Great enthusiasm as students showcased their bachelor's projects in Electrical Engineering

The students come from different programs, and in their bachelor's projects, they have collaborated and made use of each other's expertise. Around 250 students were present, and 45 projects were showcased.

“The fair marks an important milestone for our bachelor students, showcasing not only their technical achievements but also the collaborative work that has gone into each project. With students from different programmes contributing their perspectives, the results reflect both depth and breadth of knowledge. It’s also an invaluable moment for younger students, who get a glimpse of what’s possible and often leave with new ideas and motivation for their own future projects”, says Nikolce Murgovski, Vice Head Of Department, Undergraduate Education, Electrical Engineering

From idea to project

Before starting their bachelor's project, students are presented with project proposals. Some based on previous years' successful and educational experiences, while others come from research fields where there is an opportunity to explore a technical solution in greater detail. Some students also bring their own ideas that they wish to develop and test.

One project that was showcased was a temperature-controlled heating jacket with built-in heating elements. The user can determine the temperature, and the implemented control system adjusts the voltage to the heating elements with feedback from built-in temperature sensors to generate the desired heat level.

Another group has developed a wireless charging system for airborne drones, which can be used in industries such as agriculture and construction. Since today's drones have limited battery life, wireless charging could enable autonomous recharging and simplify their use. The group has designed both a digital model of an IPT-based charger and a physical prototype based on this model.

In the middle of the entrance hall, a group showcased a scale model of an electric road system. In the project, they explored ways to extend driving distances using conductive charging via electrified roads. The scale model is based on an existing car track that has been modified to provide charging only on certain sections. A circuit with a supercapacitor was installed in the car, allowing it to charge while driving and supply power to the vehicle.

Well-attended fair

The students are happy to showcase their work and share details with curious classmates, first- and second-year students and also to researchers at the department who have come by to see the progress and explore the exciting projects.

At the far end of the room, a shopping basket moves by. In this project, a prototype of an autonomous shopping cart has been developed, which is connected to a self-scanner. The cart is designed to follow the person holding the scanner, without losing track of that person, or colliding with obstacles. To achieve this, control engineering and filtering techniques have been used, in combination with Ultra-Wideband technology and a LiDAR sensor, to navigate to the correct position as well as detect and avoid obstacles.

All the projects are described on accompanying posters, which also display results and graphs of the measurements taken. Although the results have not always aligned with expectations, many emphasize that they have learned a lot throughout the project and, in some cases, have arrived at new insights and conclusions.