HAZ-I (Make 2 Innovate - ISU)

Overview - HAZ-I

This Project is a Tech Elective flipped classroom project. It's funded by ISU M2I and the Iowa Space Grant Consortium. Students sign up for teams and/or projects, set goals and deliverables, and develop solutions or ideas to complete them. The team I was on was HAZ-I, or Helmet Integrated Augmented Zone Interface. We are utilizing augmented reality and projector systems, as well as fiber optics, to create a heads-up display (HUD) for space suit helmets. I was the Mechanical team lead in charge of both design and manufacturing of our components. The semester I was on was very manufacturing and design-heavy, with a focus on less software-oriented topics. We focused on developing the framework, assembling the rig to store and work on it, and several other components designed and built. The project is a ~4-semester goal project and has met or exceeded all deliverables up to this point. I am excited to see what the team accomplishes in the semesters to come.

August 2025

When I joined this project, it had only been funded for one semester, with plans for at least four more semesters. At this point, there was still a lot to be done, and very little tangible work or physical items to show for the effort completed at this stage. The primary goal of the semester was to complete the remaining sXEMU and resolve any issues from the previous semester. Below you can see some images of what we have built up to this point.

My Main Focus

As the Mechanical Team Lead, I was responsible for both design and manufacturing, as well as communication with our professors and final deliverables. I spent a lot of time helping get our design read for the assembly rig, HUT, DCU, Headlamp, New helmet Bubble, and some others. I then delegated and assigned members to specific areas, as well as myself, in areas where I felt we would best fit. Most of my time was spent working with my team member, Aaron, on the assembly rig (aluminum storage) and a new helmet bubble. I had been told the helmet bubble was an easy fix based on what was believed to be the problem. This ended up not being the case, and the issue was actually easier but completely different. I ended up switching materials from acrylic to industry-standard GP polycarbonate, as well as reducing thickness from 1/8" to 1/16". This proved effective, but the vacuum former was actually quite old and had been in a dusty environment. Aaron and I fixed the pressure or seal on our metal plates and tested to ensure the pressure reading on the machine was accurate. This worked wonderfully, and so we were able to form it. However, we now encounter an issue known as "crazing" in our material. This is caused by moisture inside the polycarbonate, and when heating, stretching, and cooling occur, localized white stress bubbles form in the material, making it hazy or opaque. We eventually discovered that this is very common in our material and realized we had to dry it, but the issue was that we didn't have a large enough oven to do so. We ultimately made it work after several attempts with the vacuum former and successfully created a clear, nearly perfect bubble, which is now being used on our model inside the helmet's collar.

December 2025

At this point, my undergraduate degree is coming to a close, and my time on HAZ-I is over. I thoroughly enjoyed working with this team and on this project, as I hope to get involved in the space industry. I learned a great deal and worked with some exceptional people. I received an award and gained valuable experience that I plan to apply in the industry after graduation. Please enjoy some images of the team's work as of the end of the Fall 2025 semester. Plans to progress include getting software up and rolling and better integrated into the HUD, as well as finishing manufacturing of the rest of the sXEMU.

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