Mechanical Engineering Seniors Showcase Innovation at Capstone Design Mini-Expo
August 4, 2026
By Tracie Troha
Bus Lightyears and Team E took home first- and second-place honors, respectively, at the Summer 2026 Georgia Tech Capstone Design Mini-Expo held on July 28.
At the expo, over 30 mechanical engineering seniors representing five teams showcased projects developed during the Capstone Design course.
First-place winner Bus Lightyears, composed of Dmitry Demin, Jaehyeok Kim, Luke Kim, Rihan Mammen, James Millington, and Cayden Walker, received $1,500 for their standardized satellite bus designed to simplify the integration of 450-kilogram-class payloads for commercial space missions.
Unlike traditional mission-specific spacecraft structures, the team’s proposed design provides a reusable platform with a configurable interior mounting interface that could reduce development time, engineering effort, and integration costs for future missions.
“We did market research and analyzed data from SpaceX launches,” Demin said. “We also gathered consumer feedback and incorporated it into our design.”
Mammen said the team spent two months designing and building the satellite bus and received assistance from the Montgomery Machining Mall.
“I’m very proud of everyone on this team for working on this project,” Mammen said.
Second-place winner Team E, composed of Ethan Falls, Alan Gomez, Labeeba Shafique, Sanjay Siram, Moumita Sutar, and Tyson Tran, received $500 for Baby Bot, a device designed to replicate the physical behavior of infants ages 1 to 7 months.
Sponsored by Todd Sulchek, professor and Regent’s Innovator at the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Baby Bot simulates rolling, hip rotation, leg lifting, and head movement through a system of DC gear motors, servo motors, and an Arduino-class controller.
Integrated sensors detect airway obstructions and thermal hazards in real time, and the system logs data across repeated standardized test cycles. The primary application is bassinet safety testing, although the device can be adapted for swings, sleepers, and other products.
“We picked this project because we thought it was really interesting,” Falls said. “It was great to apply the research and test our coding.”
Siram added that she enjoyed working on the project because it addressed an important safety issue.
“It addresses real issues and keeps babies safe,” she said.
The other teams that presented projects at the expo included:
- Lift Assist, which designed a device intended to help emergency medical services personnel assist patients who have fallen and cannot get up independently. The idea was inspired by team member Isaac Tuttle, an emergency medical technician with Grady Health System.
- The Jiao Jokers, which designed a smart motorized bike-fit adjustment system that prioritizes affordability, ergonomics, and accessibility.
- Seal the Deal, which designed a leakproof solution bath to scale up the manufacturing process of tubular hollow fibers. The project was sponsored by the HARRiS Group.
A photo gallery from the Summer 2026 Georgia Tech Capstone Design Mini-Expo is available on Flickr.
