COSMM: AN UNDERGRADUATE LABORATORY FOR ENGINEERING AND MANUFACTURING COMPLEX, ORGANIC SHAPES USING NATURE AS A TEMPLATE

摘要

The COSMM (Complex/Organic Shapes and Multiple Materials) Laboratory at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo provides undergraduate biomedical engineering students with the equipment to import geometric and mechanical property data from existing biological structures into a virtual environment where they can be analyzed, modified and output using layer wise manufacturing techniques. Input (touch probe, laser scanner, destructive scanner for optical images of internal geometry, CT/MRI/Ultrasound Imaging), Computer Manipulation (surfacing, feature extraction, freeform modification of 3D geometry using a haptic device, CAD manipulation and feature addition using a combination of surface, solid, and voxel modeling, and FEA analysis), and Output (Rapid Prototyping equipment including commercial systems and custom equipment capable of creating complex composites and gradient materials) are combined into an integrated system for analyzing and incorporating biological data into product designs. This laboratory supports sophomore-level introduction to design classes, junior-level CAD/modeling/simulation classes, a two-quarter senior design sequence, and multiple Senior Projects, Masters Theses, and industry-sponsored applied research projects. Recent laboratory projects have included creating soft tissue models for medical device development, producing a mechanically accurate spinal replica, creating medically accurate FEA and physical models of the human heart, and manufacturing complex gradient composite materials and scaffolds for tissue engineering.