Massey University engineering and food technology yearbook 2016 by Massey University

ENGINEERING + FOOD TECHNOLOGY YEARBOOK 2016 1

FOR MORE INFORMATION ENGINEERING + FOR MORE INFORMATION email: engineering@massey.ac.nz or visit: www.massey.ac.nz/engineering FOOD TECHNOLOGY or visit our facebook page facebook.com/MasseyEngineering

YEARBOOK 2017 2

email: foodtech@massey.ac.nz or visit: www.foodtech.massey.ac.nz

WELCOME Engineering and Food Technology has been taught at Massey University for over 50 years. Our graduates can now be found working, innovating and leading in industry in New Zealand and around the world. Today, Massey University offers a wide range of technology related programmes (Engineering, Food Technology, Information Science and Construction), at both undergraduate and postgraduate (Diploma, Masters and PhD) level. While providing a strong grounding in the principles of engineering and technology we recognise the need for graduates who are well rounded in their problem solving skills, communication, ability to work in teams and have an appreciation of the wider commercial, economic and social environment. Our courses are designed to develop these skills with a strong emphasis on activity-based learning. Right from day one students are immersed in projects that challenge their problem solving ability in a range of different contexts â&#x20AC;&#x201C; from designing solutions to improve life in third-world countries to developing products for a new start-up company. The culmination of the undergraduate Engineering and Food Technology degree programmes are the final year projects. This booklet presents summaries of the Engineering and Food Technology 4th year individual projects from 2016. Engineering students can choose to major in one of four key areas â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Engineering and Innovation Management, Mechatronics, Electronics and Computer Engineering, and Chemical and Bioprocessing Engineering. Food Technology students can major in either Food Product Technology or Food Process Engineering. A Massey University Engineering or Food Technology degree provides you with the high level of technical knowledge AND the professional skills to truly make a difference â&#x20AC;&#x201C; today and into the future.

4TH YEAR CAPSTONE DESIGN PROJECTS

ELECTRONICS & COMPUTER ENGINEERING (ECE) The Interactive Gaming Table (G-Table) Families and friends often play tabletop games for pleasure. Keeping track of all of the statistics and parameters related to each player can be a daunting task sometimes. The aim of this project is to develop a table capable of making this task easier, while augmenting the gameplay in such a way that the players find it considerably more enjoyable. G-Table employs audio and visual effects that follow events occurring in the game. The table will be designed to support selected games for a fixed number of players in the first instance, which will be easily extended for more options. The table will feature device integration so that the players can view individual graphics and information via a web-based application. A screen and computer will be embedded inside the table to display the board and operate a local server for communicating with the player devices. Students: Braden Cradock, Damian Thompson, Matthew Bridle

Automated Bartender This project aims at producing a prototype automated bartender which comes with all the bells and whistles! It is capable of making a designerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s liquor drink according the clientâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s order or fancy. The device is a website server and can produce any drink order made by the client remotely. This is achieved using the local server on the microcontroller board along with the software tools to allow for commands to be read and run. This will allow for a coordinated sequence of actions which produce a beverage. Students: Victor Savelyev, Naman Aswani and Mamoditya Nugroho

Smart Audio Advertisement Delivery Platform The current mode of product advertisement relies heavily on visual techniques such as posters, signage or LCD and TV screen displays. It has been found that this is not effective in getting the customerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s attention in the shop or supermarket. This project aims to make a smart audio advertisement platform which will attract customersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; attention by producing 20-30 seconds of audio advertisement when a customer passes by a particular product. The newly designed platform is a low cost unit which can be easily fixed to shop shelves. It allows for remote updating of audio through Wi-Fi. The project requires knowledge in electronic circuit design, PCB design, embedded programming and full stack web programming. The final product is a user friendly, tamperproof and marketable audio delivery device which has the potential to drive up any product on sale in the market. Students: Nathaniel Faulkner, Mark Tan and Michael Judd

MECHATRONICS Mechatronics graduates are likely to be involved in building machines; the capstone project aims to give them the opportunity to practice this. The mechatronics capstone does not use external clients. Instead the students are given three machines to build from a fictitious plant that involve manufacturing, assembly and packaging. After learning basic techniques such as image processing to identify shapes and controlling a stepper motor from an Arduino, the class was then broken up into groups of four students for the remaining tasks. The manufacturing task requires the students to build a machine to drill holes in pre-cut blocks of wood. The students modify a manual drill press and have available stepper motors, air rams, limit switches and all reasonable hardware around this. A feed chute must be provided that can accept four blocks with the completed blocks being discharged down a chute of their devising. An Arduino is used to control the system. The assembly task requires the students to control a conveyor and robot. The robot is controlled directly from Visual Basic 6 via USB. The conveyor will be controlled from an Arduino, slaved to the laptop/PC. A webcam is used to look at the conveyor, check the block for accuracy, and ascertain the position of the holes in robot-space. The robot is then programmed to sequentially grasp four dowels, orient them, and insert them into the four holes. The dowels are lying on the conveyor and come in four different colours, to match the four different holes in the block. The packaging task requires the students to design a cardboard box and then cut out the cardboard mesh for this using the laser cutter. The box should be able to contain five of the wooden blocks and 20 dowels. The boxes cannot be glued. A machine then needs to be built to erect the boxes. This machine will be controlled using a PLC and will have a suitable interface with the user. The students have found the tasks very challenging; there is a real difference between a machine designed and built for an academic purpose and one that must meet industry requirements. This paper is therefore a very valuable lesson for them.

CHEMICAL AND BIOPROCESS ENGINEERING (CBE) To meet the target to double New Zealand export return by 2025 it is essential to add value to primary production. Here, six CBE project groups have been focussed on the seafood industry, where increases in production are not possible due to the quota system to maintain sustainable stock levels of fish in New Zealand waters. Nevertheless, the opportunities are large where approximately 70% of the wild catch and 30% of aquaculture fish are not consumed by humans. Currently these remaining raw materials are mostly processed into low value fish meal and fish oil, which is sent overseas for further refining. The design groups were charged with the task to add value with the proviso that they still handle all of the remaining raw material. They first investigated the processing options. For their selected option, they develop a process flow diagram with material and energy balances from which they carried out a process economic analysis. Later they develop a detailed plant-wide piping and instrumentation diagram, a plant layout drawing and conducted a life cycle assessment as part of the resource consenting process. In this exercise, each group developed a processing point of distinction by which they added value. These included making cat treats, hydroxyapatite, oil refining, oil refining followed by encapsulation and spray drying, fish protein isolate, and collagen.

PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT/ENGINEERING AND INNOVATION MANAGEMENT (PD/EIM) The Capstone project is an opportunity for students to apply the knowledge gained throughout their degree. It also provides a transition to their working life next year. In partnership with industry organisations, student teams work on real-world problems that have been identified by those organisations, and apply their engineering theory in providing a solution that can be practically applied within the organisation’s operating environment. Teams of three or fourth-year engineering students have worked with Fisher & Paykel Healthcare, Methven Ltd. Talus Industries NZ Ltd., and the Cerebral Palsy Society. These projects have required the students to work closely with a number of key stakeholders including users/ consumers, trade suppliers, and organisation representatives. Their innovative solutions range from a new process design for custom masks to outdoor walking aids for cerebral palsy children. This is a win-win undertaking between the partner organisation and Massey University. While the partner gets a novel working solution along with a working prototype and commercialisation plans, the students gain valuable real-life experience of applying what they’ve learnt. COMMENTS BY STUDENTS: “The capstone project has provided excellent opportunity for us to collaborate with industry professionals in the development of real-world products. Combined with Innovation Management, Life Cycle Assessment and New Product development techniques taught this year, we’ve developed relevant skills which are valuable to today’s employers.” - Albany students “The PD capstone project has been quite different from any other project so far in this degree. We have been able to work with real companies, develop real products and solve real problems. It’s no longer simply about our grade, rather about our reputation, which is a realistic end to our degree. The challenge of working with a company has brought us closer as a year group and as a team, with plenty of quality banter along the way.” - Palmerston North students

FOOD PRODUCT TECHNOLOGY The students in the Food Product Technology major of the Bachelor of Food Technology (Honours) complete a capstone group project to design and commercialise an innovative new food product from market research, idea generation through to formulation from benchtop to large scale production. Groups will work on a food product design solution over two semesters. The final product concept is produced in the FoodPilot or FoodBowl and must be packaged ready for sale.

Vegetable Crackers and Peanut Butter Dip Extensive research was conducted including market research, focus groups and surveys, to finalise a product concept which fits with current food trends. The major trends identified were an increase in vegetable based diets as well as consumers trending towards gluten and dairy free food options. These food trends, along with the increasingly fast paced life-style of people, resulted in the development of a vegetable cracker and dip, single serve, on-the-go snack. The target consumers for this product are people who snack regularly and prefer healthy foods. Conjoint analysis and consumer sensory was carried out which enabled a finalised product to be chosen; rosemary and cracked pepper vegetable crackers with a peanut butter dip. Each packet includes eight rectangle crackers (5x1.8 cm) and peanut butter dip (16 g). The vegetable crackers contain 40% vegetables (courgette, kumara and carrot), are gluten-free, dairy-free and vegan. Students: Bao Ping Du, Emma Dunn and Emma Jackson

Frozen Yoghurt Bites The estimated market share of the ice cream and frozen desserts are US$304.7 million in New Zealand with the market growth of 1.6% forecasted for 2015-2020. The product idea of an innovative frozen fermented food or “hybrid frozen dessert” as a potential product was developed. The key aspects of the product obtained from the market research were “healthier”, “convenience”, and “premium”. This project aims to develop a bite-sized frozen yoghurt, just enough for a mouthful. The healthy natural frozen yoghurt will be coated in a mixed berry puree with the additional benefit of being a good source of fibre. The product will be sold in two-serving size packs that include six pieces per pack which is suitable as a quick treat to give a cold and refreshing sensation. Students: Joy Chemelil, Yinan Liu and Katharina Wulandari

KU-RACKERS Extensive market research was carried out to identify gaps and potential in the New Zealand snack food market. The gap in the market was identified for crackers, chips and extruded snacks. However, there is an increase in poor public image to potato chips which can cause these products to fade away. This project aimed to develop a light and crispy cracker made from kumara that is infused with curry flavouring and is dusted with horopito (native to New Zealand). Horopito gives a hot peppery taste and has been used to season foods instead of black pepper. The crackers will come in a square shape, packed in 125 gram clear plastic as a primary packaging and then in a cardboard box to provide more protection to the crackers. Students: Andrea Ramirez, Dhamma Laya and Joanna Stacey

Hand-crafted Pulled Pork Jerky With a rise in the consumption of dehydrated foods, a gap in the market was identified for unusual meat jerky products. From a series of focus groups it was found that taste, convenience and price were the main contributing factors in the purchase of meat snacks rather than health and the participants agreed that there is a limited range of products available in New Zealand. A wide range of concepts were generated, from Biersticks and Dipping Sauce to Lamb and Mint Jerky, and a consumer survey identified the most appealing to consumers. Our final product can be described as succulent, slow-cooked pork basted in a salty-sweet teriyaki sauce, hand-shredded and oven-dried to perfection; available in a 50 gram resealable zip lock packet. Students: Wei Fu (Leonard) Chen, Braden Chin, Kimberly Gregg and Brad Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Callaghan

The Development of a Frozen Bar Product Made with Greek Yogurt Through extensive market research, several current food trends were identified in both New Zealand and global markets, such as ‘gourmet convenience’, ‘mindful snacking’ and ‘the rise of fermented foods’. Qualitative and quantitative techniques involving the consumer have been used during the product concept ideation and development processes to develop a product that aligns with these trends. The concept developed was a frozen bar product containing Puhoi Valley Greek Style yogurt, with a berry sauce swirl, coated in dark chocolate and toasted granola. While considering that New Zealand is among the world’s highest consumers of ice cream per capita and the forecasted ice cream market growth, combined with current health and convenience trends, this product was developed. The product will be sold individually in a single-serve format, served on a stick and is to be eaten as an on-the-go snack, or healthier dessert option. The product may also be packaged in a 4 or 6-pack format for sharing. Students: Morgan Christy-Jones, Eileen Han, Hillary Tuason and Matthew Yuan

Raspberry and White Chocolate Baked Cheesecake Global food trends were researched and considered for this project, with a key trend identified as being gourmet convenience – consumers want to consume and experience more gourmet foods, but struggle to find the time to cook themselves. Desserts and baked goods were identified as being a large sector where this trend was not being capitalised on. After significant consultation with a target market of busy professionals, a final concept of an eight inch raspberry and white chocolate baked cheesecake was developed. Consumers would buy this product frozen from the supermarket and cook it themselves at home. The cheesecake would be a gourmet, indulgent product that consumers could make for dinner parties, afternoon teas or any other events. Key issues overcome in the product development process included: a soggy base, large cracks on the top of the cheesecake, weak white chocolate flavour and a long cooking time. The final product has all of these issues resolved, and has been extremely popular in consumer tests conducted. Students: Sara Brough, Yvette Coyle, Rebecca Tresidder

FOOD PROCESS ENGINEERING The students in the Food Process Engineering major of the Bachelor of Food Technology (Honours) have capstone group projects to design a full-scale food processing facility for New Zealand. Groups will work on a design solution over two semesters. Some of the design data is gathered by the students using equipment in the Food Pilot Plant.

Whey Processing Plant A dairy company has a cheese factory with a waste stream of 500,000 litres of whey per day. A sequence of flexible processing steps have been designed which can be used to clean and extract value from the waste stream. The whey stream is split into components that are dried to form several commodity powder products. The design utilizes several unit operations including membrane separation, spray drying, and crystallisation. Students: Jonathan Clark, Michael Paul, Hal Treves

Actinidin Extraction Plant This processing plant extracts the enzyme Actinidin from low grade kiwifruit, which will be sold as a high-value freeze dried powder. In total, about two million trays of low grade green kiwifruit are available to process each year. As the Actinidin represents a very small fraction of the total kiwifruit mass additional processes are included to produce kiwifruit oil (from the seeds) and a kiwifruit syrup as by-products. Students: Michael Lloyd, Donald Meikle-Cameron, Theliana

Roux Sauce Plant This process creates a roux sauce (from bulk flour and butter) and packages the roux into large frozen blocks which can be exported to the Japanese food service industry. In total 8 tonnes of roux are produced each day. The process includes melting bulk, frozen butter, mixing and cooking the flour and butter in the correct ratio, and freezing the roux into moulds. As well as the bulk roux packages for export a smaller process line manufactures and packages epicurean sauces for the domestic market, using the roux as a base. Students: Bernadette Blackburn, Bingwen Shi, Weijun Ye

4TH YEAR INDIVIDUAL PROJECTS

The Butterfly By replicating the complex micron - and nanometer-scale photonic structures that help give butterfly wings their colour, researchers have demonstrated a new technique that uses biotemplates for fabricating nanoscale structures that could serve as optical waveguides, optical splitters and other building blocks of photonic integrated circuits.

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PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT/ENGINEERING AND INNOVATION MANAGEMENT (PD/EIM) Industry needs engineers who can integrate innovation and business skills to solve complex engineering problems. Engineering and Innovation Management at Massey University provides students with a solid foundation in engineering, complemented with industrial management, design and environmental assessment methods. Graduates with a mix of engineering, design and innovation management skills are in high demand. The breadth of knowledge gained enables them to take on a variety of roles such as product manager, product development engineer, engineering designer and project engineer.

User-Based Criteria for Wheelchair Evaluation With a rapidly growing ageing population, osteoarthritis is predicted to affect many people. Currently wheelchairs are generic in design and are unsuitable for people with osteoarthritis. Elderly with osteoarthritis feel uncomfortable and have pain in their legs when using current wheelchairs. Due to this, many are reducing their time spent in a wheelchair and even abandoning it completely, leading to further health problems. Research has shown that current designs of wheelchairs are mainly technical based and lack input from a user perspective. This study reveals the missing user-based criteria and their importance prioritised by users. This new information can enable better future wheelchair designs and add to ergonomic literature for a better suited design for elderly with osteoarthritis.

Daron Digges Rosmini College Major: Engineering Innovation Management Supervisors: Dr Aruna Shekar, Mr Andrew Drain Industrial Sponsor: Aria Gardens

Creating Biomedical Devices by Additive Manufacturing According to the World Health Organization, Coronary artery disease (CAD) was deemed to be the leading cause of death worldwide. CAD is the build-up of plaque within the arteries. Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is a procedure that utilises stents in an attempt to alleviate pressure by clearing the blocked artery and by holding the artery open as it heals. PCI is commonly used to treat CAD. Stents are commonly made from metal. However recent research has shown the possibility of using biodegradable polymers. This project aims to identify suitable materials and designs for stent application by 3D printing. Mechanical properties of these polymers are tested, after they have been 3D printed to meet these goals as well as modelling of the stent design to ensure suitability.

John Foronda Elim College Major: Engineering Innovation Management Supervisors: Dr Xiaowen Yuan

The Importance of Ergonomic Considerations in the Design of Products for Developing Markets The research area of product development for developing markets has grown rapidly over the past few years with work into both the development of new appropriate technologies and also the design of frameworks and guidelines to assist in project success. Much of this work has been aimed at reducing the cost of important technologies, such as solar power generation, with the goal being to increase accessibility of assistive products in the base-of-the-pyramid. There is also on going work into improving efficiencies of technologies aimed at this area. As costs drop and developing markets are empowered to become active consumers there is a large number of assumptions still yet to be verified, centred on the importance of western product design principles. It is not known whether product design principles such as ergonomics, aesthetics or emotional connection are important factors for product success in developing markets. This project has investigated how ergonomic considerations could be included in a design process for developing markets and proposes a new set of design principles to assist designers in including ergonomics into their processes.

Mina Georgy Westlake Boys High School Major: Engineering Innovation Management Supervisors: Mr Andrew Drain

Six Sigma Approach to Quality Improvement in Food Manufacturing This project is industry-based on a health and food supplements manufacturing facility. One of their main products is the infant food formula. Currently, they experience quality issues caused by products being out-ofspecifications, which are then either reworked or discarded. This leads to late deliveries, extra costs and bad reputation. The company began to integrate Lean and Six Sigma practices this year. As a part of the integration, this project looks into improving product quality and reducing the amount of rework using Six Sigma quality tools.

Maxim Krotov ACG New Zealand International College Major: Engineering Innovation Management Supervisors: Dr Sanjay Mathrani Industrial Sponsor: Richard Steel

Collaborative Product Development Tools In todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s world when virtually every new product is a composite of many other technologies, no one person possesses all the knowledge to manage the product lifecycle and thus collaboration with others is essential. This research project investigates the tools that enable and facilitate Collaborative Product Development (CPD) via a qualitative survey of software vendors and their customers. The tools are evaluated by their features, accessibility to SMEs and levels of use. This study provides new insights on the utilization of tools for enhancing visibility, knowledge-sharing and timely completion of projects throughout the collaborative process. Factors for success relating to CPD tools and future trends are identified to enable senior management to plan out their product development processes and achieve better results through collaboration.

David Mountain Rangitoto College Major: Engineering and Innovation Management Supervisors: Dr Sanjay Mathrani

Quantifying Improvements in Switched Reluctance Motors The Switched Reluctance (SR) motor has a potential to overtake other motor types in some applications. The objective is to research into SR motors to improve their performance and/or manufacturability. The sponsoring company wants to gain an idea on ‘state-of-the-art’ and a degree of performance and manufacturability benefit that can be achieved. The topics suggested have been based around the Stator’s windings and the Iron-core’s construction. The Stator windings research will have focus on the possible use of carbon nanotubes as the conductive material, while the Iron-Core research will be focussed on electromagnetic composite materials replacing the silicon laminated stacks in the body of the core.

Samuel Nepia Palmerston North Boys High School Major: Engineering and Innovation Management Supervisors: A/Prof Ibrahim Al Bahadly Industrial Sponsor: Teknatool

Knowledge-based performance management process for NZ service sector SMEs This research is about exploring and developing a novel knowledge-based performance management process in New Zealandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s service sector SMEs. The current productivity and performance management processes are explored to identify strategies and drivers for organizational success. This research looks at the current performance monitoring methods through case studies in service sector companies. A framework for strategic performance management is used from literature that guides the conduct of the study. A qualitative research methodology is adopted by way of indepth semi-structured interviews with the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s senior management in different service sector organizations. The results from this research provide a framework and recommendations to practitioners for achieving success in their performance management processes.

Nicholas Sison Glenfield College Major: Engineering Innovation Management Supervisors: Dr Sanjay Mathrani

Autonomous Plant Maintenance: Continuous Improvement

My project focuses on continuous improvement involving research into current thinking on improvement systems and the management of change in the process industries. The execution of effective autonomous maintenance on a production line will help to save time, money and promote a higher production output. Every company has a unique culture and personnel along with the many other contributing factors which can influence the way a production line operates, and the decisions made in the case of an unplanned event occurring. Autonomous plant maintenance and continuous improvement factors in these variables suggest methods for a smoother overall operation.

Ibrahim Abusidou Palmerston North Boyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s High School Major: Product Development Supervisors: Dr Greg Frater Industrial Sponsor: Nestle Purina

Common Factors in Successful STEM Outreach Globally there is currently a shortage of young people wishing to embark on a science or engineering career. As a result there are many STEM outreach programmes being held across the globe to encourage young people to enter these types of careers. The project assessed the key factors for successful outreach programmes that have a positive effect on young peoplesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; decision to pursue a science or engineering career. The research evaluated outreach practice by conducting a systematic literature review and desktop based review. The result of this evaluation helped the research team design an outreach programme aimed for ages 12-15. This programme was trialled and the participants were asked to complete a pre-post survey, where they were asked about their career aspirations, their confidence in learning about maths, physics, etc., and how this outreach programme has changed their views. The findings of this study are helping us to identify factors that are important in successful outreach that could influence future development of STEM outreach programmes, particularly in NZ.

Tyler Benson Palmerston North Boyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s High School Major: Product Development Supervisors: Dr Mark Tunnicliffe, A/Prof Jane Goodyer Industrial Sponsor: Palmerston North City Library

An Electric Bicycle Passenger Facility Bicycles are increasingly popular, in part due to the introduction of Electric Bicycles (Ebikes). Ezy Rider (the projectâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s industrial sponsor) hires out Ebikes. Ezy Rider have an unmet demand for a bicycle that can carry passengers and, therefore, wanted to develop a bicycle that can safely carry passengers. The project aimed to provide a solution to this problem. The proposed sidecar concept suggested at the beginning of the project was novel but it had stability issues to be resolved. Therefore the project aimed to create a stable sidecar prototype and, to test its performance and safety based on trials by people who have ridden a bicycle before. A sense of familiarity between the concept and existing bikes is believed to be the key to creating a successful prototype. A new prototype bicycle with sidecar was developed. This was tested by participants from the University community, who trialled the prototype on a closed course. Their experiences of the prototype stability were assessed using a written questionnaire. Further development of the concept was carried out and commercialisation is being developed.

Liam Dykstra Manawatu College Major: Product Development Supervisors: Dr Mark Tunnicliffe Industrial Sponsor: Ezy Rider

Cardboard Panel Testing Rig Development From fruit to meat and wine, the majority of New Zealand’s export goods are transported in cardboard boxes, making corrugated fibreboard (CFB) packaging one of the nation’s biggest export products. While not frequently considered, the packaging of the products has significant impact on whether the contained product survives long enough to reach the market. Therefore it is important to understand how and why packaging fails during the transport and storage phase of the product’s life. It’s recognised that once one side of a cardboard package has failed, the integrity of the whole box is compromised. To this end, I have developed a rig and testing method to test the performance and failure behaviour of individual cardboard panels, including the use of a Microsoft Kinect camera to record the buckling of the panel in 3D.

Thomas Malone St John’s College Major: Product Development Supervisors: Dr Celia Kueh, Prof John Bronlund Industrial Sponsor: Oji Fibre Solutions

Biogas Rice-Cooker Biogas produced from an anaerobic reaction inside bio-digesters is used to run gas-powered rice cookers in Cambodia. Despite being a clean renewable energy source that can be used for many applications, certain components in the gas are causing the rice cooker to fail. This project aims to identify the specific failure modes and use these to provide design changes, which are affordable and locally manufacturable, to reduce corrosion and prolong the life of the rice cookers. As part of the EWB summit I got the opportunity to visit a Cambodian village and explore the rice cooker issue first-hand.

Phoebe Azer Iskander Baradene College of the Sacred Heart Major: Product Development Supervisors: Mr Andrew Drain, Dr Aruna Shekar Industrial Sponsor: Engineers without Borders Australia & ATEC

Energy Efficiency Measurements & Improvements: A Case Study

This is an applied research project in conjunction with Auckland Leisure and SA Partners focusing on measuring and improving energy usage at Leisure centers. Energy efficiency performance benchmarks from the literature and real life utility consumption analysis helped identify energy reduction opportunities. The research identified and measured energy savings and Return on Investment (ROI) for commercial pool covers. The advantages of pool covers are the reduction of evaporation by 70% which is the primary cause for heat and water loss. Also the reduction of humidity in the air can benefit the life span of the building infrastructure, decreasing operating costs through maintenance expenses. Prototype and implementation of new design improvements are focused on reducing the operating time in order to increase the ROI.

Tenison Maingay Sacred Heart College Major: Product Development Supervisors: Dr Aruna Shekar Industrial Sponsor: Auckland Council Leisure and SA Partners

Sports-Related Concussion and Its Prevention

Sports-related concussions are a significant health problem in todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s society with up to 3.8 million concussions occurring in sport within the USA annually. Concussions can lead to further complications such as postconcussion syndrome or chronic traumatic encephalopathy. There are technologies that are currently being developed to detect concussive impacts within sports. However, these devices detect concussions after the injurious event has occurred. This project will look into how we can prevent concussions from occurring. Being that in New Zealand, rugby is one of the most popular sports throughout the country which involves large amounts of contact which can put players at risk of sustaining a concussion. Rugby players have the option of wearing scrum caps as a means of providing more protection. The main goal of this research project is to evaluate the impact performance of rugby scrum caps to determine how protective they really are in a high risk sport.

Samantha Meyer Westlake Girls High School Major: Product Development Supervisors: Dr Steven Dirven, A/Prof Johan Potgieter, Dr Frazer Noble

The Dragonfly The body of a dragonfly looks like a helical structure wrapped with metal. Two wings are cross-placed on a body that displays a colour gradation from ice blue to maroon. This structure equips the dragonfly with supreme manoeuvrability. No matter at what speed or direction it is already moving, it can immediately stop and start flying in the opposite direction.

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MECHATRONICS Increasingly, modern industry relies on the solution of problems requiring a range of engineering skills. Mechatronics is a combination of precision mechanical engineering, electronics, control and computer technology for the design of products and automation of processes. Graduates in Mechatronics are sought after around the world and are found in a wide range of occupations including industrial automation, product design, process automation, manufacturing and project management.

Automated Singulation of Asparagus Tendertips Asparagus NZ is an asparagus farm and packhouse based in the Horowhenua District. They provide fresh and premium asparagus to international and national markets. The asparagus are harvested by hand and stored in bins, these are then transported to the packhouse where they are manually tipped out onto a belt and then spread out by hand before travelling to the washer. Following this process is the singulation, where each single spear has to be carefully placed in an individual cup on a conveyor belt for grading. This is currently done manually and not very successfully â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 80% of the conveyor filled is considered good. To solve this problem, a multi-conveyor system was developed that is capable of singulating the asparagus for grading. The system automatically spreads out the asparagus to a predetermined pitch on the grading line while also closing any gaps, effectively reducing manual labour and improving the overall throughput.

Azriel Abad Paraparaumu College Major: Mechatronics Supervisors: Mr Ralph Ball Industrial Sponsor: Tendertips Asparagus NZ

Device Free Passive Localisation A number of projects in the area of smart homes for security, targeted at the people with special needs, have been investigated in the past. Each of these projects requires the subjects to put on wearable’s (electronic device, etc.). This project’s aim is to monitor people without taking any input from them. The main focus is on using Wi-Fi signals to measure the speed of people walking in an area of interest in a passive manner. The proposed system consists of a nominal router and a monitoring point which can be a PC, smartphone or smart TV.

Mohammad Alkandari Said Ibn Aamir Boy’s Secondary School Major: Mechatronics Supervisors: Dr Faraz Hasan

Non-Destructive Testing of Soft Body Armour Inserts for NZ Army Body Armour The army spends a lot of money replacing the soft armour inserts for body armour kits. Body armour vests typically consist of hard plates (ceramic or metal) over vital organs to stop bullets, and soft armour for less vital organs designed to stop fragmentation from grenades/mortars/shells. Soft armour usually has an arbitrary shelf life of about 5 years (based on the manufacturerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s recommendation) after which time it is disposed of, even though the soft armour may be unused and in perfect working order. There is no current method of testing soft armour in a non-destructive manner to determine if it is still functioning as expected. The USA and UK have both recently invested heavily in researching this problem in order to try and find a solution. This project investigated the problem of testing and analysing the armour material in order to predict the likely causes of failure of the amour after 5 years life when the armour was unused. Once these are known the optimum solution and methods of non-destructive testing techniques can be established.

Salem Alsallal Kuwait State High School Major: Mechatronics Supervisors: Dr Ebubekir Avci, Dr Mark Tunnicliffe Industrial Sponsor: NZ Defence Forces

Full Field Displacement Measurement for 3D Printed Parts Using DIC This research focuses on 2D Digital Image Correlation on SLS 3D printed parts to measure critical parameters such as displacement, strain, and resulting stresses. The 3D printed part complying with ASTM 638D Type 1 is loaded into a tensile testing machine. The images of deforming part are captured from a high resolution CCD camera which requires an appropriate setup such as adequate lighting and position. Images are then processed using open source software called Ncorr. Using Ncorr, unidirectional properties are estimated and methods are improved using series of tensile tests recommended for ASTM D-638. This data is then compared with data obtained via tensile testing machine (Instron 5967 Dual Column Testing System). Appropriate Pattern Generation is important for an optimal use of the method. Various patterns are considered to study the efficiency of a random speckle pattern and its influence on the measured in-plane displacement with respect to the subset size. Each speckle patterned images undergoes deformation which is then measured with Ncorr software.

Muhammad Usman Amjad Naseer Major: Mechatronics Supervisors: Dr Khalid Arif

Semi-Autonomous Blister-Pack Packing Mechanism It is still common practice for small-to-medium-sized pharmacies to fill medical blister packs by hand. Only large pharmacies have the funds for fully automatic machines and hence there is a gap in the market for a reasonably priced, semiautomated machine. The scope of this research is to analyze the potential possibilities that exist to design a semi-automated blister-pack packing mechanism that is affordable for smaller pharmacies. The key requirement of the design is to reduce human error while, at the same time, reducing workload. This must have a viable price tag. The proposed mechanism uses a slide actuator arranged in a 4x7 matrix to drop the pills into the blister pack positioned beneath. A camera is mounted above to take a photo when just before the pills are dropped into the blister pack. This is stored electronically with the details of the client so that the pharmacist can quickly check the contents of the blister pack.

Adam Bartlett Feilding High School Major: Mechatronics Supervisors: Dr Huub Bakker Industrial Sponsor: Pete Orchard - The Blister Boys

Grape Vine Photography: Autonomous Navigation of Drones There is a growing interest in the use of drones in agriculture to monitor crops and estimate production. This project was to develop a system for a drone to enable it to fly in the close quarterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s environment of a vineyard. The system enables the drone to fly itself in the centre of the grapevines at a set height and speed and continually take photos that can be used later to estimate the amount of grapes grown. Research and development was done in order to solve the problem and engineer a solution. The final system uses optical flow cameras to measure the speed of objects moving either side of the drone to determine how close it is to the grapevines and use that information to control the propellers and put itself in the centre.

Reece Browne Karamu High School Major: Mechatronics Supervisors: A/Prof Gourab Sen Gupta Industrial Sponsor: Precision Aerial Technology

Pneumatic Artificial Muscles Workspace Model Analysis Pneumatic artificial muscles are an interesting type of actuator. However they are generally used in robotics development or simple mechanisms with one degree of freedom. This research project involves looking at these muscles within a planar workspace with two degrees of freedom, and seeing if it is a feasible and effective use of the muscles. Doing this can introduce a new way of using a pre-existing technology in order to complete processes more effectively. To do this a model of a pneumatic artificial muscle must be created graphically and then verified with testing of said muscle. The model of the individual muscle is then combined with other identical muscle models and placed in an array. The array is then analysed again, both graphically and through testing, in terms of the forces exerted by each muscle based on the angles between the muscles. This allows the understanding of the force and displacement of the centre point common with all the artificial muscles, which will determine the effectiveness of the array.

Gonzalo Castelao Botany Downs Secondary College Major: Mechatronics Supervisors: Dr Steven Dirven

Conductive Paint Vehicle Sensing As city limits creep outwards worldwide due to increasing populations the roads and highways are struggling to keep up. The result of this is that traffic congestion and gridlock during peak times being normal for a significant proportion of major cities worldwide. Smart technologies are increasingly being developed and employed to combat this to alleviate the stress on our roads. The effectiveness of these smart technologies depends on the inputs they receive. One of these inputs being information about the locations of cars on a road network. As it stands today the most common and effective method of sensing vehicles is with under road inductive sensors. The installation of these sensors is expensive and requires that the surface of the road be cut into reducing the mechanical stability of the road. The aim of this research was to develop a novel method for sensing the proximity of vehicles using conductive paint which could solve these problems. This would then allow for more sensors to be installed to support the application of future smart technologies to control our road networks.

Jason Cleland Palmerston North Boys High School Major: Mechatronics Supervisors: Dr Liqiong Tang Industrial Sponsor: Matthew van der Werff

Hybrid Actuation for Fluid-based Antagonistic Actuation The aim of this research project is to determine if a combination of air and water in a fluidic-based artificial muscle system will be an improvement upon current system such as pneumatic and hydraulic artificial muscle systems. Some of the areas that this system may improve upon are: actuation control (via mechanical means), energy consumption (as less air will be required for actuation), actuation displacement, and power to weight ratio. If successful, this artificial muscle system could have a wide variety of applications, such as in the medical, industrial, and military fields.

Kieren Collier Taumarunui High School Major: Mechatronics Supervisors: Dr Steven Dirven

Instantaneous 3D Scanning of Objects 3D scanning is becoming an important field for a number of industries. This research project aims to explore techniques for scanning objects in 3D. The goal is to develop a prototype 3D scanner and research techniques for combining the scanned data into a 3D model. Unlike some types of 3D scanners, the focus of this project is to have a scanner that works instantaneously. This is done by using multiple cameras which are placed around the scanned object. However, some of the testing simulates the use of multiple cameras by taking successive captures from a number of angles. Cameras which are able to capture both image data and depth data are used. Exploring a number of different algorithms for processing the data is a major component of the project.

David Corner Palmerston North Boysâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; High School Major: Mechatronics Supervisors: Dr Frazer Noble, A/Prof Johan Potgieter

Shoulder Replacement Study and Analysis Shoulder replacement surgery has provided many challenges for surgeons and engineers alike due to the complex nature of the human anatomy. The main shoulder joint, the Glenohumeral joint, suffers from everyday degradation that accumulates over time causing pain and muscle deterioration. This results in the need for a prosthetic joint replacement so as to ease the pain and return normal functionality to the shoulder. However, although many patients return many of the functions of the joint, not all are so lucky and require repeated surgical processes. The purpose of this project is to create a mechatronic evaluation system that is capable of analysing the forces, stresses, and strains of the Glenohumeral joint in both a typical functioning shoulder and a deteriorated one so as to aid surgeons in shoulder analysis and prosthesis design.

Benjamin England Francis Douglas Memorial College Major: Mechatronics Supervisors: Dr Liqiong Tang

Automated Vision Inspection System Tait Communications coat components on their Printed Circuit Boards with conformal coating to protect their circuitry. This coating is currently inspected by the operator which has proven to be a slow and unreliable process. The aim of the project was to design and build an inspection system that would improve both the reliability and the speed of the inspection process. Research around the level of automation and different options of image processing was conducted to help design the optimal inspection system for Tait Communicationsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; manufacturing line. This inspection system was also designed so that it can be implemented to inspect other products on the manufacturing line.

Amy Gardner Napier Girls High School Major: Mechatronics Supervisors: Dr Rory Flemmer Industrial Sponsor: Tait Communications Ltd

Indoor Position Location using VLC Recent focus on localisation has presented new avenues for research and development. Wireless communication has been found to be lacking in accuracy and susceptible to interference. Therefore, the implementation and optimisation of algorithms used in VLC (Visual Light Communication), is being explored to solve these issues. VLC is a data communication using varying frequencies of visible light. This research project is a study of existing asynchronous indoor positioning algorithms to determine the best, with particular focus on RSS (Received Signal Strength). It is hoped, existing wireless communication algorithms can provide the basis for VLC implementation. The optimal algorithm is tested via simulation to determine the best case accuracy used in asynchronous indoor positioning algorithms.

Min Gu Taylors College Major: Mechatronics Supervisors: Dr Fakhrul Alam

Real-time Teleoperation Using Hand Gesture Detection The ability to remotely manipulate objects is a necessity in many hazardous industries. Currently when these operations are carried manually they require robotic arms controlled via joysticks and buttons. Although this form of control allows the operations to be carried out successfully, it is not very intuitive and has a slow learning curve. This project links camera based hand recognition with remote manipulation, allowing for fluid, natural control over the system. The interface for the user is a simple camera setup that requires minimal setup and can be run from any computer able to access the network. This eliminates the large cost of specialized equipment that would normally be required. The remote system can be of any form. However, use of an anatomically correct hand produced by additive manufacturing can be utilized for more intuitive use.

Mitchell Hampton Orewa College Major: Mechatronics Supervisors: Dr Khalid Arif

Application of Visible Light Communication in Smart Home Visible light communication (VLC) has been introduced as the potential communication system that can be used in a smart home where short range optical communication using LEDs for illumination and communication can be used simultaneously. In the future it is expected that LED will be used as the main lighting system in the house. Therefore, there is an opportunity that the VLC can make use of the LED lightings installed in the house. This project investigates whether there is any conflict between the primary usage (illumination) and the secondary usage (communication). The project looks at the available signal noise ratio for a VLC communication link for in a room equipped with LED lighting. This project also investigates to determine what modifications need to be done of the hardware in order for the VLC to be implemented in a smart home.

Nor Naimah Hassin Mara College Banting Major: Mechatronics Supervisors: Dr Fakhrul Alam

Centre Pivot Irrigator Stabilisation Centre pivot irrigators are large pipe structures that traverse across farmland irrigating the pasture as they travel. Being tall with narrow wheel bases, they are susceptible to tipping over in high winds. In a 2013 storm in Canterbury, $80 million of damage resulted from irrigators tipping. The objective of this project is to research the detailed effects of wind on the structures and develop a model. Then using this model, solutions to the problem will be investigated, ultimately resulting in a design to make the irrigators more stable during high winds.

Nathan Hickey Opunake High School Major: Mechatronics Supervisors: Dr Rory Flemmer

Utilising Biosignals for Robotics Applications A biosignal is any signal in living beings that can be continually measured and monitored. Electroencephalography (EEG) signals in particular, are biosignals that can be recorded from the human brain. This project investigates EEG signals harvested from a low-cost data acquisition unit, and attempts to convert these signals into useful and practical commands that can be used for robotic applications. If the project is successful, it would be possible to allow people with physical disabilities to control actuators with just their minds.

Bohao Huang Otaki College Major: Mechatronics Supervisors: Dr Liqiong Tang

Improving Aesthetic Properties of 3D Printed Parts In recent yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 3D printing has experienced rapid growth in both industrial and consumer markets. This type of growth is not usual for what is essentially a manufacturing technology and highlights the great potential of 3D printing. However, in its current state the technology is not capable of producing parts which are ready for use as finished products. One of the main reasons for this is due to the lack of user definable surface properties. For example, most 3D printed parts have rough surfaces which do not look aesthetically pleasing. Other issues such as porosity, lack of glossy finishes etc. also exist. While some attempts have been made to treat 3D printed parts to improve these properties; there is no reliable data which one can look to for achieving a specific outcome. This project seeks to discover and document methods for improving the aesthetic qualities of 3D printed parts; it also aims to present the finding in such a way which is useful to users of the technology and future researchers.

Aadil Imran Macleans College Major: Mechatronics Supervisors: Dr Steven Dirven

Cyclist Tracking System for Improving Cyclist Safety Given the large number of cyclists and motorists on Aucklandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s roads, there is a significant risk posed to cyclists, as per the latest statistics from the Ministry of Transportation. In this project, research into whether a platform, which locates cyclists using GPS and records their location on a web server, can be used to improve cyclistsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; safety. Motorists access the web server using a smart phone or a tablet and receive notifications of all the cyclist who are near them. This ensures drivers are aware of nearby cyclists. The platform consisted of an Arduino-based GPS (UBLOX NEO 6M), a GPRS (SIM900), and Apache server running PHP and MySQL.

Akila Jayawardena Auckland Grammar School Major: Mechatronics Supervisors: Dr Frazer Noble

Evaluation of Low-cost Galvo Scanning System For 3D Printing Optical Scanning systems are integral part of many 3d printing methods like SLA, SLS, etc. Generally these scanning systems are major portion of the overall cost of the machine. For experimental system design these expensive systems are not an option and therefore this research looks at using lowcost solutions developed for laser lighting or other similar applications. A prototype system has been developed which utilized g-code obtained from standard slicing software and positions the laser accordingly. The system is capable of being used in any optical scanning application by changing the optical source and components. The results are then compared with commercial prints. The surface quality and mechanical properties are analysed and compared.

Matthew Krull Melton Secondary School Major: Mechatronics Supervisors: Dr Khalid Arif

Machine Vision Development for Urine Patch Detection Urine from cattle is damaging the agricultural industry and farmers invest a lot of money treating these urine patches. Cattle urine also poses an increasing threat to the environment as nitrate leaches from the pasture into waterways, which pollutes fresh water and causes fish to die. Current methods are inefficient and limited in speed for detecting urine patches across large areas of land. The proposed method utilises a smartphone, as a set of intelligent sensors, and is mounted onto a quadcopter. At a fixed height from the ground, the quadcopter serves as a fast method of moving the smartphone to survey and detect urine patches across large areas of land. The camera sensor on the smartphone acquires images of the pasture and OpenCV image processing libraries process this information to detect urine patches. The GPS on the smartphone locates the coordinates of the urine patches, which are then wirelessly transmitted to a laptop. The laptop runs an application that obtains and plots the urine patch coordinates onto Google Maps. This creates effective visual communication of the urine patches to the farmer. Additionally, the GPS coordinates are also saved onto a text file which can be read by a robot to locate and treat the urine patches.

Akshaya Kumar Mt. Roskill Grammar School Major: Mechatronics Supervisors: Dr Khalid Arif

Development of Real-Time Wireless Healthcare Device Currently patients must go to see doctors in person. This could be inconvenient for aged and disabled people. In addition, patients spend an average of 24 minutes or more waiting to see their health provider which is not ideal. Therefore, a wireless device which is able to help obtaining patientâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s health status is seen to be a solution to this problem. This technology could be beneficial to lots of people e.g. aged people who need to see doctors periodically or patients who are required to revisit doctors for post-surgery checking.

Chun Fung (Alan) Kwan Kapiti College Major: Mechatronics Supervisors: Dr Liqiong Tang

Surgical Impact Study and Sensing In certain surgery types â&#x20AC;&#x201C; such as with hip arthroplasty (hip replacement surgery) â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the impact from the surgical tools used can cause problems even damage to any surrounding muscles and bones. This results in some patients requiring further surgery due to large discomfort. The project focuses on studying the impacts during surgery and developing a method to model to predict the impacts involved with the surgery and to improve the quality and efficiency of surgical training. The resulting models would also help with the development of methods for measuring and limiting the impact on the muscles and bones. Overall, the outcome of this project could contribute to improve surgery quality as well as increase the comfort of patients.

Alesha Lubbers Onewhero Area School Major: Mechatronics Supervisors: Dr Liqiong Tang

Flat Panel Elastic Properties by Acoustic Resonance Resonant frequency of any object is dependent on the geometry, elastic properties and mode of resonance of the object. Using resonant frequencies and constraining the geometry, it is possible to accurately determine elastic properties of orthotropic, anisotropic or isotropic flat panels. In the case of this project, the studied panels were corrugated cardboard. The main focus of this project was classifying the capabilities of the current testing system, and researching and implementing methods to improve the measurement precision as much as possible. The literature and experiments indicated that using micro accelerometers and/or a high speed laser distance gauge to precisely find the maximum vibration displacement would likely be the most effective way to improve the measurement precision.

Joshua Lues Bethlehem College Major: Mechatronics Supervisors: Dr Celia Kueh, Prof John Bronlund Industrial Sponsor: Oji Fibre Solutions

Flow Battery for UPS-I Energy Storage Application Uninterruptible Power Supplies (UPS-I) are used the world over, typically by large factories and datacentres to prevent costly power outages that can cause a company to lose data, products and time. UPS-Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rely on batteries to provide power during these outages. Current battery systems are inefficient, take up a lot of space and have short life times and systems still require enormous diesel generators to continue the power supply. This project will investigate a relatively new battery alternative, the redox flow battery, and its viability as the sole energy storage for a UPS-I system. Flow batteries operate using liquid electrolytes that circulate through the cell via pumps to create a voltage. This allows flow batteries to have over 1,000,000 cycles and last many life times more than the current batteries on the market among other beneficial aspects such as less more environmentally friendly and low maintenance requirements.

Callum Macdonald Taradale High School Major: Mechatronics Supervisors: A/Prof Ibrahim Al-Bahadly Industrial Sponsor: ABB Ltd

3D Print Media Development for Energy Storage Devices Devices for energy storage (such as supercapacitors) have attracted huge interest globally in recent years. The main problem with energy storage devices of today is that they charge and release energy slowly. We propose to develop an advanced nanostructured material for supercapacitors using 3D printing technology. This research consists of preparing a mixture of nanomaterials consisting of graphene in which the viscosity is controlled for printing. Graphene has very high surface area and low electrical resistivity making it ideal for this purpose. Unlike traditional batteries, Graphene based supercapacitors can store a large amount of electrical charge in a small volume. They can also go through almost infinite number of charge-discharge cycles while at the same time being able to generate high discharge currents. However, the main advantages are that they can be charged in a short period of time and are very light in weight, making them a great replacement for batteries in portable electronics.

Alfred Moses Nirmala Matha, Kerala Major: Mechatronics Supervisors: Dr Xiaowen Yuan

Mechanical Nociceptive Threshold Device The purpose of this research project is to develop a mechanical nociceptive device to measure pain threshold in sheep. The devise is attached to the leg of a sheep which is free to roam in the natural environment. Mechanical nociceptive threshold (MNT) stimulation is applied on the skin of the dorsal part of the metatarsus using a blunt pin which is driven by an actuator. The device works on the principle that when mechanical force is applied on the skin it creates a pressure which spreads into the skin and in the underlying tissue. The pressure causes deformation that may lead to activation of nociceptors in different layers of tissue depending on the size of the probe. Currently there is no device available commercially that can be used on sheep. The current device used in Vet labs requires the sheep to be in a crate, which renders it immobile. This results in higher variability and inaccuracy in the results due to stress response.

Akshay Pandey Major: Mechatronics Supervisors: A/Prof Gourab Sen Gupta, Dr Preet Mohinder Singh

Biologically Inspired Hybrid Locomotion in Robots Project Summary Research towards the development of hybrid motion strategies to improve robotic navigation and tackle obstacle avoidance has taken inspiration from a number of natural sources. The combination of jumping and running to provide momentum to take flight or glide is used in nature by numerous animals and birds for effective movement in their natural terrain. This research project is a study of the bioinspired jumping strategies used in robotics, to determine the physical parameters in advancing the performance of combined jumping and flight strategies, particularly in Ornithopters.

Tanisha Pereira Saint Dominic Catholic College Major: Mechatronics Supervisors: Dr Khalid Arif Industrial Sponsor: Massey University

Amphibious Robot Leg Mechanism Design and Development The objective of this project is to study and develop a bird-like claw mechanism that allows for amphibious motion for walking, swimming and grasping on land. The inspiration for this work comes from birds which are capable of moving on land and grasping objects, and are able to navigate through water. The bird claw is known to be able to do simple manipulation tasks with only half the number of joints of a human hand. The benefits could thus be seen with lower cost, and small items would still be able to be handled as a result of the reduced palm size. This particular area of robotics has not been studied before so there is an opportunity for advancement using a bio-inspired mechanism. The outcome of this research are relevant to search and rescue missions, military and surveillance applications. Only the mechanical aspects of the problem are considered in this work.

Kamila Pillearachchige Westlake Girls High School Major: Mechatronics Supervisors: Dr Khalid Arif

Surface Functionalization of SLS 3D Printed Moulds Current methods for the manufacture of moulds used in injection moulding or thermoset casting utilise resource intensive subtractive methods. With the advent of 3D printing, an opportunity has arisen to implement 3D printing as a rapid manufacturing technique for â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;prototypeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; and low run moulds. The ability to rapidly prototype moulds using existing 3d printers now commonly found in many research institutes and industry R&D departments would greatly reduce the cost of production through reduced material and tooling costs and diminished lead times. However, current SLS 3D printers produce insufficient surface finishes resulting in parts with a quality unable to meet industry and research standards. Research has investigated possible treatments to improve the surface finish of SLS 3D printed parts, resulting in a novel technique for the additive manufacture of prototype and low run moulding.

Rory Quinn Taupo-Nui-a-Tia College Major: Mechatronics Supervisors: Dr Steven Dirven

Soft Robotics for Modelling of Biological Organs Food technologists are beginning to conduct more extensive studies into understanding what happens to foods in the human mouth and digestive systems. This information is beneficial in studying diet related disorders and developing modified foods. One such disorder is Dysphagia; the impairment of a personâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s swallowing process. Sufferers can lack the muscular strength to swallow foods of certain viscosities, reducing their quality of life. Currently, there exists a robot specifically designed to replicate the motion of the human jaw for use in studies of food breakdown. This robotic system employs an arrangement of silicon flaps to contain the food particles between chewing cycles. This configuration requires human interaction between cycles to shift food particles back onto the teeth, which introduces human error. To achieve high quality test results, a repeatable experiment apparatus needs to be designed to remove human error. This paper proposes a novel bolus manipulating mechanism employing soft robotic principles to be integrated into the mastication robot. The effectiveness of the mechanism is investigated by 3D scanning and FEA analysis of the silicon in the deformed state.

Nathan Robertson Orewa College Major: Mechatronics Supervisors: Dr Steven Dirven

Wireless Communications with Autonomous Underwater Vehicles New Zealand has one of the largest exclusive economic zones in the world, which is approximately 15 times the area of the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s land mass. As New Zealand has a large emphasis on environmental protection and sustainability, it would seem prudent to use a technological resource such as autonomous underwater vehicles (AUV) in the monitoring of the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s vast shorelines and waterways. The benefit in using these types of tools is to reduce the amount of resources required to retrieve data in areas such as oceanic seismic monitoring, environmental pollution, sanctuary monitoring and the possibility of reducing poaching and over fishing. This research looks at the role of water quality and how it plays a part in the performance of optical and acoustic underwater communications.

Leo Rodger Mahurangi College Major: Mechatronics Supervisors: Dr Khalid Arif

Optimising the In-Vitro Environment for Kiwifruit A characteristic of a plant tissue culture is that the tissue grows in a sterile environment within small culture vessels where the relative humidity is constantly high (95% approx.). While this is good for the fast tissue growth, plantlets do not develop too well compared to plants growth in a more natural environment with relatively lower humidity levels. With the aid from the Plant and Food Research, I have developed a system for constantly monitoring and controlling the relative humidity.

Jared Seelye Palmerston North Boysâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; High School Major: Mechatronics Supervisors: A/Prof Gourab Sen Gupta Industrial Sponsor: The New Zealand Institute for Plant & Food Research Ltd

Mobile Robot Localization with Visible Light Communication This research project focuses on the implementation of visible light communication (VLC) with an autonomous mobile robot to provide indoor localization. Recent research on VLC, mostly in the form of simulations, offers the opportunity to conduct real life experiments and test the theory. Accurate indoor positioning is achieved by employing multi-frequency method with received signal strength (RSS) to calculate the distance of the robot from each LED installed above the robot in a plane parallel to the plane of the robot base. Multi-frequency method consists of each LED transmitting its location ID at a different frequency. It is demonstrated that the receiver is able to separate each location ID from simultaneous data transmission with a bandpass filter. Fourth order Butterworth filter is used to separate different frequency IDs and their harmonics.

Hamid Sharifi Modares High School Major: Mechatronics Supervisors: Dr Khalid Arif, Dr Fakhrul Alam

Resin Impregnation Techniques of SLS Structures This projected investigated the feasibility of using positive and negative pressure elements on Selective Laser Sintered (SLS) structures immersed in an epoxy resin bath. SLS printing technology typically produces highly porous structures that exhibit weak mechanical properties, thus limiting their use in load bearing and functional applications. This is as a result of the layer by layer manufacturing process which produces weak mechanical bonds. It was found that by applying a vacuum to the SLS specimen (which is immersed in an epoxy resin bath) the trapped air is removed from the porous microstructure and the epoxy resin fills the empty volume. Greater penetration is achieved if the immersed part is also treated with a positive pressure to further force more resin into the porous structure. The tensile strength of the parts improved by 50%. Further research was conducted to investigate the microstructure of Precimid 1170 nylon material as well as using image processing to predict the level of porosity of Precimid SLS structures.

Benjamin Shaw Elim Christian College Major: Mechatronics Supervisors: Dr Steven Dirven

Dynamic Flow Control of Granular Solids The project is an academic investigation of dynamic control of powder and granular flowing situations. It aims at modelling and optimising the design of a radial constrictor unit for dynamic granular flow control. The project is a broader investigation of controlling flows in that, there is currently no device or model that does this via radial pressure.

Samuel Stichbury Taradale High School Major: Mechatronics Supervisors: Prof Clive Davies, Dr Luke Fullard, Mr Ken Mercer

Active-Passive Bilateral Priming Device for Upper Limb Rehabilitation Following Stroke The Flapper is a device designed by Exsurgo Rehab to help decrease rehabilitation time for people suffering loss of upper body limb function as a result of stroke. My project aims to increase efficiency of the design by addressing factors that are important in priming techniques for stroke patients. The improved design will be measured against the existing design and the results of its clinical study.

Tim Sutcliffe Onehunga High School Major: Mechatronics Supervisors: A/Prof Johan Potgiter Industrial Sponsor: Exsurgo Rehab Limited

Samuel Trotter Dannevirke High Major: Mechatronics Supervisors: Dr Liqiong Tang

Automatic Sorting of Unfired Shells The New Zealand Army recycles all their fired shells, however unfired shells end up in the mix and must be sorted out. Currently this is done by hand, but an automated method is desired.

Industrial Sponsor: New Zealand Army

Analysis of the Feasibility of a Concrete and Pumice-Crete Composite for Tilt-Up Construction The goal of this project was to determine the feasibility of utilizing the insulating properties of pumice as a construction material in housing. The research proposal was to construct a composite wall with an internal layer of standard concrete and an external layer of pumice concrete. Using passive solar design to trap solar energy and the tilt-up method for fast construction, this project investigated the use of a cost-competitive, natural resource to make warm, energy efficient homes. Research has been carried out to determine the thermal and structural properties of pumice concrete and to investigate the feasibility of making a building in accordance to New Zealand building standards. Finally, the performance of the composite construction material has been examined through computer-based modelling.

Nathan Vine Major: Mechatronics Supervisors: Dr Greg Frater

Gamification of Stroke Rehabilitation This project integrated a game interface and data collection system into a device for stroke rehabilitation. I developed a game with 2 levels in it which used the movements of a patientâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s arm to control the avatar in the game. The first level required the patient to wave their arm at a certain rate and the second required the patient to move within a set range. The data collected through these movements was processed and could be displayed to the patient to indicate their rehabilitation progress. The data could also to be sent to their physiotherapist to help them manage the rehabilitation. The game was based on a helicopter flying game with the patient controlling the height of the helicopter through physio prescribed arm movements. The game allowed the patient to feel accomplishment while using the therapy and the data collection gave the patient and physiotherapist an indication of the patientâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s recovery. Since the movements were recorded the physiotherapist could also use the data to see how correctly the patient was performing the movements and thus correct any technique.

Zach Warner Kingsway School Major: Mechatronics Supervisors: A/Prof Johan Potgieter Industrial Sponsor: Richard Little

3D Printing of Graphene Based Supercapacitors Due to the ever growing demand for better portable energy storage devices, supercapacitors have garnered a large amount of interest in recent years. Supercapacitors are an interesting prospect for portable energy storage as they have a significantly faster charge time than classic lithium based batteries; however they suffer from low energy density making them unsuitable for long term use. Companies are looking into designing electronic systems with higher efficiency, as well as converting and reusing energy in different ways. The research challenge is both to develop materials which store this energy effectively and manufacturing processes to make high energy density supercapacitors reliably and consistently. In this research, a graphene nanocomposite material has been developed to create a better supercapacitor. This project aims to develop an extrusionbased 3D printing technique by extruding the printable solution out of a micronozzle at room temperature to create 3D macroscopic structures. The research could lead to better energy storage, sensors and nanoelectronics with applications in light weight and high flow battery replacements.

Jayden Weyers Whangaparaoa College Major: Mechatronics Supervisors: Dr Xiaowen Yuan, Dr Khalid Arif

Button Cell Scanner Every year around the world children are seriously injured or die as a result of swallowing a discharged button cell from a toy. Because of the electrochemical reaction between the cell and soft issue, if the cell is not removed within a few hours, it will eat through the tissue resulting in serious damage. The aim of this project is to make a scanner that can be used for screening when a child swallows something and is able to indicate if the item is metallic and more importantly, if it is a button cell as opposed to a small coin. The project will be looking into metal detection methods to identify the button cell from a coin.

Pulathisi Wickramanayake Palmerston North Boysâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; High School Major: Mechatronics Supervisors: Prof Subhas Mukhopadhyay, A/Prof Wyatt Page, Mr Ken Mercer

3D Printed Electronic Circuits Using Fused Deposition Modelling Traditionally the electronic printed circuit boards are limited to planar designs with 2 or more layers and the shape of these boards governs the overall layout of the products. The use of advanced 3D printing technology enhanced with component placement and electrical interconnect deposition can provide electronic prototypes that can be rapidly fabricated in comparable time frames as traditional 2D breadboarded prototypes; however, these 3D prototypes include the advantage of being embedded within more appropriate shapes in order to authentically prototype products earlier in the development cycle. The main goal for this fundamental research project is to investigate a method to create a 3â&#x20AC;&#x201C;dimensional PCB with 1- 8 layers using fused deposition modelling. In the proposed method, conductive ink is deposited (from a second head of the printer) on the printed layers to form wire routes. The repetition of this process results in conductive routes embedded inside the printed part. Electronic component are either placed in the object during the fabrication process or soldered to the exposed pads at the conclusion of the part fabrication.

Pamitha Wijesundera Aorere College Major: Mechatronics Supervisors: Dr Khalid Arif

Honest Surface Colour Detection Method The research is in the field of colour detection and environmental control/ compensation. The purpose is to come up with a method of keeping environmental conditions constant or to compensate for their effects on colour appearance for the purpose of repainting. Once a surface is painted, it is exposed to a number of environmental conditions that after time alter the appearance of the paint, this means that even if one knew the exact mixture of the original paint, a touch up would be noticeable. This has led to a method for reducing the presented environmental lighting to a known level, then recreating it to constant, desired level where colour analysis can take place accurately and reliably.

William Wilkinson Feilding High School Major: Mechatronics Supervisors: A/Prof Ibrahim Al Bahadly

Characteristics of Multi-Channel Audio Feedback When a person suffers an amputation, they not only lose the motor function, but also the sensations provided by the hand. Without the sensation of touch, gripping and grasping tasks can be difficult. Surgical solutions to provide feedback from the hand do exist, however, cannot be applied to all amputees. Non-invasive, physical solutions also exist, however, often result in large mechanisms on the amputeesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; body. Instead, these sensations could be replaced by Audio Feedback through Bone Conduction headphones, providing a low-cost and non-invasive alternative to other feedback methods. The aim of this project is to better understand the characteristics of multi-channel Audio Feedback. This required developing and performing a study to determine the latency and sensitivity of different dual-channel, audio modulation techniques. The study involved a subject listening to a preloaded audio track, and tracing the changes in sound with a computer mouse. The processed data can be used to better understand how Audio Feedback could be used for such applications.

Scott Wilson Orewa College Major: Mechatronics Supervisors: Dr Steven Dirven

Vehicle Cat-back Exhaust System I designed a cat-back exhaust system for the Honda s2000. The project aim is to improve horsepower, torque and add sound-controlling functionality for high performance applications. Moreover, sound-controlling function in Japanese cars are really hard to buy or expensive to buy. I want to make it much cheaper to let people enjoy their own cars.

Ruxiang Yang Taylors College Major: Mechatronics Supervisors: A/Prof Johan Potgieter

A Complex Pipelined Multiplier and Accumulator (CMAC) The aim of this project is to design an 8-bit complex number pipelined multiplier and accumulator (CMAC) which occupy small area and operate at high speed (at 2GHz) in advanced nanometer CMOS technology. The performance of a digital signal processor (DSP) depends on the speed of CMAC. The technique of pipelined multiplier is to put a set of processing logic blocks in series and the output comes to the next logic block as input. Vedic mathematics approach is applied which is one of 16 principles of ancient Indian mathematics. This approach allows to generate partial products in parallel and add them at the same time. As the number of bit increases, delay and area increases very slowly. Compared to several popular multiplication algorithms, Vedic multiplication is much faster.

Yumeng Zhang Xiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;an NO.1 Middle School Major: Mechatronics Supervisors: Dr Rezaul Hasan

The Bat Bats use other methods than sight to navigate or hunt. They are able to “see” in the dark by sending out sound waves that bounce back to the bats’ ears from objects such as fruit on trees and flying insect prey. The echolocation or biosonar is a simpler way for robots to perceive shapes than pattern recognition programmes, and is much more applicable in areas without light.

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ELECTRONICS & COMPUTER ENGINEERING (ECE) Multidisciplinary knowledge and skills are increasingly important in the modern economy, in particular in high-technology industries, such as computers, electronics, and aerospace, as well as in the knowledge-intensive service and research sectors, such as communications, information, defence and security. Addressing the needs, the Electronics & Computer Engineering at Massey University incorporates electronics (including micro- and nano-technologies), computer systems, software, information and signal processing, tele and network communications, combined with project management, design, and enterprise in the integrated and well-balanced undergraduate engineering major. Graduates enjoy a broad range of occupations in numerous areas of high-technology both in the country and abroad, such as design and manufacturing of advanced electronic, computer and communication products and systems, development, integration and management of mobile and data communication systems and networks, defence, aerospace industry, automatic control in industrial and service settings, electronics and computing in medical and bio sectors, information processing and project management.

Improving Roaming Performance on Large Wireless Networks The use of wireless networks has evolved dramatically over the last fifteen years, with users now expecting to be able to do network-intensive tasks such as VoIP while roaming across a network. To make this possible, the latency due to handover between wireless access points (APs) needs to be reduced, to provide for a seamless user experience. This project is concerned with finding methods to improve roaming performance on a preexisting large wireless network.

Matthew Bridle Hauraki Plains College Major: Computer and Electronic Engineering Supervisors: Dr Faraz Hasan

Automation of Optical Manipulation Mechanism This project involved the automation of a system called Holographic Optical Tweezers. This system uses one or more laser beams to trap micro particles and then manipulate them to gather information. A LabVIEW program called Red Tweezers was used as a base for building the automation setup. The automation included a robust particle detection algorithim to locate and track particles to be manipulated, it also required an intuitive UI that provided the desired information and allowed for control over the various parts of the system. The automation was designed with the notion that a future student would be working to further its development and thus needed to be well documented and easy to understand.

Braden Cradock Palmerston North Boysâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; High School Major: Computer and Electronic Engineering Supervisors: Dr Ebubekir Avci

Standby Power Detection of Appliances The aim of this project is to develop an algorithm capable of automatically detecting the standby state of a range of home appliances through a simple device that connects between the appliance and the wall and measures the current being drawn. This device is then intended to be able to switch the appliance off when not in use to reduce the power usage.

Damian Thompson Dannevirke High Major: Computer and Electronic Engineering Supervisors: A/Prof Ibrahim Al Bahadly

The Impact of Wi-Fi Interference on RSSI Based Indoor Position Location Systems Indoor positioning has many uses in asset tracking, indoor navigation and targeted advertising to name a few. With the rise of internet of things, it is projected that there will be a large increase in low power nodes, likely communicating using Zigbee. Using the RSSI of transmitted packets is one way of positioning things indoors using already existing infrastructure. However, it is very susceptible to interference which has led to investigating the impact of Wi-Fi interference on such a system. This project has been focussed on improving the viability of such a system.

Nathaniel Faulkner Whangaparaoa College Major: Electronic and Computer Systems Engineering Supervisors: Dr Fakhrul Alam

Visible Light CMOS Operational Amplifier Operational amplifiers play a pivotal role within modern day analog systems, providing the ability to buffer, amplify or filter the incoming signal. With the ever growing requirement for higher data transmission and reception, Visible Light transmission using LEDs has emerged as viable solution for optical wireless communication. These Visible Light Communications (VLC) receivers require a stable, variable-gain amplifier in order to be truly effective. This project aims to improve on currently available or proposed design ideas presented in literature or markets today. The end product of this project is to provide a newly designed transimpedance amplifier (TIA) with input biasing and feedback to allow for variable gain in the visible light spectrum.

Michael Judd Feilding High School Major: Electronic and Computer Systems Engineering Supervisors: Dr Rezaul Hasan

Integration of Renewable Energy Resources into Microgrid Microgrid system with Renewable Energy Resources (RESâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s) are connected with the main grid to meet the load demands, therefore in case of any grid disturbance or outage, it must isolate itself form main network and continue to meet its load demands. Because RESâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s are integrated directly in the grid system therefore it increase the chances of system instability. From the previous researchâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s individual components of the system may be well understood but overall system response is not, to determine the reliable operation of Microgrid. The objective of this research project is to model Microgrid which is connected to utility grid. Particularly this research project has the sub-objectives; 1 - To review characteristics of constraints typically found in renewable energy integration. 2 - To model onsite renewable energy conversion devices (Photovoltaics and Fuel Cells) along with energy storage devices (Battery) and their power electronics (controllers, converters and inverters). 3 - To analyse the response of Microgird in a grid connected mode & islanded mode. 4 - To study steady state and transient response of renewable energy conversion devices to their changing inputs.

Ammar Munir Major: Electronic and Computer Systems Engineering Supervisors: Dr Mohammad Rashid

Monolithic Silicon Photodiode to Detect UV Light The current industry has achieved many electronic advancements, this project focuses of research and development to further this progress. An integrated chip which is able to detect Ultra Violet light among all sources of light and portray the intensity with a varying voltage at the output. A variation of this technology already exists however this technology does not exist in monolithic silicon. This technology is important for further improvements within the consumer electronic market due to its potential in improving a large number of existing products.

Victor Savelyev Mahurangi College Major: Electronic and Computer Systems Engineering Supervisors: Dr Rezaul Hasan

Security Issues with GestureControlled Internet of Things Are there issues with the gesture controlled Internet of Things (IoT)? The answer is a resounding yes! This project involves exploring the use of “Gateway” technology to help solve security issues in the gesture-controlled IoT. Gateways are exactly that, nodes in the IoT that allow embedded devices to connect to the internet while handling all the security issues for them as embedded devices generally don’t have that much processing power. Everything from data encryption to facial recognition is being taken into consideration.

Mark Tan Rosmini College Major: Electronic and Computer Systems Engineering Supervisors: Dr Mohammad Rashid

The Gecko Gecko feet are covered in little hairs. Each hair is about 200 to 500 nanometers wide. The adhesive power of a centimeter of gecko foot is about 10 Newtons. The principles of the Gecko feet have formed the foundation the development of Gecko tape, which is projected a wide range of industrial applications due to its strength, ease of removal and lack of residue.

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CHEMICAL & BIOPROCESS ENGINEERING (CBE) New Zealandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s economy is strongly based on adding value to bio-derived materials through processing. Traditional export industries are increasingly looking to innovations in biotechnology and nanotechnology to develop processes for new products or ingredients from New Zealand resources. Graduates in Chemical & Bioprocess Engineering are found in a wide range of chemical and bioprocessing industries worldwide. They hold positions as process engineer, production manager, consulting engineer and chemical engineer.

Biodiesel Ignition Characteristics and Engine Vibration Biodiesel as a sustainable energy source is currently perceived as the way of the future. A long term goal of this project is to characterise the behaviour of different biodiesel blends in a diesel engine in order to facilitate the use of biodiesel in Massey School of aviation aircraft. This project specifically aims to analyse and identify characteristics of ignition inside the cylinder of an internal combustion engine using vibration signals extracted when running the engine. The research area of this project is primarily to identify an optimum analysis technique.

Samuel Adeyinka Palmerston North Boysâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; High School Major: Chemical and Bio-Process Engineering Supervisors: Prof Clive Davies, Dr Rose Davies

The Effect of Amorphous Lactose on Flowability Studies have been undertaken to investigate the levels of stickiness and caking of lactose powder associated with its amorphous content, however there is no specific information showing the amorphous concentration at which the powder will be deemed unable to flow freely. This is an important concept when considering the production of spray-dried lactose, as impaired flowability can decrease production rates and result in a low yield of product. This project aims to present data relating amorphous lactose content to the flowability of the lactose powder after crystallisation of the amorphous lactose has taken place. A relationship between amorphous concentration and flowability was found by spray drying lactose to different amorphous concentrations, then measuring the flowability with a blow tester during and post crystallisation of the amorphous lactose. Results are to be finalised.

Rosa Antunovic Mount Aspiring College Major: Chemical and Bio-Process Engineering Supervisors: Prof Tony Paterson

Expansion of Granular Flows During Acceleration Pyroclastic density currents or as they are more commonly known pyroclastic flows, are a problem for many communities living near active volcanos. However, how these flows travel is poorly understood which can lead to the destruction of property and loss of life. These granular flows will travel down channels in the volcano and these channels will often curve. As the flow travels around curves it will accelerate and due to the centrifugal force acting on the bed it will expand, flowing over the channel walls. The goal of this project is to investigate how granular flows expand when accelerating in order to provide more information for the design of barriers.

Marcel Craig Palmerston North Boysâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; High Major: Chemical and Bio-Process Engineering Supervisors: Prof Jim Jones

Human Influence on Process Reliability in Milking Sheds This project investigates the effect of human error, resulting from human actions/decisions taken throughout the milking process, on the quality and quantity of the produced milk. The project focuses on the two types of milking shed, Rotary and Herringbone. The sheds investigated are manually operated by humans as some sheds currently have high levels of autonomy. The milking shed can be considered an extraction process with many unit operations. As these unit operations are controlled by humans, they are therefore required to make decisions. Incorrect decisions can lead to loss of milk or reduced milk quality. The impact of this will be examined through the HAZOP process. The Outcome of this project is to use information obtained from the HAZOP to reduce human error in milking and therefore increase milk quality and reduce milk loss during the milking process in the various shed styles. This information then can be incorporated into future design of milking sheds to mitigate human error to produce greater yields from milking and therefore increase profit.

David Fyers Hamilton Boys High School Major: Chemical and Bio-Process Engineering Supervisors: Prof Jim Jones, Mr Georg Ripberger

Heat of Pinewood Biomass Pyrolytsis This work focused on determining the heat of pyrolysis of pine wood. Pyrolysis is the thermal decomposition of biomass in the absence of oxygen. It has received a lot of attention in the past few decades as a means of producing biofuel and biochar. The aim of this study is to investigate the heat of pyrolysis under conditions of limited and enhanced secondary reactions. The heat of pyrolysis is the sum of the heat of reactions, and as such dependent on secondary reactions. It is determined experimentally by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). in crucibles with and without a lid to simulate conditions of enhanced and minimised secondary reactions respectively. In the second part of this research, experiments on samples impregnated with phosphoric acid or potassium chloride, which are known to catalyse pyrolysis will be carried out. Additionally, samples will be analysed using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The resulting weight-loss curves in combination with the heat flow data will be analysed comprehensively to obtain information about the underlying reaction mechanism.

Norhidayah Haji Hamdan Kolej Mara Kuala Nerang Major: Chemical and Bio-Process Engineering Supervisors: Prof Jim Jones, Mr Georg Ripberger

Material Properties and Millability of Bee Propolis Propolis is a high value product extracted from raw materials collected by bee keepers throughout New Zealand. Due to differences in apiarian practices, raw propolis can have different compositions and physical properties. Processing could be improved if a solids handling and size reduction process could be developed that is adaptable to the different forms of propolis raw material and convert them into a uniform product that facilitates extraction. This project involves characterization of the properties of the materials as a function of processing conditions and investigating size reduction techniques which can be applied.â&#x20AC;?

Ryan Hathaway Reporoa College Major: Chemical and Bio-Process Engineering Supervisors: Prof John Bronlund Industrial Sponsors: Tim Ward (Comvita)

Laser Induced Culinary Smoke This project is part of the FIET programme which aims to increase the export returns of processed foods, by improving and widening the application of selected unit operations in New Zealand. Here, food smoking is the focus using the NZ distinctive wood smoke, manuka. Smoking meats such as fish can up to double the worth of the product, but also incurs processing cost. Most modern smoking methods, despite being well established processes, have wide variability in the quality of smoke generated. This project is focuses on this aspect by developing an experimental device to explore the relationship between the heat flux and the aroma profile, to transition across the slow-tofast pyrolysis boundary. The project includes a technology feasibility assessment, device design and prototyping.

Timothy Hook Waiopehu College Major: Chemical and Bio-Process Engineering Supervisors: Prof Jim Jones Industrial Sponsor: Food Industry Enabling Technology (FIET)

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Algal Biomass Removal for a Luxury Uptake System An investigation into the settling of algal biomass for application in a phosphorous luxury uptake system.

Nicholas Ibell-Pasley Awatapu College Major: Chemical and Bio-Process Engineering Supervisors: Prof Andy Shilton

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Cream Product with Dairy: Non-Dairy Fat Blend This project involves the development of a cream product using a dairy and non-dairy fat blend. It focuses on evaluating the effect of changes in the fat source ratio and emulsifier system on the physical and functional properties of the final product. This project is being overseen by The Tatua Co-operative Dairy Company.

Lauren Knighton St Peterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s College, Palmerston North Major: Chemical and Bio-Process Engineering Supervisors: Dr Alistair Carr, Dr Derek Knighton Industrial Sponsor: Carmen Rigor, Tatua CDC

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Bulks Flow in a Conical Hopper The main objective of this research is to obtain comprehensive data on residence time distributions (RTD), in order to study particle mixing behaviour in a hopper. This is done by measuring the response to a step change or pulse stimulus in the type of particle being discharged. The research will use existing particles, mustard seed and rape seed, which are white and black respectively, and have similar physical characteristics. Having nominally identical black and white seeds makes them easily differentiated and recognized. The hopper will be made by a 3D printer and will be about 80mm in diameter; half angle is ~60 degrees. Sampling will be by means of an existing rotary sampler which collects the discharge in radially segmented compartments. In each tracer experiment a batch comprised of black and white particles, appropriately configured, is discharged and the RTD is determined from data obtained by counting the number of black and white seeds in each compartment, using ImageJ software. The experimental data will be used in developing mathematical models for granular flow.

Ahmad Faisal Manaf Malaysian Institute of Chemical and Bioengineering Technology Major: Chemical and Bio-Process Engineering Supervisors: Prof Clive Davies, Dr Luke Fullard

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Formulation of a Natural Skin Moisturizer To formulate a vegan and non-vegan skin-care product with similar characteristics to face-creams currently on the market. The formulation can only use natural/naturally derived ingredients and have a reasonable shelf life. This project includes researching emulsion stability, temperature stability, microbial activity and rheological properties.

Nayoko Marou Heretaunga College Major: Chemical and Bio-Process Engineering Supervisors: Mr Allan Hardacre

104

Niobium Doping in Titanium Dioxide Electrocatalysts In the 21st century, there has been increasing concerns in developing more efficient energy storage devices to replace petroleum fuels due to their environmental affects during combustion. Hydrogen fuels cells are known to be a suitable alternative as the product of the reaction is water. However due to the inefficiency of these fuels cells, they have not been able to overtake all petroleum fuels applications. In this project, Titanium Dioxide nanoparticles were developed in the presence of Niobium in order to adjust the electro-catalytic capabilities. The influence of Niobium on the surface morphology and oxygen vacancies within the nanoparticles were tested at varying concentrations with the intent of finding the ideal Niobium doping concentration for the implementation of the nanoparticles on Platinum electrodes in hydrogen fuel cells.

Lyall McDonald Dilworth School Major: Chemical and Bio-Process Engineering Supervisors: Prof Richard Haverkamp

105

Total Suspended Solids Filter Waste Stabilization Ponds (WSPs) are used to treat wastewater, prior to discharge to rivers. The WSP system is commonly used for small communities due to its simplicity in construction, its low operational costs, and its high efficiency in removing pathogens. However, it is hard to remove nutrients and Total Suspended Solids (TSS) from the WSP effluent. Failure to remove the nutrients and TSS could promote excessive growth of algae in the rivers, resulting in aquatic system damage. With strict standards for environment quality, many seek alternative treatment technologies to improve the WSP effluent. Therefore, the main purpose of this project is to identify potential filter materials that could trap the TSS efficiently from the WSP effluent, which then could allow recycling of the TSS back to land. These filter materials could then be converted into a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Total Suspended Solids Filterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, which then could be placed at the WSP effluent as polishing step to remove the TSS from the WSP effluent.

Ahmad Afiq Bin Mohd Afandi Major: Chemical and Bio-Process Engineering Supervisors: Prof Andrew Shilton, Dr Nicola Brown

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The Mechanical Properties of Animal Collagen Tissues for Medical Application Collagen is a precious connective tissue that forms most of the tissue compositions in mammals. The major role of collagen is to confer mechanical stability, flexibility and strength to a range of extracellular matrix such as tendons, ligaments, cartilage, fibrous tissue and also skin. Commercialized animal collagen tissues from land animals such as porcine, bovine, ovine and equine were initially given a persistent study in order to determine the suitability of these tissues in medical applications. Is also been used as an alternative source and substitute to overcome the lack of organ and tissue donors in the biomedical area, apart from fulfilling the demands in surgical, reconstructive and tissue engineering. This project evaluates the mechanical properties of some collagen tissues from various body parts of ovine and bovine species. Internal body tissues such as placenta, pericardium tissue, tracheal tissue, forestomach tissue and dermis are given distinct biomechanical testing and microscopic evaluation to determine the suitability of those tissues in medical field.

Fatin Nabilah Mohd Padzli MARA Junior Science College Major: Chemical and Bio-Process Engineering Supervisors: Prof. Richard Haverkamp

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Durability of Geopolymer Cement in Dairy Wastewaters A novel formulation of geopolymer cement created from NZ pumice was tested in the organic acids present in dairy wastewaters to determine its durability. Geopolymer cements have been shown to possess greater durability to most organic acids and has the added benefit of requiring between 60-80% less energy in its creation compared to Portland Cement. The aim of the investigation was to find out whether this type of cement was worthwile investigating to replace synthetic liners and ordinary portland cements currently being used as storage material for dairy wastewater.

Christopher Pickworth Major: Chemical and Bio-Process Engineering Supervisors: Dr Eli Gray Stuart

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Optimization of a Low-Cost Refrigerator using Evaporative Cooling Evaporative cooling refrigerators (ECRs), also known as zeer pots and pot in pot refrigerators, have been in existence for many years. They are used mainly in developing countries, for the preservation of food products especially fruit and vegetables. ECRs are frequently used where there is no electricity or where other refrigeration alternatives are prohibitively expensive to purchase and run. A key objective of this project is to study the refrigeration mechanisms of EVRs and produce a model aimed at optimizing their performance. Among the factors influencing the performance of ECRs are climate, principally ambient temperature, relative humidity (RH) and wind speed. From the results of this project it will be possible to predict the performance of ECRs relative to the climate conditions in a particular region. The minimum temperature obtainable by evaporative cooling is the wet bulb temperature, which is fixed by the ambient temperature and RH. Various designs and configurations of ECRs will be compared by their performance in terms of proximity to the calculated wet bulb temperature reached, with the outcomes determining the optimum design and configuration for an ECR.

Ahmad Fadhil Rahim MARA Junior Science College Major: Chemical and Bio-Process Engineering Supervisors: Mr John Edwards, Prof. John Bronlund

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Ultraviolet Treatment for Fruits in a Rotating Drum The consumption of fresh fruit is an essential part of the New Zealanders diet. However, people potentially might be exposed to the harmful bacteria that presented on the fruits surface due to inadequate sanitisation treatments. Some suggestions for better sanitisation techniques have been achieved and treatments such as chemical and ozone are commercially available. However, these applications have some difficulties that include chemical contamination and high operation cost. This project proposes a method to sanitise fruits based on the Ultraviolet (UV) light application in a rotating drum. Under a specific range of UV wavelength, the UV light radiation can disrupt the DNA in bacteria, leaving them unable to perform vital cellular functions. The rotating drum allows the fruits to rotate freely and as a result, the UV light is completely applied on the surface of the fruit. This method offers a simpler treatment without any chemical wastes.

Mohd Fadhil Semi MARA Junior Science College Major: Chemical and Bio-Process Engineering Supervisors: Dr. Gonzalo Martinez Hermosilla, Prof John Bronlund

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Design of a Food Friction Smoker This project is part of the FIET program, which is a suite of projects on food processing unit operations that will enable value-adding and consequentially increase NZ-exports returns. Food smoking is a value adding method. It adds smoking flavours and aroma, but also raises the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon content of the food, something which has limits for export to Europe. Although no standard currently exists in New Zealand or Australia, it is expected that they will be regulated in time. This project aims to develop a food friction smoker with a focus on the control of smoking conditions. This will enable further study into the kinetics and chemistry of smoke formation and its control. Through this we will be able to advise food companies in selecting and developing food smoking operations to add value.

Muhammad Seraj Major: Chemical and Bio-Process Engineering Supervisors: Prof Jim Jones, Mr Georg Ripberger

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Investigating Lactose Nucleation Events and Crystal Growth Nucleation is the physical process of self-assembly that molecules in solution can undergo during a change of state or structure. Nucleation events are complicated processes that are typically only predicted using mathematical models. Multiple models have been developed over the years based on the various theories of nucleation. Previously observing the formation of primary nuclei has been difficult, due to the speed of the nucleation event and the small size of the initial nuclei, but with current light scattering technology it may be possible. The aim of this project is to design and conduct a series of trials to observe the nucleation and growth events of lactose particles in solution using light scattering equipment. Trials are first conducted using a laboratory scale particle size analyser, then repeated using the synchrotron particle accelerator in Melbourne. The results of this project should provide data showing the formation and growth of lactose nuclei from the start of nucleation. This data can then be used to better understand the nucleation process and provide a starting point for further experimentation.

Shasvat Skanda Palmerston North Boysâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; High School Major: Chemical and Bio-Process Engineering Supervisors: Prof Tony Paterson

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Kiwifruit Fermentation for the Production of Ethanol This project is for a Tauranga-based kiwifruit processing company. I am investigating a process for fermenting substandard kiwifruit to produce ethanol. The information generated will determine whether waste kiwifruit from New Zealandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s processing industry could be a viable source of ethanol. If production is shown to be viable, ethanol could provide a new revenue stream for the industry. My experiments will determine ethanol yields and production rates for estimating the cost of production from kiwifruit. The data gathered will be used to determine under what circumstances the process might be viable. I will use a solid-state fermentation process and may modify the properties of pulped kiwifruit with enzymes to enhance the production of ethanol.

Rhys Trueman Tauranga Boys College Major: Chemical and Bio-Process Engineering Supervisors: Prof Yusuf Chisti, Tony Drysdale

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Factors Influencing the Viscosity of Manuka Honey Manuka Honey is not only known for its delicious taste, but also for its medicinal properties. Its increasing worldwide popularity means that more and more Manuka Honey is being processed. Due to this, efficient processing techniques are of the utmost importance. One way of improving processing efficiency is by knowing how the viscosity of Manuka Honey will be affected by different parameters. These parameters include the water content, sugar composition, methylglyoxal content and temperature. The aim of this project was to measure the different parameters and flow behaviour of Manuka Honey, and to formulate a model for predicting the viscosity.

Rachel Waite Wanganui High School Major: Chemical and Bio-Process Engineering Supervisors: Prof Clive Davies, Prof Matt Golding Industrial Sponsor: Manuka Health New Zealand Limited

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Forward Osmosis Membrane Analysis A research on the cheese curdâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s salting process is being conducted at Massey University. The study proposes treating the cheese curd as a membrane. In order to test the concept, a forward osmosis experimental rig has been built and is being tested in this final year project by using several semi-permeable membranes installed in a membrane cassette. The apparatus utilised two chambers filled with non-identical feed and draw solutions. Theoretically, the dominant parameters affecting the pure water transport rate across the tested membrane are modelled through a mathematical model. An actual experiment is run and the results are compared with the outcome from the model for validation. The validated model will then be used to predict the likeliness of cheese curd membrane to behave ideally in a forward osmosis system.

Norsyaleeza Zakaria MARA Junior Science College Major: Chemical and Bio-Process Engineering Supervisors: Prof Tony Paterson

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The Squid How does a squid, whose body is soft and supple, have a beak that is considered on of the hardest organic materials in natures? Here you have a ‘cutting tool’ that’s extremely hard and stiff at its tip and is attached to a material – the muscular buccal mass – that has the consistency of Jell-O.

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FOOD TECHNOLOGY New Zealandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s economy is reliant on the production and export of food products. Adding value to raw products like milk, meat and fruits is paramount to maintaining growth in New Zealand. Food Technology combines science and engineering and business skills to take raw ingredients and convert them to highly valuable and sort after products. With a broad knowledge of the food industry, great technical skills, and practical experience Food Technology graduates are well respected in industry and fill a wide range of roles from new product development to manufacturing and process improvement positions.

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Chocolate and the Instability of Nut Fat The aim of this project was to develop a formulation that slowed down the rate of fat bloom and gave an acceptable shelf-life. After research and formulation trials, the mix then went through an accelerated shelflife test and the changes were monitored using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), texture analysis (TA) and centrifugation. The samples were temperature cycled at various degrees with tightly controlled environmental conditions and from this the best solution could be determined.

Sara Brough Woodford House Major: Food Product Technology Supervisors: Prof Matt Golding Industrial Sponsor: Confidential

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Refining of Specialty Oils: Flaxseed and Evening Primrose Oil Flaxseed and evening primrose oils are speciality seed oils extracted from the dried seeds of a flax plant (Linum usitatissimum ) and the seeds of an evening primrose plant, respectively. These oils are rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids, i.e. linolenic acid and linoleic fatty acids. Both of which are associated with numerous health benefits. Since these fatty acids make up a large portion of the fatty acid composition of these oils it makes them highly susceptible to oxidation therefore steps have to be taken to ensure its stability. The project aim is to investigate a refining process and the appropriate processing conditions to produce stable flaxseed and evening primrose oil with improved flavour and odour. The refining process will include degumming, alkali neutralisation, bleaching and deodorising steps. This process, ideally, will result in oil products that have good stability and appearance, without compromising the unique fatty acids present in the crude oils.

Joy Chemelil Moi Girls High School Major: Food Product Technology Supervisors: A/Prof Marie Wong Industrial Sponsor: Oil Seed Extractions Limited (OSE)

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Leonard (Weifu) Chen ACG Parnell College Major: Food Product Technology Supervisors:Dr Tony Mutukumira

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Development of Coconut Spread Coconut products have rapidly gained popularity in recent years due to their health properties. This is partially attributed to consumersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; concern of the presence of cholesterol in products containing dairy ingredients. Coconut oil contains unique fatty acids and does not contain cholesterol. Therefore, foods containing coconut oil appeal to consumers due to the health properties of the oil. The aim for this project was to develop a spread containing coconut oil.

Development of a Feijoa Fruit Drink Feijoa fruit, despite originating from South America, are one of New Zealandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most iconic and loved fruit for their unique taste, flavour and texture. My project was to develop a feijoa based fruit drink. The vision for this product was that it was to have no added sugar and minimal additives in order to remain as natural and healthy as possible, while also appealing to a wide range of consumers of different ages. In addition to this, I had to develop a product that had a point of difference to the existing products on the market. In order to achieve these objectives, this project involved product and formulation development as well as sensory testing in order to determine consumer expectations for a feijoa drink which were then used as guidelines to develop a product that tasted acceptable to consumers. Elements of process engineering were also required in order to process the product so it was safe for consumption and had a suitable shelf life.

Braden Chin Hamilton Boysâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; High School Major: Food Product Technology Supervisors: Dr Eustina Fraser Industrial Sponsor: Margaret Armstrong

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Fijian Ginger Value Adding This product development project was conducted for PHAMA to look at processing options for mature second grade ginger in Fiji. The aims were to produce a commercially viable value adding process, to develop a new industry supply chain, and boost the local economy. This project involved a market analysis on ginger products currently available, with a trip to meet with stakeholders in Fiji to refine this to four desired commercial products. An economic feasibility analysis was then conducted on each of the four products that could be used as a case study to put these concepts into production. Finally a crushed ginger paste was developed, addressing the issues of browning within the finished paste and shelf stability at ambient temperatures.

Morgan Christy-Jones Wellington High School Major: Food Product Technology Supervisors: Dr Michael Parker Industrial Sponsor: Bronwyn Wiseman

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Potato Flour Production Waste potatoes generated in the New Zealand potato industry are currently sold as feed. These potatoes could instead be used to create a value added product such as potato flour. Thus investigation is being made into the dehydration and particle size reduction of waste potatoes for use as potato flour. This includes characterising the drying process and analysing the factors influencing the drying time of potatoes, including air velocity, air temperature and pre-treatments. It is important to compare the nutritional and physical properties of the developed potato flour with its alternatives on the market, including pea and wheat flours.

Yvette Coyle Wellington East Girlsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; College Major: Food Product Technology Supervisors: Mr Allan Hardacre Industrial Sponsor: Potatoes NZ

123

Analyses of Coffee Extract Properties Coffee is one of the most popular beverages in the world, appreciated by many for its unique flavour and functionality. Coffee extraction is essentially a process of converting coffee beans into drinkable coffee liquid. During the extraction process, various soluble and non-soluble compounds from coffee beans are transferred into the liquid coffee extracts. The aim of this project was to characterise a novel coffee extraction process, by monitoring the properties and composition of coffee extract at different stages of the extraction process. The coffee extract samples were analysed for pH, titrateable acidity, total solids and total soluble solids. Also, compositions of phenolic compounds and fatty acids in the coffee extract samples were studied by using HPLC and GC methods, respectively.

124

Baoping Du Major: Food Product Technology Supervisors: Dr Eustina Fraser Industrial Sponsor: The Coffee Brewmasters Ltd

Shelf Life Modelling of Raw Chicken Chicken is a fast moving consumer good and whole chicken birds generally have a shelf life of 11 days. The shelf life is affected by a number of factors including processing temperatures, initial bacterial load, temperature during distribution and storage temperatures. Understanding how temperature during processing will affect the shelf life is important to ensure the desired shelf life is always attained. This is important for reducing product losses and maintaining consumer acceptability. The aim of this project was to develop and validate a predictive mathematical model to estimate the shelf life of raw whole chickens at different temperature and time combinations.

Emma Dunn Diocesan School for Girls Major: Food Product Technology Supervisors:A/Prof Marie Wong

125

The Development of Commercially Producible Rasgulla My project this year is based on the development of commercially producible rasgulla. Rasgulla is a traditional South East Asian dessert made of fresh cottage cheese balls, known as chhana, boiled in sugar syrup. In Bangladesh, freshly-made rasgulla is readily available but in western countries, the only option is canned rasgulla, which is considered to lack desirable taste and texture. The use of milk powder as a shelf-stable substitute for fresh milk has been identified as a favourable manufacturing option but has yielded unsatisfactory results in a previous study. Consequently, further development is necessary to improve the formulation.

Kimberly Gregg Botany Downs Secondary College Major: Food Product Technology Supervisors: Dr Eustina Fraser

126

Ethanol Production Using Potato Peel Waste In New Zealand, an estimated 100 000 T of potato waste is discarded annually. This waste is believed to contain useful components, including starch which can be converted to ethanol. The aim of this study is to determine the feasibility of the fermentation of potato peel waste to produce ethanol. The first stage was to compare acid and enzymatic hydrolysis to convert starch into reducing sugars that can then be used to produce ethanol using yeast fermentation. Enzymatic hydrolysis produced the highest yield of reducing sugars and fermentation of these sugars produced ethanol.

Eileen Han Singapore Polytechnic Major: Food Product Technology Supervisors: Prof Steve Flint Industrial Sponsor: Potatoes NZ Inc./Plant & Food Research

127

Bonnie Ireland Wellington Girlsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; College Major: Food Product Technology Supervisor: Dr Jon Palmer

128

Project Super Cam This project aims to determine the processing parameters required for a camembert cheese to achieve an extended shelf life of 12 months, at both chilled and ambient storage. Trials involve testing a range of packaging options, product formulations, and processing conditions in order to produce a safe product with an acceptable sensory profile.

Shelf Life Extension of Stirred Yogurt Yogurt is a popular fermented milk product produced by the fermentation of Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus. There are several types of yogurt of which drinking, stirred and set style yogurts are the three main products. Once fermented, stirred yogurt is mixed in the fermentation vessel before packaging to break the gel, resulting in a smooth and pourable product. The shelf life of the present natural stirred yogurt formulation is approximately 50 days when stored under refrigeration temperature (4Â°C). The main limiting factor affecting shelf life of the natural stirred yogurt has been attributed to spoilage by growth of yeasts and moulds. Thus, the present study investigated the effect of natural preservatives on shelf-life extension of natural stirred yogurt during storage at 4Â°C.

Emma Jackson Otumoetai College Major: Food Product Technology Supervisors: Dr Tony Mutukumira

129

Isolation of Rumen Bacteria using Grape Pomace The wine industry is a key agricultural sector in New Zealand, where wine was exported to more than 80 countries in 2013, which results in $NZ 1.2 billion export value. Winery waste products include grape pomace, a waste which consists of seeds, skins, and stems and cellulose based materials which contain a large sugar backbone containing glucose and xylan that may be degraded into smaller sugar components such as xylooligosaccharides and mannose which may be purified for human consumption. One way of degrading those sugars is by using the help of rumen bacteria, which are known to be cellulolytic. The aim of the project is to isolate and identify rumen bacteria species, which can utilize grape pomace and grow in a designed basal media, which only contain grape pomace as its main growth substrate.

Dhamma Laya Taylors College Major: Food Product Technology Supervisors: Dr Kenneth Teh

130

Development of Coconut Water Product Specifications Coconut water is gaining more popularity around the world as choices to other sport or energy drinks providing similar health benefits but with a more natural option. Coconut water is low in calories, sugar, fat and cholesterol but has a relatively high amount of electrolytes including potassium, sodium, magnesium, calcium, iron, phosphorus. However, different countries have used different coconut varieties and different coconut maturity stages that could lead to different physical-chemical compositions and sensory properties which are considerably inconsistent in the current coconut water products. This project aims to characterise coconut water from various countries and with different coconut maturities (young and mature). The key parameters that we are focusing are the proximate analysis (total soluble solid, protein, pH, etc.); sugar profile, electrolytes analysis, authenticity testing of carbon 13 and a descriptive sensory profiling. The knowledge from this project will be used to develop a standard specification for the future use of coconut water authentication.

Yinan Liu Major: Food Product Technology Supervisors: Dr Wannita Jirangrat Industrial Sponsor: The New Zealand Beverage Council

131

Investigation into Utilization of High Melting Saturates in Avocado Oil Avocado oil shipped from Kenya contains sediment which is proposed to be high molecular weight saturates. The high molecular weight saturate sediment needs to be removed before bottling as consumers perceive the oil to be lower quality because the saturates give the oil a cloudy appearance at room temperature. The high molecular weight saturates are a waste product and are currently disposed of whilst still containing entrapped high-value liquid oil. This results in a decreased shipment value and an opportunity to utilise the high molecular weight saturates. Therefore the aim of the project was to develop a process to remove the sediment and improve the clarity and quality of the avocado oil. Once the saturates are removed a new application for them by incorporation into a food or cosmetic product will be proposed.

Bradley Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Callaghan ACG Strathallan College Major: Food Product Technology Supervisors: A/Prof Marie Wong

132

Optimisation of Fermentations of Sauerkraut Food fermentation is one of the oldest food processing technologies. Traditional small scale production of fermented foods has evolved to large scale commercial operations. Sauerkraut is produced by lactic fermentation of salted white cabbages (Brassica oleracea ). Fermentation of sauerkraut can be affected by several factors including salt concentration, fermentation temperature and starter cultures. To optimise the production of sauerkraut, effects of salt concentration and starter culture were investigated.

Andrea Ramirez Macleans College Major: Food Product Technology Supervisors: Dr Tony Mutukumira Industrial Sponsor: Be Nourished Ltd.

133

Development of a Cook in Pack Ready Meal Product Fresh value added products, particularly convenience foods, are the key growth area for food companies. This project focuses on developing a ready to heat meal product that can be cooked in the packaging, either with a microwave or oven. The product needs to meet shelf life, sensory and cost expectations set by the project owner. The project involves conducting market research through investigation into the key trends and growth areas of the ready to cook meal market, in order to determine the market potential and identify gaps for new products. Focus groups and surveys about consumerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s attitude and behaviour toward ready to cook meals are conducted to be able to generate product concepts based on the needs and wants of consumers. The development of the ready to heat meal also requires research into the optimisation of process development and shelf life evaluation, which would be the keys affecting the success of the product.

Joanna Stacey Westlake Girls High School Major: Food Product Technology Supervisors: Dr Wannita Jirangrat

134

Rebecca Tresidder Chilton Saint James School Major: Food Product Technology Supervisors: Dr Michael Parker Industrial Sponsor: Confidential

Innovative Beverage for Commercial Manufacture This confidential project involved the development of a beverage for the food service industry. Formulation development and the modelling of heat transfer was combined improve equipment and product prototypes that were then tested.

135

Investigating the Flavour Development in a High Protein Dairy System Micro-organisms contribute to a number of valuable roles in the food industry. They are the main contributor to flavour development in fermented dairy products, which is a complex process involving chemical and biochemical conversions of the components found in milk, including lactose and citric acid. Aside from the presence of lactic acid, the characteristic flavour of products such as yogurt, buttermilk or cream cheese is largely due to the production of aromatic organic flavour compounds such as diacetyl and acetoin during the fermentation process. The more diacetyl produced, the greater the flavour. This research aims to determine how Diacetylactis (a lactic acid bacteria) in a high protein media affects citrate uptake, diacetyl formation and fermentation time. The work involved fermentation trials, GCMS-SPME analysis, spectrophotometry and consumer sensory evaluation.

136

Hillary Tuason Tawa College Major: Food Product Technology Supervisors: A/Prof Pak Lam-Yu, Mr Andrew Patrick Industrial Sponsor: Confidential

Development of High Protein, Low Fat Frozen Dessert There has been increasing consumersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; interest in products with enhanced health benefits in the market, which brings opportunity for new product development such as high protein and low fat and carbohydrate (low calorie) frozen dessert. This project was to develop prototypes of low calorie frozen dessert with desired sensory properties and physical characteristics using natural ingredients. Laboratory experiments were conducted to prepare formulations and analyse frozen dessert samples for texture, scoop-ability, melting rate, overrun, flavour, colour, and sensory evaluation.

Katharina Wulandari Kesatuan High School Major: Food Product Technology Supervisors: Dr Sung Je Lee

137

Development of a Manuka Iced Tea Manuka leaves and stems are brewed to make a tea extract to be incorporated as an added value ingredient into a shelf-stable iced tea beverage. Manuka stems are high in flavonoids, with a selling price of around $1 per gram. With an annual production rate of 500Kg per hectare, growing Manuka trees for tea is a financially lucrative option. During brewing in water, flavonoids are released, giving a bright pink colour and fruity aroma which both appeal to consumers. Currently a set of processes are being undertaken to extract the Manukaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s flavonoids, retain the colour, remove the bitter aftertaste and to reduce the astringency. Following this, the Manuka extract will be taken to the product development stage, where ingredients that align with current market trends are incorporated into the iced tea.

Matthew Yuan Palmerston North Boys High School Major: Food Product Technology Supervisors: Dr Alistair Carr, Dr Zuben Weeds Industrial Sponsor: Massey University

138

Extracting the Bitterness from Manuka Tea Manuka Tea is a part of the niche tea market with limited availability in New Zealand. With the increase in plantation of Manuka to support New Zealand Manuka honey production base, and as a way to regenerate native bush and control erosion, Massey University is looking to further increase interest in Manuka by developing a ready to drink (RTD) iced Manuka tea beverage for potentially the Asian, American and Australasian markets. The issue currently being experienced is that the brewing of Manuka leaves results in an astringent tasting tea. This project focussed on determining the optimum method of processing the Manuka plant material to reduce the astringency by extracting the responsible compound and determining if the by-product has any potential economic value. The project also looked at flavour development as a function of the time-temperature profile for brewing the tea for use in the RTD.

Bernadette Blackburn Sacred Heart College Major: Food Process Engineering Supervisors: Dr Alistair Carr, Dr Zuben Weeds Industrial Sponsor: Massey University

139

Sous Vide Process Characterisation Sous Vide is a process developed in France several decades ago in which chefs decided to cook their meat by vacuum packing it and placing it into hot water baths for a long period of time at a low temperature. This process created a superior meat product that remained tender and sealed in essential flavours due to the vacuum packaging and low heat. On an industrial scale sous vide is performed in large, room sized ovens but relatively little literature has been written on the process. This project therefore aims to develop air velocity and temperature maps in a sous vide oven to characterise the important process variables and determine the effect of different ratios of steam and air on heat distribution in the oven through experimental measurement and CFD modelling.

Jonathan Clark Rotorua Lakes High School Major: Food Process Engineering Supervisors: Prof John Bronlund, Dr Michael Parker

140

Investigating the Boundaries of the Freeze-Drying Process Freeze-Drying is a process that has been used in the food industry for a number of years and is also used in the pharmaceutical area and for the production of food grade microorganisms. It is a more favourable process for these products because it is carried out at low temperatures, therefore there is less impact on the quality and/or the stability of the product compared to other drying methods, such as spray drying. Freeze-drying can be used to produce probiotics which the project sponsor can add to a number of different products such as infant formula and yoghurt. Investigating the boundaries of freeze-drying will help the sponsor optimise their probiotic freeze drying process. This project aims to determine the effect of the product depth in the freeze-drying trays, effect of time to freeze and to determine the glass transition temperature of the product.

Michael Lloyd New Plymouth Boys High School Major: Food Process Engineering Supervisors: Andrew Patrick Industrial Sponsor: Confidential

141

Inactivating Protease Inhibitors Proteins are used in a wide range of industry applications for their unique functional properties of solubility, gelling, foaming and emulsifying. A new plant protein solution containing a mixture of desired retained proteins and undesirable protease inhibitors was in development. Protease inhibitors prevent proteases from being active and breaking down substrates, presenting a potential health risk. Heat treatments were developed and used in order to inactivate the undesired protease inhibitors whilst retaining the desired protein functional properties. A kinetic model was developed to predict the inactivation of protease inhibitors to allow a heat treatment process to be optimised. This will enable product commercialisation where the protease inhibitor activity is reduced to a level which is safe for human consumption.

Donald Meikle-Cameron Palmerston North Boysâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; High School Major: Food Process Engineering Supervisors: Prof John Bronlund Industrial Sponsor: Plant & Food Research

142

Development of a Predictive Model for Brewhouse Sugar Formation The production of beer is a multi-step process that is relatively simple. However, in order to brew high quality beer consistently on a commercial scale, a deep understanding of the processing steps is required. A major quality factor for many brewers is the sugar composition of a beer, as this determines the flavour, body and alcohol content. These parameters are determined during mashing, where the starch contained within malted barley is hydrolysed by amylolytic enzymes into fermentable sugars and non-fermentable dextrins. A model which predicts the sugar composition of a mash for a given mashing profile will enable brewers to develop new beers in a more cost-effective and timely manner. In addition to this, a predictive model will enable brewers to better handle variation in raw malt. Several models are already available in the literature, but these all require complex input data. The aim of this project is to review and adapt the existing models for simplified input data which does not require costly analytical equipment. This will enable the models to be utilised by both industrial and craft scale breweries.

Michael Paul Palmerston North Boysâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; High School Major: Food Process Engineering Supervisors: Prof John Bronlund

143

Use of SCiO to Predict Feijoa Maturity at Harvest The maturity of feijoa at the time of harvest affects postharvest quality and storage performance. Traditionally, feijoa is harvested by â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;touchpickingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; method, and the maturity is assessed by a destructive measure. However, non-destructive methods are preferred by the industry for economic reasons. SCiO is a handheld molecular sensor which uses near-infrared (NIR) technology. It can be utilized to scan and analyze the chemical composition of any material non-destructively. There is potential for NIR to indicate fruit maturity by estimation of sugar content at harvest. This project aims to investigate whether SCiO could be used to predict the maturity of feijoa at harvest non-destructively.

Bingwen Shi High School Affiliated to University of Shanghai for Science and Technology Major: Food Process Engineering Supervisors: Dr Andrew East, Ms Mo Li

144

Method Development of Measuring Bolus Cohesiveness Mastication is an activity to prepare a bolus that is safe for swallowing. Through this process, food material is transformed into smaller particles which get clustered together by saliva produced in the mouth, forming a bolus. The cohesiveness of a bolus has been identified as a determining property for swallowing. Cohesion occurs through the formation of liquid bridges between particles inside the bolus. The objective of this study is to understand the effect of particle size and amount of moisture on the cohesiveness of bolus. Model boluses were made of various sizes of crushed peanuts, mixed with different volumes of 0.1% xanthan gum solution. Three different methods were used to characterise the bolus: texture analyser (TA), blow tester and slip extrusion test (SET). Through preliminary work, it was identified that SET is the most suitable measurement. In the SET a model bolus is put into an oesophageal shaped plastic bag which is then passed through extrusion rollers. Properties of the bolus were determined based on the deformation and slip resistance measured.

Theliana Yayasan Pendidikan Permai Major: Food Process Engineering Supervisors: Prof John Bronlund, Dr Eli Gray Stuart

145

Determination of Heat Transfer Coefficients for Non-Newtonian Food Fluids In the food industry many thermal processing techniques are used for the manufacturing of foods. The basis of thermal processing is to either promote specific physical & chemical changes or to destroy or reduce microbial/enzymatic activity. Heat exchangers are a common unit operation specifically designed to carry out these thermal processes. The prediction of heat transfer coefficients for food fluids is important in the design and sizing of heat exchangers for food processing systems. Most food fluids are non-Newtonian and therefore possess complex rheological properties. The current heat transfer correlations available for non-Newtonian food fluids are limited and inaccurate. The aim of this project was to therefore acquire high quality data to validate correlations proposed for predicting the heat transfer coefficients for non-Newtonian fluids. The project involved designing and constructing a tubular heat exchanger experimental rig to which data was to be gathered from.

Hal Treves Rosmini College Major: Food Process Engineering Supervisors: Dr Jason Hindmarsh, Dr Tuoc Trinh Industrial Sponsor: Massey University

146

Investigation into the Application of Ultrasound to Beer Fermentation Beer is produced by fermentation of a solution of malt-derived sugars (wort) by yeast. The fermentation of wort is usually the longest processing step in brewing beer and it can take 7-14 days. Previous research indicates that the application of low frequency ultrasound can potentially accelerate yeast growth via a cavitation effect, which promotes the transfer of substrates into the yeast cells, thereby reducing the fermentation time. However, if the power of the ultrasound is too great, the yeast cells will be damaged. There is thus an optimal level of ultrasound that will promote yeast growth without causing significant damage. There is also the possibility that the presence of ultrasound will create undesirable (or possibly desirable) flavours in the beer. In this project, low frequency ultrasound was applied at various power levels to both simple sugar solutions and to a model beer wort. The aim was to identify an optimal level of ultrasound to apply to fermentation. The rate of fermentation was monitored by weight change, brix measurement and count of the yeast cells present.

Weijun Ye Zhanjiang High School Major: Food Process Engineering Supervisors: Dr Richard Love, Dr Zuben Weeds

147

INDEX By Majors

Product Development/Engineering and Innovation Management �� 16 Engineering and Innovation Management �� 18 Product Development �� 25 Mechatronics �� 34 Mechatronics �� 36 Electronics and Computer Engineering �� 84 Computer and Electronic Engineering..................................................................86 Electronic and Computer Systems Engineering �� 87 Chemical & Bioprocess Engineering �� 94 Chemical and Bioprocessing �� 75 Food Technology �� 118 Food Product Technology �� 120 Food Process Engineering....................................................................................139

148

By Student Name First Name Abad Abusidou Adeyinka Alkandari Alsallal Amjad Naseer Antunovic Azer Iskander Bartlett Benson Blackburn Bridle Brough Browne Castelao Chemelil Chen Chin Christy-Jones Clark Cleland Collier Corner Coyle

Surname Azriel.......................................................................34 Ibrahim...................................................................25 Oluwafemi..............................................................94 Mohammad...........................................................35 Salem......................................................................36 Muhammad Usman..............................................37 Rosa........................................................................95 Phoebe...................................................................29 Adam......................................................................38 Tyler........................................................................26 Bernadette Monique..........................................139 Matthew.................................................................84 Sara......................................................................118 Reece.....................................................................39 Gonzalo..................................................................40 Joy........................................................................119 Weifu....................................................................120 Braden..................................................................121 Morgan.................................................................122 Jonathan Peter...................................................140 Jason......................................................................41 Kieren.....................................................................42 David.......................................................................43 Yvette....................................................................123

Cradock Craig Digges Du Dunn Dykstra England Faulkner Foronda Fyers Gardner Georgy Gregg Gu Haji Hamdan Hampton Han Hassin Hathaway Hickey Hook Huang Ibell-Pasley Imran Ireland Jackson Jayawardena Judd Knighton Krotov Krull

Braden....................................................................85 Marcel....................................................................96 Daron......................................................................18 Baoping................................................................124 Emma....................................................................125 Liam........................................................................27 Benjamin................................................................44 Nathaniel...............................................................87 John........................................................................19 David.......................................................................97 Amy.........................................................................45 Mina........................................................................20 Kimberly...............................................................126 Min..........................................................................46 Norhidayah............................................................98 Mitchell..................................................................47 Eileen....................................................................127 Nor Naimah Binti..................................................48 Ryan........................................................................99 Nathan....................................................................49 Timothy.................................................................100 Bohao.....................................................................50 Nicholas...............................................................101 Aadil........................................................................51 Bonnie..................................................................128 Emma....................................................................129 Akila........................................................................52 Michael..................................................................88 Lauren..................................................................102 Maxim.....................................................................21 Matthew.................................................................53

Kumar Kwan Laya Liu Lubbers Lues Lloyd Macdonald Maingay Malone Manaf Marou McDonald Meikle-Cameron Meyer Mohd Afandi Mohd Padzli Moses Mountain Munir Nepia Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Callaghan Pandey Paul Pereira Pickworth Pillearachchige Quinn Rahim Ramirez Robertson

Akshaya.................................................................54 Chun Fung (Alan)..................................................55 Dhamma...............................................................130 Yinan.....................................................................131 Alesha....................................................................56 Joshua....................................................................57 Michael................................................................141 Callum.....................................................................58 Tenison...................................................................30 Thomas...................................................................28 Ahmad Faisal Safwan Bin (Faisal)...................103 Nayoko.................................................................104 Lyall.......................................................................105 Donald..................................................................142 Samantha...............................................................31 Ahmad Afiq Bin (Ahmad)...................................106 Fatin Nabilah Binti (Fatin Binti)........................107 Alfred......................................................................59 David.......................................................................22 Ammar....................................................................89 Samuel...................................................................23 Bradley.................................................................132 Akshay....................................................................60 Michael Andrew....................................................... Tanisha...................................................................61 Christopher..........................................................108 Kamila.....................................................................62 Rory.........................................................................63 Ahmad Fadhil Bin (Fadhil).................................109 Andrea..................................................................133 Nathan....................................................................64

149

Rodger Savelyev Seelye Semi Seraj Sharifi Shaw Shi Sison Skanda Stacey Stichbury Sutcliffe Tan Thompson Tresidder Treves Trotter Trueman Tuason Vine Waite Warner Weyers Wickramanayake Wijesundera Wilkinson Wilson Wulandari Yang Ye

150

Leo..........................................................................65 Victor......................................................................90 Jared......................................................................66 Mohd Fadhil Bin..................................................110 Muhammad.........................................................111 Hamid.....................................................................67 Benjamin................................................................68 Bingwen .................................................................... Nicholas Joseph...................................................24 Shasvat................................................................112 Joanna.................................................................134 Samuel...................................................................69 Timothy...................................................................70 Mark.......................................................................91 Damian...................................................................86 Rebecca...............................................................135 Hal Jonathan.......................................................146 Samuel...................................................................71 Rhys......................................................................113 Hillary...................................................................136 Nathan....................................................................72 Rachel..................................................................114 Zach........................................................................73 Jayden....................................................................74 Pulathisi (Pula)......................................................75 Pamitha..................................................................76 William...................................................................77 Scott.......................................................................78 Katharina.............................................................137 Ruxiang..................................................................79 Weijun ................................................................147

Yuan Zakaria Zhang

Matthew...............................................................138 Norsyaleeza (Syaleeza).....................................115 Yumeng..................................................................80 Theliana...............................................................145

151