Designed conductor joining system for 400 VDC, 500A, automotive environment, production of 500K units/year, and EMI minimization. Analyzed and designed for thermal, fatigue, sealing, power efficiency, corrosion, safety, assembly, and cost considerations. Designed for electroplating, die casting, CNC, overmolding, crimping. Presented design, analyses, material selections, and validation plan to a senior engineering team

Brochure

For my 2.009 Senior Capstone, I delivered an alpha prototype of 10 total devices (3 unique designs) within 6 weeks, after 3 rapid iterations of mechanical enclosures, as a leading designer in a team of 18 engineering students. Together, the system of devices optimizes search and rescue missions by providing real-time information and visualization, and these specialized devices map to the existing search team architecture for easy integration. See the brochure above for product details.

I drove electronics integration: I delivered multiple battery compartments as well as a novel surface rechargeable battery pack and compartment that accepts both AAs as well as this pack, to allow for on-the-go replacement as well as an integrated solution. I also designed tablet mounting and button interfaces. I owned waterproofing design through custom gaskets and adhesives. I created toolpaths for CNC milling using HSMWorks and supported rubber molding processes.

To finish, I presented on behalf of the team at the class product launch to over 250,000 unique viewers and 1,100 live.

For my 2.12 robotics term project, my team of 10 delivered a serial elastic actuated robot to safely help hemiplegic patients with household tasks. I owned design of the arm linkage subsystem, including the lightweight structure, low friction bearing and thrust bearing joints, and timing belt power transmission to reduce cantilevered weight.

At Aperia Technologies, I owned development of a mobile cart for testing and prototyping of new systems or components. For example, the combination of a pneumatic manifold and flow meter, terminal blocks, and a threaded bolt pattern allows easy leakage testing of a membrane. I designed every aspect of the cart, including CAD, component selection, and integration of all pneumatic, electrical, and mechanical systems. I practiced design for optimization in cost, reliability, functionality, and more -- challenging every decision along the way, such as coarse versus fine threaded screws, steel versus aluminum, thickness based deflection calculations, switching versus linear power supplies, compression versus push to connect fittings, and more. I presented at multiple design reviews with senior level engineers and practiced communicating my design decisions and implementing feedback. This was a six-week project I completed in addition to my product management duties.

At Vecna, I designed and implemented a test rig to evaluate a novel hydraulic actuator for use in a DARPA funded robot arm project. From initial CAD design to final assembly and construction of the individual muscles, the test rig was successful, lifting 200 pounds. (See Video!) Through this project, I practiced mechanism design and bolstered my understanding of hydraulics and hydraulic system construction.

At Draper, I worked with a team of interns to develop a novel autonomous mobility scooter to use as a scalable test vehicle for the main car. My primary contribution was mechanical design and manufacturing; I handled conceptualization to CAD design of the entire system, including remodeling the storebought chassis, remodeling many electronics, the mounts, extended chassis, and assembly of every component. I practiced electronics packaging design through consideration of sensor location preferences, constraints on noise interference between components, and mounting processes. I designed for manufacturing and designed for assembly, creating technical drawings of over a dozen mounts and parts that were professionally machined and 3D printed. In addition, I researched and coded base-level Lattice and RRT path planning algorithms from scratch in MATLAB, for use in comparison testing to improve efficiency and safety of path planning.

With a team of three of my peers, I took on the FIRST Tech Challenge robotics competition for two years. As team lead, I spearheaded mechanical design, engineering documentation, sponsorship relations, and outreach efforts. My significant technical contributions include overall system design, and the development of our grappling hook pulley system to lift our 30 pound robot. In addition, I volunteered at local FIRST Lego League competitions for grades 4-8 as an emcee and referee to pay it forward.

Achievements: 1st Place Alliance (State), 2nd Place Inspire Award (State), 1st Place Inspire Award (Region), Think Award (Region), Motivate Award (State), 2x Motivate Award (District)

In the 2.670 Mechanical Engineering Tools class at MIT, I turned basic stock parts into a working flashlight. An internal AAA battery, lightbulb, and aluminum casing complete a circuit when joined together, shining behind a protective acrylic lens. To make this, I utilized and received formal training in various shop tools including the lathe, CNC mill, drill press, and tap and die set.

In 2.008 (Design and Manufacturing II), I practiced design for manufacturing and CNC machining by creating a MakeMIT paperweight, which is a hackathon I had organized. I learned how to improving surface finishes and product cycle times, and practiced the process in this quick hands-on project.