JHU Engineering

Design Day

Johns Hopkins Engineering Design Day is the Whiting School’s premier event that showcases the innovative works of Hopkins engineering students. Come see how students implement their classroom knowledge, creativity, and problem-solving skills to develop inventions and processes that solve real-world problems and create a better future.​​

Congratulations to all on a fantastic 2025 event!

Information on JHU Engineering Design Day 2026 coming soon.

Schedule At-a-Glance

8:30 to 11:30 a.m. | Student Presentations
12 to 1:30 p.m. | Keynote Session and Lunch
1:30 to 3:30 p.m. | Poster Session
3:30 to 4 p.m. | Awards Presentation and Closing Remarks

Incontimend: Comfortable Management of Male Stress Urinary Incontinence

Stress urinary incontinence (SUI), for males assigned at birth, is characterized as involuntary urine leakage due to physical exertion that can severely impact the physical, mental, and social well-being of those affected, causing around 80% of patients to refuse to seek treatment. This condition can arise after a patient has undergone a prostatectomy, with nearly 71% of cases resulting in SUI. Existing treatments, such as adult diapers, can cause skin irritation and infection as well as incur a heavy financial burden. Others, like clamps, can be painful and may cause urethral diverticulum and tissue necrosis. Moreover, the artificial urinary sphincter (AUS) is prone to mechanical failure as well as cuff erosion, requiring surgery to repair and/or replace. As such, due to these inefficacies, our team seeks to create a novel and comfortable solution which patients may use to return themselves to a feeling of normalcy in their daily lives.

Gait Analysis using a High-Resolution Spatiotemporal Pressure Sensing Insole

Gait patterns are valuable biomarkers for neurological conditions. However, instrumented gait analysis (motion capture, force plates) is infeasible outside the clinic. To address this, the Thakor Lab has developed an insole sensor with sufficient resolution and sampling rates for accurate assessment of everyday patient gait.

Our project involves the analysis of this insole sensor’s data for a healthy subject and a right leg paretic stroke patient across different walking conditions. We developed pressure-based and clinically-informed anatomical segmentation methods to identify foot regions and derive novel gait metrics. We assessed metric interpretability and ease-of-adoption based on literature review and clinician input. A one-way ANOVA test and error bars were used to evaluate left-right asymmetries, inter-subject variability, and rank each metric’s predictive value.

Overall, high-resolution, high-frequency foot pressure data reveals meaningful gait differences across and within individuals. These insights align with clinical expectations and may support personalized diagnosis and rehabilitation planning.

CMOS Imager

This work presents the design, simulation, and layout of a CMOS active pixel sensor (APS) employing a three-transistor (3T) architecture with integrated column-parallel readout. Each pixel consists of a reset switch, source-follower amplifier, and row-select device, interfacing with a photodiode that generates a photocurrent proportional to incident illumination. A current-mode column readout circuit enables robust signal acquisition and biasing. Pixel functionality is validated through transient simulations utilizing modeled photocurrents and bias voltages. Row and column scanning are achieved using custom C²MOS shift registers to facilitate sequential raster readout. A 4×4 pixel array is implemented and laid out within a 2.5 mm × 2.5 mm die area, achieving full DRC and LVS compliance. The design demonstrates high fill factor, low-power operation, and scalability, providing a foundation for future monolithic CMOS imaging systems.

TACFORM

It’s a self-heating, moldable cast made from a blend of thermoplastic polyurethane and polycaprolactone. With just pull a tab, our integrated magnesium-oxide reaction heats water pouches, which consequently heats the thermoplastic layer to a malleable form. In under 10 minutes, medics can mold TACFORM directly to the limb requiring no external technology or long times to set. When hardened, it is stronger than traditional casts. Our design is also waterproof, breathable, and makes kits easily portable to desired locations.