Dr. Erkan Kaplanoglu and graduate student Chase Guttu demonstrate their device in the Engineering and Computer Science Building. Photo by Angela Foster.
Innovation requires inspiration, and for graduate student Chase Guttu and Dr. Erkan Kaplanoglu in the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga College of Engineering and Computer Science, all they needed to do was look at their hands.
Guttu is pursuing a master’s degree in engineering management with a power concentration. Along with Kaplanoglu, a professor and head of the Department of Engineering Management and Technology, he has been creating an innovative way to grip parts on a production line.
In collaboration with JTEKT North America, the two have designed, developed and fabricated a prototype for factory use.
JTEKT is a manufacturing company that develops high-tech automotive products, including steering systems, bearings, machine tools and mechatronics.
Lance Ferguson, director of engineering and innovation at JTEKT North America, said the company’s advanced manufacturing group identified robotic gripping applications that needed improvement.
“We had met with Dr. Kaplanoglu and understood his background with prosthetics and things like that,” Ferguson said. “We were just curious as to whether that kind of knowledge could help in certain situations that were a little difficult. We have a lot of cases where you had something people used to do and then you put a robot there.
“Everything about it was designed around people and the dexterity of people’s hands. We were just trying to understand what you could do in terms of robotic gripping to simulate things that people might’ve done in terms of how you hold apart, rotate apart, those kinds of things.”
Kaplanoglu often referenced his own hands for the functionality required.
“It’s unique whenever we are stuck somewhere or when he’s working on it, I will show my three fingers—hey, we need to do this,” Kaplanoglu said. “It’s like basically we always have a model, which is our real hands.”
Kaplanoglu has worked on numerous research projects in the UTC Biomechatronics and Assistive Technology Lab. Some of the projects he has developed include an exoskeleton for post-stroke rehabilitation, an algorithm that predicts prosthetic hand orientation for different grasps using machine learning, and a continuum robot for finger rehabilitation.
Ferguson said Kaplanoglu’s expertise in prosthetics provided a perfect match for collaboration.
“We brought the experience from our prosthetics to that field,” Kaplanoglu said. “That’s why we look at our fingers to be inspired. We already have it and our body has it. We try to copy that motion or algorithm control for our system. We combine biomechatronic systems with automation.”
Chase Guttu and Dr. Erkan Kaplanoglu
Guttu said he sometimes got stuck during the process. He filled boxes with parts and defective prototypes, but said one of the main lessons he learned from the project was the necessity of trial and error.
“Most of the things that I’ve designed in the past were just single parts,” he said. “Getting stuff to work together was my biggest struggle. It was all iterative, meaning I would print a part, print the other part and then test it. If one of the parts didn’t fit, I would swap out some dimensions and then do it again.
“Not the most efficient, but I learned a lot doing that to the point where this design, getting this powered and moving almost took a year. Then, in about three or four weeks, I ended up getting that other design completely done and working.”
Even though the project was challenging at times, he said working on it provided him with an incredible opportunity.
“First, I got my internship out of it,” Guttu said. “Second, I got a lot more experience than I would have if I hadn’t gotten this opportunity. This thing (gripper) taught me way more than any other projects I’ve done so far. It’s given me the ability to work on other projects. We just started working on another project with a different gripper for another company.
“I got to meet a bunch of people I never would have met otherwise. I got to meet all the people at JTEKT. It was good seeing them … just lots of opportunities.”
Kaplanoglu came away impressed with Guttu’s ability to balance his responsibilities. Starting the project as an undergraduate student, Guttu had to balance classes and the project.
“He did well and he focused like the partner of that research topic,” Kaplanoglu said. “I told him that, hey, you can lead that system. I always give him some 3D designs. I just shared my ideas and he designed it in an hour.
“He’s very good at designing, especially 3D design. Our system is innovative, so it’s not like you can find any product like this in the market or in any literature.”
The hard work paid off, as JTEKT was impressed with the design and functionality of the prototype.
“The prototype accomplished the proof of concept to be able to demonstrate the concept, even though it’s not really hardened and as it’s designed,” Ferguson said.
“Just being able to demonstrate a working concept in real life; they came over here and installed it and showed us how to use it, and all those kinds of things. I think that was successful.”
Dr. Kumar Yelamarthi, dean of the College of Engineering and Computer Science, said the project reflects the college’s emphasis on connecting faculty and students with industry partners to solve engineering problems.
“At UTC CECS, innovation begins with curiosity, connection, and creating value,” Yelamarthi said. “Dr. Kaplanoglu and Chase Guttu’s work with JTEKT North America is a powerful example of how our faculty and students turn everyday inspiration, like the movement of a hand, into transformative engineering solutions. This is the kind of ingenuity that defines our college and prepares our students as they enter the engineering workforce to real-world challenges.”
Along with a successful prototype delivered to JTEKT, Kaplanoglu explained that working with undergraduate students opened his eyes to new opportunities.
“I’m really proud of him,” he said. “I plan to work with more undergrad students in my lab. If they show the right direction, given a good path, I mean, we don’t need to play until they get a Ph.D. or master’s.”
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College of Engineering and Computer Science
Biomechatronics and Assistive Technology Lab
Dr. Erkan Kaplanoglu and graduate student Chase Guttu
