker Faire, final reports, presentations, and documentation storage.

02/04/2019 - 02/10/2019: Individual Session
1. Finalize designs! Finalize your CAD assemblies, analysis, plans for ordering parts (i.e., consider lead-times!), plans for fabrication (i.e., who will make what and when? Are you out-sourcing this work? Are you making it yourself in-house? What's the expected lead time?), plans for assembly (i.e., when do you plan on assembling your prototype), plans for testing, etc.
Essentially, PREPARE ahead of time so you can make small iterations later if need be, as opposed to scattering and stumbling around to figure it out last minute.
2. ORDER parts if you haven't already. Be sure to GET APPROVED before ordering any parts. Check existing shop parts to cut down on expenses.
3. Schedule your semester out. So minimal surprises arise. See above week on making your Gantt Charts!

02/11/2019 - 02/17/2019: Individual Session - Individual Writing Assignment #1 due Sunday 2/17 - See Canvas
1. 13 weeks left to get your prototypes up and running for Makers Faire!
2. Finalize designs
3. Create fabrication-ready shop drawings in Solidworks. Be sure you input all of the correct part views and dimensions. Please review your drawings with Dr. Furman before you send them to a shop to get fabricated.
4. Begin fabricating your parts (in-house, or out-sourced)!
5. Carefully and with much detail, document all processes (design, fabrication (both in-house and out-sourced), assembly, testing, any new iterations, ...etc).

02/18/2019 - 02/24/2019: General Session (meet with other ME195B classes)
1. Fabricate your parts (in-house, or out-sourced)!

02/25/2019 - 03/03/2019: Individual Session - PRESENTATION #1
1. Fabricate your parts (in-house, or out-sourced)!
2. Begin assembling your sub-assemblies (if ready).

03/04/2019 - 03/10/2019: Individual Session
1. Fabricate your parts (in-house, or out-sourced)!
2. Continue assembling your sub-assemblies.
4. Test sub-assemblies and prototype functionality if ready!

03/11/2019 - 03/17/2019: General Session (Meet with other ME195B classes Student Union Room 4A/4B)
1. Fabricate your parts (in-house, or out-sourced)!
2. Continue assembling your sub-assemblies.
3. Assemble your master assemblies if ready.
4. Test sub-assemblies / master assemblies (if ready) and prototype functionality!

03/18/2019 - 03/24/2019: Individual Session. Individual Writing Assignment #2 due Sunday 3/24 - See Canvas.
1. Fabricate your parts (in-house, or out-sourced)!
2. Continue assembling your sub-assemblies.
3. Continue assembling your master assemblies.
4. Test sub-assemblies / master assemblies and prototype functionality!

03/25/2019 - 03/31/2019: Individual Session
1. Continue testing your sub-assemblies and master assemblies.
2. If any issues during testing, be sure to solve it quickly! Time is running short.
3. Test sub-assemblies / master assemblies and prototype functionality!

04/01/2019 - 04/07/2019: Spring Break  - No classes 
1. Test sub-assemblies / master assemblies and prototype functionality!
2. Consider time for new design iterations / additional fabrication time / sourcing new parts in case something goes wrong (it likely will...)

04/08/2019 - 04/14/2019: Presentation #2
1. Retest your sub-assemblies / master assemblies if a new iteration was needed.

04/15/2019 - 04/21/2019:  General Session (meet with other ME195B classes Student Union Room 3A/3B, 2nd floor)
1. Complete final testing to ensure ready for Makers Faire.

04/22/2019 - 04/28/2019: Individual Session. Individual Writing Assignment #3 is due Sunday 4/28 - see Canvas.
1. Complete final testing to ensure ready for Makers Faire.

04/29/2019 - 05/05/2019: Preparation for Student Conference Day and Prototype Evaluation Day.
1. Complete final testing to ensure ready for Makers Faire.

05/06/2019 - 05/12/2019: Last day of ME195B class May 8th. 5/8/2019 = Prototype Evaluation Day!
05/10/2019 - Conference Day - Final Presentations - Rooms E331, E341, Afternoon (room E343)
1. LAST WEEK to finalize prototypes! Ensure they work, ensure they can be easily assembled / disassembled.
2. Organize your parts for Makers Faire! Be sure you bring any power tools, power strips, extension cords, hardware, etc!

05/13/2019 - 05/19/2019: Makers Faire May 17th, 18th, and 19th.  
1. Final reports due 5/13/2019 by 5:00 pm







Tuesday, December 4, 2018

Label, Organizing, & Storing your Documentation!

Hello Spartan Superway Students,

As we approach the end of the first semester ME195A, it is time to start organizing ALL of the relevant documentation that you have created since August 2018. 

1. LABEL all of your documentation with the proper naming convention. Please include the date as this makes it easier for future referencing. Make the name of your file very obvious and easy to know what will open when someone clicks on it at a future date. 
e.g., 2018-12-04 Full Scale Bogie Final Report ME195A 
e.g., 2018-11-12 Small Scale Track Support Bracket ver3.0 

2. ORGANIZE all of your documentation! This means putting certain file types with similar file types such as keeping all of your CAD files together in a separate sub-folder, keeping your final reports and presentations in a separate sub-folder, keeping your code and wiring schematics in a separate sub-folder, etc. This will make going through your folders at a later date much easier.

3. Where to store? Here is the link to the Spartan Superway Archive where you will be storing all of your documentation. Please look inside the folder and find the appropriate folder for your sub-team. If you need to make a new folder within your sub-folder, make sure your LABEL it correctly so it is obvious what it holds. 

Friday, November 23, 2018

Research Questions for Solar-Powered Automated Transportation




Research Questions
for
Solar Powered Automated Rapid Transit Ascendant Networks

2019-01-17
Burford Furman
burford.furman@sjsu.edu 

The following sections list research questions to be answered with regard to solar powered automated rapid transit ascendant networks (“SPARTAN”). The questions are by no means exhaustive and have not been prioritized. The list is intended to spark discussion, thinking, and ultimately work that will hasten development of this new form of urban transportation. Comments, edits, and inputs are welcomed.
* Denotes research questions that are of high priority

Urban/Transportation Planning (UTP)
UTP 1.     What factors (positive and negative) would make a compelling case for people to travel relatively short distances (less than 30 min travel time) using a mode other than by automobile? E.g., gas prices go beyond $X/gal; if it were less expensive (overall) to not own a car; 'better' quality of travel (more relaxing, able to use the travel time to do something beside concentrate on driving, etc.), etc.
UTP 2.     In which types of cities (or areas within cities) does an ATN make sense (general characteristics, in order to compile a "short list" of cities and areas)?
UTP 3.     How can ATN be integrated into the urban fabric (stations, guideways, etc.)?
UTP 4.     How can ATN be integrated into the existing transit infrastructure?
UTP 5.     What is the impact on ATN usage to societal well-being?
UTP 6.     What modeling and planning tools are available to design solar powered ATN systems that can accurately predict ridership, how to manage vehicles, etc?
UTP 7.     What policies need to be crafted or modified to accommodate ATN as a new mode of transportation?
UTP 8.     What standards apply, need modification, or need to be crafted to the design, maintenance, safety, and operation of ATN systems?
UTP 9.     How would introduction of ATN affect transit mode split and car ownership?
UTP 10.  How could one utilize SUMO, Podaris, and Encitra modeling tools to develop a guideway network in their locale?
UTP 11.   What is the legal framework for acquiring ‘air rights’, sidewalk rights, station location rights, and in-building station rights? Address the financial, property ownership, and legal aspects.
UTP 12.   What incentives are there for property owners to think about station location rights?

Engineering (ENG: (A)acoustics, (Con)controls, (Dy)dynamics, (E)electrical/electronics), (H)Hardware, (Hum)human factors/ergonomics, (M)Metrics, (Mfg)manufacturing, (S)safety, (SW)software, (Sys)systems
ENG_A 1.    What are the acoustics of suspended ATN vehicles in an urban environment, and how do they compare to existing modes of transportation? What are the major causes of noise, and how can they be mitigated?
*ENG_A 2.   What will the acoustics be like for suspended ATN vehicles, especially when traversing discontinuities in the guideway (switches, joints, etc.)?
ENG_Con 1. What vehicle control strategies are optimal for maximizing throughput?
ENG_Con 2. What sensors are needed to control and accurately track the position of vehicles?
ENG_Dy 1.    What are the dynamics associated with a suspended vehicle’s travel over elevated guideways, and particularly when traversing curves?
ENG_Dy 2.    What are the limits of stiffness/deflection, etc. that lead to acceptable ride quality?
ENG_Dy 3.    How will ATN guideways and structures respond to earthquakes?
ENG_Dy 4.    What forces will act on riders, and how can they be handled in curves?
ENG_Dy 5.    What amount of deflection of a guideway is allowable between support columns,
             so that passengers will not experience motion-sickness?
ENG_Dy 6.    How must suspended ATN vehicles be designed, so that ride quality is acceptable 
 for riders?
*ENG_Dy 7.  How can wind loads be handled?
ENG_Dy 8. What forces will arise on bogie components and guideway structures as an ATN vehicle traverses a diverge, merge, or turn?
ENG_Dy 9. What is the maximum speed that a vehicle can take a turn?
ENG_Dy 10. How should turns/curves be designed to withstand dynamic forces and minimize passenger discomfort?
*ENG_E 1.  What is the optimal approach or combination of methods for powering bogies (e.g., wayside power, on-board batteries, ultra-capacitors, AC/DC, linear motors in track, etc.)?
*ENG_E 2.  What is the best approach to powering ATN with solar (e.g., solar PV on top of guideway direct to DC buss, CSP (concentrating solar power to steam), solar to compressed air for storage, solar PV + AC grid tie, mix of batteries and/or supercapacitors)?
ENG_E 3.   What is the optimal approach for storage of collected PV energy?
ENG_E 4.   What is the average number of vehicle-km/day/km of guideway that can be fully powered with a solar array 1m (2m, 3m, 4m) in width? (Determine by analysis and confirm by testing)
ENG_H 1.    How can right angle (90°) guideway curves be designed and supported within a typical city center (without pillars obstructing streets)?
ENG_H 2.    How should sections of guideways be connected (design of joints)?
ENG_H 3.    How should guideways be connected to support columns?
ENG_H 4.    What is the optimal design for guideway support columns, taking into consideration, strength, cost, ease of fabrication, and ease of maintenance?
ENG_H 5.    How should guideway supports be designed, so they can handle the loads of vehicles, wind, snow, seismic events, and potential crashes by vehicles. Is there a general footing design that could be mostly manufactured off-site and rapidly deployed? How much space would be required to install a footing?
ENG_H 6.    How should a suspension system between the bogie and suspended vehicle be designed to compensate for disturbance motions of a vehicle and allow for adjustments of position in stations?
ENG_H 7.    What are the dimensions and configuration of the guideway for a switching or merge section? What is the minimum length of off-ramps and on-ramps for adequate rider acceleration-deceleration comfort?
ENG_H 8.    What is the temperature profile within the guideway and how does it change over a 24 hr cycle (modeling+simulation AND experimental investigations)?
ENG_H 9.    What kind of thermal expansion must be accommodated, and how will it be accomplished?
ENG_H 10. Which elements of the guideway and bogie will have the most rapid wear, and how will these elements be maintained or replaced?
ENG_Mfg 1. How can guideway elements be mass produced to minimize cost?
*ENG_Hum 1.   How can an ATN station be designed, so that it is obvious to potential riders who are non-technical, visitors who are unfamiliar with ATN, the visually impaired, etc., how one schedules, pays for, and uses a fully automated vehicle?
ENG_Hum 2.   What are the best approaches for riders to know which vehicle is 'theirs' if multiple people are waiting at a station?
ENG_Hum 3.   How might rider aggregation be handled to encourage more than single occupants?
ENG_Hum 4.   What personnel, procedures and physical security measures and are needed to provide safety for riders and prevent vandalism or other destructive activities?
ENG_M 1.    What ATN metrics should be accounted for? Such as XX Watt/Kilometer, XX Track Weight / Kilometer, etc.
ENG_M 2.    What metrics should be used to compare solar-powered ATN to other modes of transportation?
ENG_S 1.        Should the brick wall stop criteria apply to ATN? What is the alternative?
ENG_S 2.         What minimum vehicle headways are 'safe'?
ENG_S 3.     How can suspended vehicles on elevated guideways be designed and proven to be 'safe'?
ENG_S 4.     How can suspended ATN vehicles or an ATN network be designed, so that medical and other emergencies can be addressed?
ENG_S 5.     What are potential failure modes and how can they be mitigated?
ENG_S 6.     How can a fully automated transportation system be made 'secure' in terms of hacking, disruption from cyber-attack, or other nefarious/malicious/vandalism actions?
ENG_S 7.   How can passengers safely egress from a vehicle in the event of an emergency, and especially if the vehicle is not at a station and stops?
ENG_SW 1.    What kind of mobile app is needed for users to interact/schedule/pay for transit on ATN?
ENG_SW 2.   What kind of in-station kiosk software is needed in stations?
ENG_SW 3.   What interface software is needed between mobile or station UIs and vehicle control?
ENG_SW 4.   What kind of system-wide software is needed to control vehicles with passengers and empty?
ENG_SW 4.   What software security systems are needed to authenticate riders, provide safety, privacy, and operating security? 
ENG_Sys 1.      How can ATN scale from modest to city-wide coverage?
ENG_Sys 2.      How can ATN systems be designed to handle rush hour or large pulse demand?
ENG_Sys 3.      What is the optimal size for an ATN vehicle?
ENG_Sys 4.      How can models of ATN performance be verified and calibrated?
ENG_Sys 5.      How should empty vehicles be handled in a full ATN system?
ENG_Sys 6.      How can ATN networks interface between cities or different guideway designs?
ENG_Sys 7.      How can vehicles be allocated optimally in a full ATN system?
ENG_Sys 8.      What is the formula given the number of vehicles that a station could have waiting or service at any time?
ENG_Sys 9.      How should maintenance depots be designed? Where should they be placed?
ENG_Sys 10.   How would a disabled vehicle impact network operation?
ENG_Sys 11.   What is the process for handling vehicles which become disabled somewhere along a section of guideway?


Environmental (ENV)
ENV 1.   What are the environmental impacts of solar powered ATN (“cradle-to-cradle” -- in the supply chain, during construction, while in operation, and upon decommissioning)? How can these impacts be mitigated?
ENV 2.   How can the visual impact of elevated solar powered ATN be minimized and sensitively integrated into the urban fabric? [See IDA 1.]
ENV 3.  How does solar powered ATN compare to other modes of public transit (e.g., capital cost, operating cost, safety, ride quality, convenience, accessibility, congestion, noise, air pollution, energy usage, rolling resistance, aerodynamic drag, weight, space utilization, consumption of materials for construction, fleet size, utilization factor, equipment maintenance, etc.)? Provide evidence and calculations that quantify these performance metrics.

Industrial Design/Architecture (IDA)
IDA 1.        What can be done to minimize 'visual intrusion' and maximize visual appeal for elevated ATN infrastructure? [See ENV 2.]
IDA 2.        How could a ubiquitous elevated infrastructure such as proposed by solar powered ATN enthusiasts be designed, so as not to be rejected out of hand or even be considered 'attractive' by the public?
IDA 3.       How should an ATN vehicle be designed to balance needs for safety, rider comfort, minimizing weight, minimizing drag, minimizing cost?
IDA 4.       What are the dimensions of the 'foot print' for an ATN station, especially one that comes down to ground level? Consider stairs, elevators, and ramp-down to grade.
IDA 5.       How can stations be designed to be visually appealing, functional, and safe?
IDA 6.       How can ATN be integrated into the urban fabric?
IDA 7.       What new opportunities does ATN enable for urban design and architecture? For example, if an ATN station can be integrated right into a building or residential complex, how might this free land that would otherwise be devoted to streets or parking or lead to more human-friendly living areas?
   

Construction/Manufacturing (CON)
CON 1.   Is there a compelling business case to be made for solar powered ATN in an urban environment? If so, what factors must be in place to make the case?
CON 2.   What should the workflow be to install an ATN system in an existing urban area, so as to minimize disruption to existing transportation and maximize speed of installation?

Business/Finance/Economics
Bus 1.     Is there a compelling business case to be made for solar powered ATN in an urban environment? If so, what factors must be in place to make the case?
Bus 2.     What existing design, build, own, operate, maintain, transfer (“DBOOMT”) models can be mimicked to make ATN successful?
Bus 3.      What new industries would be required or how might ATN affect existing industries to supply materials and technology to build out and operate ATN networks?
Bus 4.      What conditions are ideal and 'non-ideal' conditions for ATN? How does ATN perform under these conditions?
Bus 5.      How should fare pricing be structured?
Bus 6.      How could ATN vehicles or spare capacity be used to transport other than people in an urban area (such as at night)?
Bus 7.      What are realistic costs of ATN per unit length (e.g., $/km)?
Bus 8.      How can ATN be successfully financed?
Bus 9.   How can a marketing plan to reach mayors of major cities around the world be developed?
Bus 10. What would it cost to replicate the service provided by the Oakland Airport (OAK) Shuttle Train (http://www.oaklandairport.com/ground-transportation/bart-public-transportation/), but instead with an ATN system?

Other
OTH 1.      What are potential 'unintended consequences' of ATN?
OTH 2.       How can the public be educated about ATN?
OTH 3.       How might ATN infrastructure be useful for other purposes, such as wiring and piping?
OTH 4.       How could a 'reference' design for ATN be made? What elements could become part of a reference standard?
OTH 5.       What research and development has been done from the UMTA AGT programs of the 1970s?
OTH 6.       What research has been done on ATN by Swedish researchers since the 1970s?
OTH 7.     What lessons have been learned from the existing ATN installations (e.g., Morgantown, Rivium, Masdar City, Heathrow, Suncheon Bay)