Instrumentation Laboratory Team: (clockwise from top left) Doris Yue, Bryn Murray, Lauren Chang, Lucy Jensen
2020-2021: In collaboration with Instrumentation Laboratory (IL), this student team designed a thermoregulatory ventilation system for the next generation ROTEM instrument. The ROTEM devices are point-of-care instruments that measure the viscoelastic properties of blood during coagulation. The goal of this project was to mitigate the buildup of heat in the internal ROTEM components so as to improve functionality of the next generation instrument.
The team first learned about the ROTEM devices and defined the key requirements for thermal regulation. They conducted temperature testing on the current ROTEM sigma and generated 2D and 3D models in COMSOL as a baseline of the current design. Shifting focus to the next generation device, the team created 3D models to evaluate a range of design configurations, identified the most promising solutions, and fabricated and tested the top design physically in a modified next generation prototype. The team delivered their recommended design to IL to inform the continued development of the next generation device.