Maria E. Kloiber

Browse my software and mechanical engineering projects below

Soft Robotic Glove for Hand Rehabilitation

A wearable device that automates physical therapy exercises, Oct 2021 - Dec 2021

A wearable device that automates physical therapy exercises for regaining hand muscle function after a stroke or injury. It is controlled by an EMG sensor that detects user muscle activation. Once activation is detected, the silicone pneumatic actuators on the backs of the glove's finger compartments are inflated with an electric pump to induce finger flexion.

Autonomous Sanitation Device

Prototype of a sanitizer robot for cleaning tables and counters, Feb 2021 - May 2021

Designed and built an autonomous robot that cleans and sanitizes raised surfaces like tables and countertops to reduce the exposure of human cleaning staff to common-use surfaces during the COVID-19 pandemic. For the cleaning apparatus, we rewired an automatic spray bottle and combined it with a windshield wiper inspired mechanism to which we attached a reusable rag.

Reconstructing Seen Images from Brain Activity Data

A capstone research study, Feb 2020 - May 2020

Worked with two others on replicating and improving an existing algorithm that uses sparse linear regression to decode original seen images from fMRI data (data recorded while test subjects were viewing said images) and uses convolutional neural networks to reconstruct those images.

Color Sorting Robotic Arm

A mobile robotic arm that detects and sorts items by color, Nov - Dec 2019

I worked with 2 other people to design, build, program, and test a robotic arm that randomly wanders around an enclosed area, identifies objects, then picks them up and sorts them by color category.

Automated Self-Experimentation System to Encourage Health Behavior Changes

A research project involving a user research study, UI development, and data analysis Jun - Aug 2019

As part of a summer research internship, I experimented with data visualization improvements for an app that guides people through self-experiments to create personalized health behavior change recommendations. I also analyzed user data from a sleep-focused version of the app, and ran a user study with U.S. military veterans for that same app.

Self-Administering Oral and Maxillofacial Muscle Rehabilitation Tool

A muscle training and strengthening tool for stroke patients, Jan 2019

At this point in the development process, my team has finished the 3rd prototype for our adjustable tension band headset designed to strengthen and train muscles in the jaw and mouth. Additionally, we have conducted testing with 30 human subjects and are waiting on IRB approval to test with real stroke patients. Next steps also include filing a patent with the US Patent and Trademark Office.

PassCessibility

A secure password generator for people who can only type with one hand, Nov - Dec 2018

Used Hadoop WebMapReduce and C++ to create an application that generates secure passwords for those who only have motor function (for typing on a standard QWERTY keyboard) in one hand. Includes an option to choose whether you have left- or right-hand capabilities. Worked with one other person.

Evaluating the Effectiveness of Computational Disease Treatment Identification

A NSF-sponsored research project, Jun - Aug 2018

I participated in an REU (Research Experience for Undergraduates) at the University of Minnesota where I worked with a computational biology professor and a PhD student to improve an algorithm that identifies existing drugs that can be re-purposed to treat new diseases. My specific role in the project was to parallelize the algorithm and design simulations to test the effectiveness and runtime of the algorithm.

3ML

A new domain-specific language for music composition, Nov - Dec 2017

I created a Domain Specific Language that allows users to easily generate musical scores by typing out a list of note names. Worked in a team of three and used Python to develop the parser and generate the graphics.

Protein Sequence Alignment and Replication on Intel Xeon Phi Coprocessors

A research project in bioinformatics, June - Aug 2017

I led a research project investigating the replicability of a previous study that examined protein sequence alignment and the relative performance of the Smith Waterman algorithm on different cluster configurations of Xeon Phi coprocessors.

Linux Ladies App

An application aimed at helping women in tech, April - May 2017

This application was developed in C++, using OpenGL for the user interface. It includes a database of scholarships and internships, many geared towards women and other underrepresented minorities in computer science and the field of technology. It also includes a forum so that users of the app can connect and network, as well as share advice.

"Headache" Cluster

A Beowulf cluster, Feb - May 2017

This is a 2-node cluster developed with OpenMPI. I handled all aspects of cluster setup including hardware connection, software installation, configuration, and troubleshooting.

 

Gender and Political Party as Predictors for Attitudes towards Homosexuality

A statistical study conducted in R, Nov - Dec 2016

This was a research and statistical study conducted in R. I used t-tests, chi-square tests, linear regression tests and ANOVA tests of variance to analyze data from an annual survey conducted in Houston amongst the city’s residents. My aim was to explore the relationship between gender and attitudes towards homosexuality, and [political party affiliation and attitudes towards homosexuality.

Polethia.com

A bipartisan domestic and international political news site, Aug 2015 - Nov 2016

I collaborated with several other students from around the country to develop a site that would provide concise but comprehensive profiles on the 2016 presidential election candidates. As we were a group of students from across the country with a variety of different political beliefs, we were able to make sure that the information provided on each candidate was fair and unbiased. Since then, we have expanded to detailing different international events and analyzing both sides of popular domestic policy issues.