Engineering, CSIT students gain cutting-edge experience through AIMM ICC project

While practical experience has always been central to education at Trine University, a group of students from the Allen School of Engineering and Computing have had the opportunity to work on a real-world project far beyond anything else in the school’s history. 

Funded by a multimillion-dollar grant from the Department of Defense and the U.S. Navy, Trine University students and faculty worked with the Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane Division in the summer and fall of 2023 to help develop prototype vessels that can be controlled by artificial intelligence for a variety of missions, including intercepting illegal drug shipments.

The effort will climax with the Artificial Intelligence Maritime Maneuver Indiana Collegiate Challenge (AIMM ICC) in April. Universities across Indiana will have the opportunity to compete and demonstrate the ability to make a fully autonomous low-profile vessel (LPV) with object detection and identification.

The Trine contingent was divided into two teams: mechanical engineering students who developed an LPV, and computer science and information technology students who worked on the artificial intelligence (AI) to control the vessels.

Building the boat

“Before we could develop a smart boat, we needed a boat,” noted Jon Koch, Ph.D., professor in the Wade Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering.

Koch and other faculty and staff within the department were tasked with setting up the initial framework and selecting the student team to build the ideal vessel for the competition. The process included recommending tools for design, simulation and advanced manufacturing as well as experimental facilities to test the simulations.

He described the students’ task as “identifying the tradeoffs between making a design that was easy to manufacture out of readily available materials and making a design that carried a respectable payload a decent distance at a safe speed, using a minimal power source.”

A group of mechanical engineering majors eventually built nine LPVs.

“The goal was to build a low-cost boat using hand tools, which presents quite the challenge. After some trial and error, we nailed down a process to efficiently produce high-quality boats. The resulting vessels were watertight and could carry almost a ton of cargo,” said Davey Acres, a student who was part of the project.

From research to final product

Students took on specific roles during the process. Daniel Siebeneck researched and reported naval nomenclature, designed and tested boat designs in CAD (computer aided design) and CFD (computational fluid dynamics), and was the “captain” of the physical boat when the team tested it at Lake James.

“I learned and utilized a lot of skills in and around the engineering concept of iteration and prototyping,” he said. “Our team had to move fast, often dealing with new designs and ideas, so that by the end of the term we had the best possible project.”

Sterling Haylett said his primary role in the project was to research and coordinate the material purchases necessary to build an operational low-cost LPV.

“By combining simple fiberglass composites with thin sheets of plywood, it proved exceptionally cheap to produce a seaworthy vessel,” he said.

The team began the building process by cutting out wood to size based on engineering drawings.

“I was able to use my knowledge of hand tools to help,” said Mitchell Dickman, another team member. “Learning how to use machines such as the laser and plasma cutter from my classes here at Trine also helped me to make sure that templates were etched out on wood to the exact dimensions that needed to be cut out for the boats.”

They then laid fiberglass on the hull, covered it with an epoxy resin mixture and used sanders to make sure the fiberglass was smooth and safe for transportation purposes.

To do so, the team created a controlled environment inside Trine’s Student Design Center. Temperature and humidity were closely monitored to allow the epoxy to cure properly.

“Learning how to fiberglass and create boat structure was a challenge, but after many generations and with the help of the Trine faculty we were able to create a product the group is very proud of,” said Acres.

“We were tasked with building each boat that would be used for the competition for us as well as the other schools,” Dickman said. “With the experience we gained from the internship beforehand, we were able to build all six boats that will be used in a little under two weeks.”

Advanced work

In addition, Haylett produced an 83-page, step-by-step, technical manual that allows anyone to re-create the process.

“It includes everything from necessary tools, materials and safety equipment to gluing, cutting and stapling instructions all laid out in a logical order,” he said.

Koch said the project enhanced engineering education at Trine by exposing students to advanced diagnostic and measurement techniques. He is continuing to work with vendors to order a water tunnel and laser instrumentation, which will allow even more fundamental testing.

Through their work on the project, Siebeneck and Dickman have been hired by NWSC Crane to work after they graduate in May.

“I also learned great leadership skills,” Dickman said. “As a result, I was chosen to be an assistant captain for the ACHA D2 hockey team here on campus this year.”

Custom-built computers, lab

Students on the CSIT team designed and built five computational fluid dynamics computers and seven AI/gaming computers, all housed in a lab they also designed inside the Steel Dynamics Inc. Center for Engineering and Computing.

They also created a server that will house AI software and the databases needed to support the high-end computers.

“We completely custom-designed the room and built it to our needs,” said Brock Taulbee, a computer science and information technology major. “We have top-of-the-line equipment for both AI research and mechanical engineering research.”

Alex Kutsenok, assistant professor for computer science and information technology, led the software development.

His involvement with the project began in February 2023 with a trip to Crane. The Navy personnel he met with expressed the need for an AI simulation that could direct large numbers of autonomous ships and planes in the Gulf of Mexico.

“Artificial intelligence and multiagent systems was my personal research concentration in graduate school, and I have published multiple papers in this field since,” he said. “Consequently, I proposed to the Navy that Trine University and its highly motivated students can and would build this software simulation for them.”

Taulbee served as team lead as well as part of the research and testing team, which worked on simulations and testing for the AI. One major challenge, he said, was to keep on task in a project with such a large scope.

“It’s easy to try and jump ahead and do things that don’t have to be done right away,” he said. “Completing our milestones and staying on task was the most important thing.”

Student-driven

Kutsenok said the students are “responsible for 100% of the coding, testing and research for this project.”

“This is truly a student-driven project, where everything you see in the simulation was researched, created and tested by a Trine student,” he said.

The students have completed building the software simulation and are beginning to use it to create and train artificially intelligent agents to operate successfully in that environment. They also added the Pacific and Atlantic oceans to the simulation.

Besides technical programming skills from his CSIT major, Taulbee said he was able to apply skills he learned in his project management class to his leadership role. He hopes to eventually work in cybersecurity or AI.

“I am so proud to see this lab up and running,” he said. “I helped with the planning, but (CSIT majors) Chris (Ferguson) and Mason (Bledsoe) did an amazing job of putting it all together. I take pride in knowing this lab will be used even after I am gone from Trine.”

“Our students began this project with little knowledge of AI and maritime rules of engagement. However, as they have worked and will continue to work on this project, they are gaining a lot of experience and practice in these areas,” said Kutsenok. “I am certain that the skills they are gaining will be highly valued by any prospective employer who is looking for graduates with practical, real-world projects under their belts.”