projects timeline

Projects Timeline Alireza Safdari Ghandhari

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Table of Contents 1) Small Scale Production Line (2007) ..................................................................................... 5

Supervisor: ................................................................................. Error! Bookmark not defined.

Student Involved (Highschool): ................................................................................................... 5

Award: ......................................................................................................................................... 5

Individual Learning Outcomes: ................................................................................................... 5

1. Getting a Grip on Engineering Projects ........................................................................ 5

2. Dedication ..................................................................................................................... 5

3. One man's trash is another man's treasure ..................................................................... 5

2) Distilled Water and Power Generation from Sea Water (2007 to 2009)............................... 6

Supervisor: ................................................................................................................................... 6

Students Involved (Highschool): ................................................................................................. 6

Awards: ........................................................................................................................................ 6


1. Teamwork Capabilities ................................................................................................. 6

2. Importance of Presentation Skills ................................................................................. 6

3. Researching Skills ......................................................................................................... 6

3) Junior Soccer Player Robot (2007 ~ 2009) ........................................................................... 7

Supervisor: ................................................................................................................................... 7

Students Involved (Highschool): ................................................................................................. 7

Award: ......................................................................................................................................... 7


1. Teamwork Capabilities ................................................................................................. 7

2. Proteus for Simulation .................................................................................................. 7

3. C Programming ............................................................................................................. 7

4) Quadcopter (2011~2012) ...................................................................................................... 8

Supervisors: ................................................................................................................................. 8

Students Involved: ....................................................................................................................... 8

Awards: ........................................................................................................................................ 8


1. C Programming ............................................................................................................. 8

2. Learning PID ................................................................................................................. 8

3. Learning IMU ............................................................................................................... 9

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4. Presentation Skills ......................................................................................................... 9

5) Robocon 2012 ..................................................................................................................... 10

Supervisor: ................................................................................................................................. 10

Students Involved: ..................................................................................................................... 10

Award: ....................................................................................................................................... 10

Individual Learning Outcomes: ................................................................................................. 10

1. Programming ............................................................................................................... 10

2. Introduction to Milling and Lathe machining ............................................................. 10

3. Team Work ................................................................................................................. 10

6) MARK I (Conqueror) Combat Robot (2013) ...................................................................... 11

Supervisor: ................................................................................................................................. 11


Award: ....................................................................................................................................... 11


1. Experiencing Combat Robot Competition .................................................................. 11

2. Milling and Lathe Machining...................................................................................... 11

3. Leading a Small Team ................................................................................................ 11

7) Electric Car in Collaboration with Taylor’s University (2013) .......................................... 12

Supervisors: ............................................................................................................................... 12


Awards: ...................................................................................................................................... 12

Individual Learning Outcome: ................................................................................................... 12

1. Working with the Team from another University ....................................................... 12

8) Robocon 2013 ..................................................................................................................... 13

Supervisor: ................................................................................................................................. 13


Award and Achievements: ......................................................................................................... 13


1. Designing PCB Using Altium and Solidworks for Mechanical Parts ......................... 13

2. Utilizing All the Facilities in Mechanical Workshop .................................................. 13

3. Kinect and C# Programming ....................................................................................... 13

4. Making a Team ........................................................................................................... 13

5. Leading the Team ........................................................................................................ 14

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9) Mark II Combat Robot (2013 ~ 2015) ................................................................................ 15

Supervisor: ................................................................................................................................. 15


Award: ....................................................................................................................................... 15


1. Using Altium and Solidworks ..................................................................................... 15

2. Taking Part in 3 Competitions .................................................................................... 15

3. Proper Design and Fabrication Process ....................................................................... 15

10) A Vision Aid For Color Blind People (UI2013702108) (2013 ~ Present) ......................... 16

Supervisor: ................................................................................................................................. 16


Awards: ...................................................................................................................................... 16

Individual Learning Outcome .................................................................................................... 16

1. Fuzzy Logic................................................................................................................. 16

2. First Patent Experience ............................................................................................... 16

3. Commercialization Attempts ...................................................................................... 16

11) Simulation and Hardware Implementation of New Maximum Power Point Tracking

Technique for Partially Shaded PV System Using Hybrid DEPSO Method (Paper) (2015) ...................... 17

Supervisor: ................................................................................................................................. 17


Achievement: ............................................................................................................................. 17

Individual Learning Outcome .................................................................................................... 17

1. Particle Swarm Optimization ...................................................................................... 17

2. First Paper Experience ................................................................................................ 17

3. Learning Matlab (Beginner Level) .............................................................................. 17

12) Electronic Assistant for Paralyzed Individual (2015 ~ 2016) ............................................. 18

Supervisor: ................................................................................................................................. 18


Achievement: ............................................................................................................................. 18


1. EEG Signals and Classification .................................................................................. 18

2. Matlab (Intermediate Level) ....................................................................................... 18

3. Analog Hardware Design ............................................................................................ 18

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13) A System and A Method For Reducing the Effects of Tremors in Human Body (Patent

Pending) (2015 ~ present) ........................................................................................................................... 19

Supervisor: ................................................................................................................................. 19


Achievement: ............................................................................................................................. 19


1. Signal Processing with ARM ...................................................................................... 19

2. Mechanical Understanding of Gyroscope ................................................................... 19

14) MARK IV Combat Robot (2016) ....................................................................................... 20

Supervisor: ................................................................................................................................. 20



1. Team Management ...................................................................................................... 20

2. Designing a Novel Clutch ........................................................................................... 20

3. Improving my Mechanical Engineering Knowledge .................................................. 20

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1) Small Scale Production Line (2007) This project was part of the courses offered in the first year of high school. In this Project a model

of a production line in small scale was built. An arm similar to a three axis CNC milling machine was

built capable of drilling and gripping objects. 2 conveyer belts were built to carry objects so that the arm

can reach the objects on the belts. This project was not automated and it was more of mechanical

exposure rather than automation. Variety of materials and fabrications methods was used in the making of

this project.

Student Involved (Highschool):

1. Alireza Safdari Ghandhari

Award:

1. The Best Fabricated Project in 6th Research Exhibition at Nikan high school

Individual Learning Outcomes:

1. Getting a Grip on Engineering Projects

This was the first project that most of the elements were built by me. Before the

completion of this project, most of my experience in mechanical world was limited to Lego

Mindstorms.

2. Dedication

This project was very complicated and it required a lot of dedication. As a result, I used

to stay in school till 8:00 pm and I slept in the school couple of times to make sure I can complete

the project before exhibition.

3. One man's trash is another man's treasure

For this project I found significant portion of the materials needed from the garbage cans

all around the school. I used to ask construction sites for things that I need and once they even

welded a part of my project. Considering that the budget for the project was very limited, I

learned a lot of ways to reduce the costs.

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2) Distilled Water and Power Generation from Sea Water (2007 to 2009) This project is designed based on the environmental features found in the south of Iran, where the

temperature is high and there is access to sea water (Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman). The goal in this

project is to generate distilled water and power. Extraction of mineral salt was the secondary goal in this

project. The waves are the source of the power generated, the sea water evaporation and condensation

produces the distilled water and the mineral salts left as a result of evaporation are collected.

Supervisor:

1. Dr. Ali Fotowat Ahmady

Students Involved (Highschool):

1. Alireza Safdari Ghandhari 2. Rohallah Darzi Ramandi

Awards:

1. The Provincial Place in the 10th Kharazmi Festival

2. The Top Student in 11th Kharazmi Festival


1. Teamwork Capabilities

Working in a small group of two, initiated my teamwork capabilities.

2. Importance of Presentation Skills

Considering that we had to pass multiple evaluations with 3 judges at each level, I learnt the

importance of presentation skills.

3. Researching Skills

We had to write a report supporting our claims and by doing so, I learned how to use different

data basses available online. I was amazed to know how much data is available online and for free.

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3) Junior Soccer Player Robot (2007 ~ 2009) There were couple of junior soccer competitions during my high school time and I decided to

compete in those competitions. I worked as a member in the first year of high school and then I became

the leader for the next 2 years. The robot was capable of tracking the ball and omni wheels and compass

were used to achieve maximum maneuverability.

Supervisor:

1. Alireza Hasani

Students Involved (Highschool):


2. Sina Nazeri

3. Ali Salehi

4. Hossein Haghighi

5. Hariri

Award:

1. The First Provincial Place in the 1st Kharazmi Robotic Competition


1. Teamwork Capabilities

In this project I was leading the team for the last 2 years and I learned a lot of team management

skills.

2. Proteus for Simulation

Proteus was used for the simulation of the microcontroller and other circuitry in the robot.

3. C Programming

I learned the basics of programming in this project and I become very interested in programming

as soon as started the project.

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4) Quadcopter (2011~2012) It was first year of university and I joined a project offered at Taylor’s university. The project was

building a quadcopter and it was sponsored by university. Taylor’s university was working closely with

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to promote CDIO (Conceive — Design — Implement —

Operate) education system and a team of second year students and I accepted to take the challenge and

make our own quadcopter and present it in CDIO Regional Conference in china (8th to 11

th May 2011).

We were very new to the topic and we started from scratch and finally we managed to complete a

quadcopter capable of keeping itself balanced; but we did not have enough time to design a remote

control. While working on this project, we “invented” PID without knowing that PID has already existed

for years. Later when we shared our control algorithms; one of the lectures informed us that what we have

developed is called “PID” and it is a very common control system. After participation in CDIO

conference, we took part in Taylor’s engineering fair and won multiple prizes. After joining University of

Malaya, I started working on a quadcopter individually and I managed to make the quadcopter more

advanced.

Supervisors:

1. Dr. Abdulkareem Shafiq Mahdi Al-obaidi (Taylor’s University)

2. Assoc. Prof. Benjamin Koo (Tsinghua University)

Students Involved:

1. Pheng Khien Yong (Leader)

2. Jason Lee

3. Muhammad Moaz

4. Jonathan Chin

5. Adib Abdul Rahim


Awards:

1. Registration Fee Waivers and Travel Grants for CDIO Regional Conference in china

2. The Best Research Project Award (Year 1) by Fibertex Personal Care Sdn. Bhd.

3. The Most Needed Project Award (Year 1) by Rhombus Castors Malaysia Sdn. Bhd./ University

of Western Australia

4. The Most Technologically Advanced Project Award (Year 1) by National Instrument Malaysia

Sdn. Bhd.

5. Joint Winner of The Best CAD/CAM Design Project Award by University of Birmingham


1. C Programming

In this project I was the programmer and I improved my C programming extensively.

Specifically, I learned how to utilize the microcontroller internal hardware using C programming.

2. Learning PID

As stated earlier we first “invented” PID by spending hours and hours trying to create a system to

keep the quadcopter balanced in one of its axis. It was a great experience and we learned how to adjust

PID constants to get the best possible response. In China, we were taught PID by Tsinghua University’s

PhD students who were working in the same area.

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3. Learning IMU

In this project, we had to use IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit) to know the bearing angles of the

quadcopter. I learned complimentary filter and IMU’s data diffusion in this project.

4. Presentation Skills

We went through extensive trainings for presenting our project in the CDIO conference. We spent

more than 5 days to prepare our presentation after the training session. The Taylor’s Dean at the time, Dr.

Mushtak Al-Atabi, was very happy with our performance and appreciated our hard work.

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5) Robocon 2012 The Asia-Pacific Robot Contest (ABU Robocon) is an Asian Oceanian College robot

competition, founded in 2002 by Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union. In the competition, robots compete to

complete a task within a period of time. I was in my first year when we joined this competition and I was

the new member in the team. We worked very hard, but unfortunately we had a lot of financial problems

due to slow claim process in the university. It was a good experience working in a big team and I learned

a lot.

Supervisor:

1. Prof. Dr. Mahmoud Moghavvemi (University of Malaya)

Students Involved:

1. Kuek JinHao (Leader)

2. Ong Yee Lun

3. Tan Ming Yan

4. Sheng Yin

5. Ho Tat Hong

6. Lim Jia Wen

7. Huiyingz Khaw

8. Ng Thien Sung


Award:

1. Certificate of Participation

2. MYR50,000 ($12,521.90) Was Granted


1. Programming

In this project I was the programmer and I improved my C programming. Specifically, I learned

how to control large number of sensors and actuators.

2. Introduction to Milling and Lathe machining

We were introduced to basic facilities available at mechanical workshop in university. We had a

very short time to prepare for the competition; as a result we did not get a chance to know all the

machines available in mechanical workshop.

3. Team Work

I was not welcome in the team (international students were not welcome) and I had a very hard

time working with the team at the beginning. Despite all the difficulties I faced, I managed to contribute

to the team significantly.

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6) MARK I (Conqueror) Combat Robot (2013) After the lost in Robocon, most of the students left the team. The only competition left in 2013

was combat robot. The weight limit was 20Kg and title of the competition was Robogamez. We started

with better planning and the result was better. It was our first time in combat robot and we came up with a

unique design. We were happy with the results because mechanical wise we had significant

improvements in robot’s build quality.

Supervisor:


Students Involved:

1. Alireza Safdari Ghandhari (Leader)

2. Ng Thien Sung

3. Kevin Dany

Award:



1. Experiencing Combat Robot Competition

The most popular competition in Malaysia at the time was Combat robots. Therefore taking part

in combat competition was a good investment for the next coming years. Our main problem with the

robot was its speed and we kept that in mind for the next competitions. Although the robot was slow; it

took a lot of damages in the arena but it was fully functional even after the competition.

2. Milling and Lathe Machining

We had access to workshop 24/7 and that was an amazing opportunity; we spent days and nights

in the workshop using the milling and lathe machine. We fabricated 2 pieces from each part and as a

result we gained a lot of experience with the machines.

3. Leading a Small Team

It was the first time that I was leading a team in university. I learned a lot from this first time

experience. I learned how to motivate my team to work hard while making sure that they are happy with

the progress they make.

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7) Electric Car in Collaboration with Taylor’s University (2013) I was invited to join the team to help them in electrical related challenges. I ended up leading the

electrical members of the team. We purchased the motor, motor controller and a battery pack suitable for

the car with the specification provided by mechanical students.

Supervisors:

1. Mohammad Taghi Hajibeigy (Taylor’s University)

2. Dr. Abdulkareem Shafiq Mahdi Al-obaidi (Taylor’s University)

Students Involved:

1. Navid Toosi (Leader)

2. Liang Liangzz

3. Sanjan Peter Balan

4. Aqeef Azzuddin

5. Siva Raja

6. Yi Ming

7. Hamza Aslam

8. Hutomo Wibowo

9. JunYit Ng

Awards:

1. The project won multiple awards in Taylor’s University’s engineering fair but I was not

acknowledge because I was not from Taylor’s University (this was part of our initial agreement).

Individual Learning Outcome:

1. Working with the Team from another University

In previous projects with Taylor’s university, I was spending a lot of time at university; but for

this project, I could not spend too much time with the team at university and as a result it was a new

experience. The electrical part of the electrical car was functioning very well and even at the time of

writing this document (2016) the setup was still in use by other students.

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8) Robocon 2013 For Robocon 2013, I created a dedicated team with 10 new members and I requested for a grant

directly from the dean of engineering (Prof. Dr. Faisal Rafiq Bin Mahamd Adikan). The grant was

approved and we had total of MYR50,000 ($12,521.90) for period of one year. Moreover, I wrote a

proposal to double the space available for our team and I managed to convince the factually to provide us

the additional space. In this competition, we spent most of our time to learn new things with the new

team. We managed to utilize all the facilities available at university. Most of the members were new to

robotics; therefore they had to learn the basics. We did not win the competition mostly due to the lack of

time.

Supervisor:


Students Involved:


2. Mohamed Ibrahim Mohamed Murkaz

3. Salem Zakarya Baragaa

4. Ong Yee Lun

5. Ivinjit Singh

6. Raquib Ferdous

7. Pasan Athurugiriya

8. Mohammad Lokman bin Mohamed

Yusof

9. Ahmad Syamil Asyraf Mohd Zaini

10. Muhd Muadz bin Amir Hamzah

11. Lee Chia Chun

Award and Achievements:

1. MYR50,000 ($12,521.90) Was Granted



1. Designing PCB Using Altium and Solidworks for Mechanical Parts

In this project I designed multiple PCBs and I learned Altium Designer through online resources.

Our mechanical team also used solidworks for the first time and we were very happy with the result.

2. Utilizing All the Facilities in Mechanical Workshop

We had access to university’s workshops and we learned a lot of technics with manual milling

and lathe machines. We also used electrical discharge machining to cut some of the parts. We used CNC

milling for few of the parts and for the first time. This was an important step for our team because all the

members were introduced to the machining and we got to know the facilities available at university.

3. Kinect and C# Programming

As part of this project we worked with Kinect and we used it to detect the surrounding objects.

We used C# to create a GUI connecting 2 Kinects to a computer at the same time. The Kinects were used

to navigate the robot in the game field.

4. Making a Team

30 students applied to join the competition and I had to select the students that I could count for.

It was not an easy task because I had to design tests to make sure the one who are staying in the team are

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dedicated and will not back off. Our team (11 members) was very motivated and we were admired by

local industries because of our multinational culture and strong bonds.

5. Leading the Team

I was leading a multinational team and we were working days and nights to meet the deadline.

The most challenging part was to keep the team motivated to work extremely hard. Few of the students

were sleeping in the workshop (in a safe area) and would go to class the next morning.

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9) Mark II Combat Robot (2013 ~ 2015) Most of the students in the old team were in their final year so they left the team. With the ones

remaining, we built a new combat robot but this time we knew how to design our robot properly. We used

Solidworks to design the robot and PCBs were designed in Altium. We had all the detail in our

Solidworks design, even the PCBs. For some parts we made a paper model first and then proceeded with

fabrication. For this project we used waterjet and laser cutting services provided by the local factories.

The robot was getting better day by day and we changed the motors and modified the gearbox extensively

so that it could handle huge amount of torque. The videos below show the capabilities of the robot.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WR8xxU7OXsc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBMAmhi6cXY

Supervisor:


Students Involved:


2. Ahmad Syamil Asyraf Mohd Zaini

3. Mohamed Ibrahim Mohamed Murkaz

Award:

1. Certificate of Participation in 2 Competitions


1. Using Altium and Solidworks

In this project, we learned how to work together and share our files to count for all the small

details.

2. Taking Part in 2 Competitions

Every competition had its unique lesson and we learned a lot, although we never won. Of course

all these lessons will be used in the future.

3. Proper Design and Fabrication Process

We learned how to design and fabricate things in a professional way.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WR8xxU7OXsc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBMAmhi6cXY

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10) A Vision Aid For Color Blind People (UI2013702108) (2013 ~ Present) This project was initiated for color detection in robotic competitions; however we decided to get

something more significant out of it. We used fuzzy logic algorithm to classify the colors. The color

sensor then was miniaturized and placed into a 3-D printed ring. Through wireless communication the

color blind user hears the name of the color presented in front of the ring.

Supervisor:


Students Involved:

1. Alireza Safdari Ghandhari 2. Ong Yee Lun

Awards:

1. Winning the Silver Medal in International Exhibition PECIPTA 2013

Individual Learning Outcome

1. Fuzzy Logic

In this project, I learned fuzzy logic and applied it for color detection.

2. First Patent Experience

This was my first patent and I learned a lot. The patent drafting took 6 months and I did not know

how to speed up the process at the time. This was the beginning for more patents to come.

3. Commercialization Attempts

We worked very hard to commercialize this project but despite attending many meetings, we did

not manage to commercialize the product. We worked closely with the incubator at University of Malay

but we did not have too much progress.

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11) Simulation and Hardware Implementation of New Maximum Power

Point Tracking Technique for Partially Shaded PV System Using Hybrid

DEPSO Method (Paper) (2015) In this project, I was in charge of algorithm development and C coding for the controller in the

Max Power Point Tracker (MPPT). I was not the main author but I contributed to the practical work

significantly.

Supervisor:

1. Prof. Dr. Saad Mekhilef (University of Malaya)

Students Involved:

1. Mohammadmehdi Seyedmahmoudian

(Author)

2. Rasoul Rahmani

3. Saad Mekhilef

4. Amanullah Maung Than Oo

5. Alex Stojcevski

6. Tey Kok Soon


Achievement:

1. Paper Was Published at IEEE Transactions on Sustainable Energy (Volume:6 , Issue: 3 ) (Link)

Individual Learning Outcome

1. Particle Swarm Optimization

In this project, I learned Particle Swarm and applied it for MPPT.

2. First Paper Experience

This was my first paper and although I did not write the paper, I learned a lot through the process.

3. Learning Matlab (Beginner Level)

One of the things that I learned in this project is Matlab coding; most of the students in the team

were really good in Matlab, but they needed to implement their code in C. For most of the coding, I just

converted the Matlab codes to C and created the mathematical libraries needed for the microcontroller.

http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/articleDetails.jsp?reload=true&tp=&arnumber=7087393

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12) Electronic Assistant for Paralyzed Individual (2015 ~ 2016) In this project a system has been developed for paralyzed people to control home appliances

using their brain signal. The system is integrated into a wheelchair to provide mobility as well. TV, air

conditioner, lights and the wheelchair are all controlled using Steady State Visually Evoked Potential

(SSVEP). We have studied the EEG signals and proposed a new algorithm to improve the performance of

the classifier. We have found interesting results and hoping to publish a paper soon. My contribution was

more on the algorithm and hardware development.

Supervisor:


Students Involved:

1. Kuek Jin Hao


3. Zho Ce

4. Clement Kwan Joon Kit

Achievement:

1. A fully functional system has been developed and it has been tested with multiple individuals.


1. EEG Signals and Classification

In this project, we recorded hours of EEG data and analyzed them off-line before proposing a

new classifier.

2. Matlab (Intermediate Level)

For this project, I spent many hours with the members to implement our ideas in Matlab.

Eventually I learned Matlab and become confident in Matlab.

3. Analog Hardware Design

In most projects, I was dealing with coding and digital hardware but for the first time, I had to

design analogue circuitry with the team. It was a good experience and we studied different analog circuits

and we compared real life measurements with simulation results.

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13) A System and A Method For Reducing the Effects of Tremors in Human

Body (Patent Pending) (2015 ~ present) I proposed this project for my final year project and although it seemed very difficult at the

beginning I managed to fabricate a prototype to prove the concept. In this project, inertial measurement

unit (IMU) was used to detect tremor level and frequency. According to the level and frequency, a

mechanical gyroscope compensates the tremor effect. With the help of signal processing and fast furrier

transfer the gyroscope maintains the speed with the least amount of effect on intentional movements. This

project is patent pending and therefor pictures are not available for this project.

Supervisor:


Students Involved:


Achievement:

1. A functional proof of concept has been developed.


1. Signal Processing with ARM

I used an ARM based microcontroller for this project and I implemented the functions learnt in

Matlab for the ARM controller.

2. Mechanical Understanding of Gyroscope

Gyroscopes are very interesting and their unexpected behavior makes them very special. I was

introduced to gyroscopes in the making of the project.

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14) MARK IV Combat Robot (2016) All of the students in the old team graduated. So with a new team, we built a new combat robot

but this time we designed a weapon a lot more effective. We used the experience from the previous robots

to simplify the maintenance of the robot. We spent two months to design and fabricate the robot and

considering that everyone in the team was a first timer, we amazed so many engineers. The weapon so far

has shown a great potential and a novel clutch was fabricated to ensure that the weapon motor is not

damaged after extensive use. Unfortunately, the detail of the weapon and its capabilities must not be

disclosed at this time.

Supervisor:


Students Involved:


2. Mohammad Haroon

3. Obaid Allah Elshafiey

4. Saw Jay Han

5. Md Golam Rassel Lincoln

6. Rahulraj Singh Kler

7. Ahmad Imran Bin Azmi

8. Mehrdad Yamani

9. Ahmad Syamil Asyraf bin Mohd Zaini


1. Team Management

I improved my management skills significantly, because we had team of first timer, who were not

familiar with most related topics.

2. Designing a Novel Clutch

One of the main problems in the combat robot is the weapon’s clutch. The commercially

available clutches are not suitable to be used in the speed and torque that the weapon go through, as a

result, we had to design a totally new clutch. The clutch operates remarkably well.

3. Improving my Mechanical Engineering Knowledge

I learned Solidworks to design the robot and run static simulations on theparts. I learned the

differences between so many different aluminum and steel alloys; moreover I learned many things about

tool steels and their heat treatment.

projects timeline

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