2022 | Design & Fabrication of a Soft Solar-powered Robot

  • In graduate school, collaborators and I developed and proved some theory that illuminated the guiding principles for efficient soft heat engine design. To demonstrate what’s possible when leveraging efficient principles, I designed and built a soft robot that actuates with sunlight and no electronics.

  • hardware: 3D printer (FDM) • laser cutter • general shop tools
    software: SolidWorks

  • open loop feedback control • compliant mechanism design • structure design • optics design • thermodynamic analysis • extreme perseverance & patience 😮‍💨

2021 | Improving the Efficiency of Soft Steam Engines for Robotics

  • Heat is one of the simplest ways to drive actuation in soft-bodied robots… but how do you measure efficiency? This apparatus answers that question—focusing specifically on measuring the efficiency of a ​thermally-activated phase change actuator.

  • hardware: 3D printers (SLA, FDM) • laser cutter • various electronics & sensors
    software: MATLAB • Arduino • COMSOL • SolidWorks

  • electromechanical assembly design • simple feedback control • data acquisition • data analysis • structure design • 2D thermo analysis • precise measurement (e.g., temperature, motion, force, power)

2021 | Improving the Efficiency of Soft Air Motors for Robotics

  • Heat is one of the simplest ways to drive actuation in soft-bodied robots… but how do you measure efficiency? This apparatus answers that question—measuring the efficiency of ​a thermally-activated air-based actuators.

  • hardware: 3D printers (SLA, FDM) • laser cutter
    software: MATLAB • Arduino • COMSOL • SolidWorks

  • electromechanical assembly design • simple feedback control • data acquisition • data analysis • structure design • 2D thermo analysis • precise measurement (e.g., temperature, motion, force, power) • delivering on tight deadlines

2020 | High-volume Syringe Pump

  • Most soft robots do work by leveraging pressure differentials inside of a soft, elastic body. The thing is, some work is also required to deform the soft elastic body (in addition to the work required to act on external bodies). To characterize how much work is required to deform a soft robot body, I built a custom syringe pump that enabled precise control of volume and analysis of pressures.

  • hardware: 3D printers (SLA, FDM) • laser cutter
    software: MATLAB • Arduino • SolidWorks

  • electromechanical assembly design • stepper motor control • data acquisition • data analysis • structure design • sensor design (i.e., pressure, linear actuation)

2017 | Oil & Gas Manifold Design Improvement

  • Working for a small startup in college, I designed a new type of manifold to remediate cavitation issues an oil & gas customer was having. The implementation of my design is still saving that customer unfathomable amounts of money per year.

  • software: SolidWorks • SolidWorks Flow Simulation

    hardware: n/a - the client fabricated the design

  • fluid dynamics principles • computational fluid dynamics • data analysis • technical communication • design for manufacture • cost reduction

2017 | Removing Salt from Seawater Using Nanoparticles

  • In college, two optimistic (and maybe naïve) teammates and I endeavored to create an effective, low-cost, low-power method for producing potable water from seawater.

  • hardware: CNC mill • 3D printer (FDM)

    software: Solidworks • MasterCam

  • nanoparticle synthesis • Raman spectroscopy • rapid prototyping • technical communication • leadership & teamwork

2015 | Cooling System for a Formula Racecar

  • Eager for some leadership experience in college, I led the design of a cooling system for Penn State’s formula racing team. The system had to keep a 600cc motorcycle engine cool on a hot day in Michigan in both aggressive racing and endurance driving conditions.

  • hardware: lathes • end mills • sanders • drills • general shop equipment

    software: Solidworks • Excel

  • leadership • thermodynamics • molding & casting • composite fabrication • thermodynamics • rapid prototyping • teamwork

2011 | Design & Fabrication of a Hobbyist Motorcycle

  • A scary fun way to get around the neighborhood, disguised as a capstone design project. My first real foray into engineering and a defining moment in choosing what to study in college.

  • hardware: stick welder • pencil • paper

    software: n/a

  • ergonomic design • fabrication in a resource-constrained setting • structure design • welding • technical communication