Work Experience
Nike – Nike Explore Team (NXT)
June 2021 – Present
Responsibilities / Taskss
Operated in a multi-faceted role using robotics to quickly research and develop innovations for materials exploration, development, testing, and manufacturing.
Worked through innovation cycle: Ideate, design, prototype, validate, present, refine, transition, repeat.
Owned long-term program to create new methods of make using robotics and automation to drive new design capabilities and reduce carbon impact
Built a platform for real-time control of Universal Robotics robots for next-generation textile development
Scripted components in Python and C# within Rhino and Grasshopper to integrate robot motion, 3D scanner, and a linear slider into a single workflow– Designed parts with intent to manufactur
Used pointcloud data from a Gocator 3D camera to orient robot and target using the GoSDK
Designed various robot accessories in Solidworks and manufactured them using a CNC and 3D printers
Bear Flag Labs – Bearflaglabs.com
March 2023 – Present
Built a creative engineering firm to tackle personal projects and help others create products and experiences.
Engineered robot cell from ideation to prototype for brewery to dispense beverages from a tap and display interactive messages to bar patrons using Python for the state machine and NX for mechanical design.
Designed hands-free pet treat dispenser for sanitary on-the-go training.
AB Controls – Mechanical Automation Engineer Intern
June 2020 – May 2021
I’m worked as an engineering intern at AB Controls. AB Controls provides custom automation solutions for many companies in Biotech, Aerospace, and Defense
Responsibilities / Tasks:
– Designed an ergonomic mechanical unit tester for client product
– Made a custom color sensor for interaction with a PLC
– Designed parts with intent to manufacture
– Generated bill of materials and part drawings for manufacturing
– Spec’d and sourced optical, pressure, and flow sensors for various test requirements
– Gained hands-on experience for sourcing and manufacturing
– Managed a client to develop a custom automation solution
– Developed experiments to meet the testing requirements of the client proposal
Overall, the position was very hands-on and required me to use a large variety of skills, both technical and professional, to solve the unique challenges of the client. I was able to familiarize myself with industrial sensors and test equipment and work with pneumatic systems and programmable logic controllers(PLCs) during my time at AB Controls.
Vusar – CAD Software Engineer
November 2018 – July 2020
From intern to stakeholder and lead for a team of four, I’ve been directly involved in many stages of growth at Vusar where I was required to wear many hats.
Responsibilities / Tasks:
– Lead aspects of the product from conception to launch
– Used python to develop back-end services for CAD files for use in the augmented reality space
– Worked with various libraries and SDKs from Autodesk, Cadexchanger, Pixar, and Blender
– Modeled 3D objects for testing in the app in many different file formats and programs including Solidworks, 3ds Max, Fusion360, and OnShape
– Managed implementation of multi-threaded processes
– Automated code deployment to AWS servers using Docker
Vusar is an early stage startup on the UC Irvine campus. Their goal is to bridge the technical gap between design engineers and their non-technical peers by enabling 3D CAD models to turn into a visual augmented reality experience. Their tool enables quick and easy design reviews at a 1:1 scale using only a mobile phone. My role in the early stages of this company were crucial to its foundation.
Academic Research
Optimization of Tensegrity Structures for Impact Attenuation
January 2020 – Current
I recently submitted a conference paper to the 2021 AIAA Scitech Forum on the Optimization of Double-helix Tensegrity(DHT) structures for impact load attenuation of payloads. I built on previous research to add more design variables for the optimization. I employed the ga function in MATLAB Optimization Toolbox to find an optimal ellipsoidal and cylindrical DHT topology. Seen in the adjacent figure is the converged result for the ellipsoidal DHT.
The goal was to find a geometry that would reduce the impact acceleration of a central payload(the DHT essentially acts as an exoskeleton) for packages dropped from drones. The convergence graph was generated using the Pandas python library. The red bar represents the final result.
Final Paper: https://arc.aiaa.org/doi/pdf/10.2514/6.2021-0563
Synthesis of kinematic linkages – MAE 245
Here is an example of a four-legged walker designed using a Jansen-style RR leg mechanism that I designed for one of my graduate school courses. I designed the legs in GeoGebra(left) and then modeled them in Solidworks. The linkages are manufactured using laser-cut acrylic, shaft collars, and brass tubes. The goal of this class is to explore kinematic linkage design and how to apply it in the real world.
Additional Projects
Open-source Custom Autonomous Drone
Case Study / Build: May 2020 – Current
Personal project with a goal to build a DIY modular autonomous quadcopter comparable to commercial variants. Click here to see the interactive 3D Model(available in AR)
Skills I learned / applied to this project:
Mechanical design for manufacturing (3D Printing)
Design for easy augmentation
OpenCV Haar cascade face recognition using Python
Arducopter setup with OpenHD
Features of this quadcopter include:
Digital 1080p HD Live Video feed at 1+ Km
Autonomous waypoint missions
20+ minute flight time
500g paylaod capacity
Modular design
Expandable, programmable, companion flight computer (Raspberry Pi 3B+)
>>> Learn more <<<
Autonomous Naval Buoy Design Project
September 2019 – March 2020
My contributions to this project include designing a control system with PID control, wiring up and calibrating magnetometer and GPS modules, implementing a Kalman filter to reduce input noise and fuse sensor data, and programming the buoy to act as a server from which it can be remotely monitored and controlled in realtime.
SmartSip – The Smart Water Bottle
SD Hacks 2018 – Hardware Product Design
Goal:Develop an unobtrusive smart water bottle that connects to fitness platforms such as Google Fit
to help user manage water intake. Integrate safety features to protect user from burns as well as maps feature to help user locate nearest refill station.
Knowledge gained / Skills Used:
◦ Working with serial interface over Bluetooth using Arduino and Android Studio.
◦ Designing and 3D printing SolidWorks model and integrating a circuit into the part.
◦ Programming temperature sensor, ultrasonic sensor, and buzzer in Arduino C to track data in real time and provide a helpful user experience using I2C Interface.
PID Controlled Pressure Driven Robot
Spring 2019
My tasks involved writing the PID and implementing the sensor input / solenoid output involved in robot movement using the onboard Arduino Uno.
Turbofan Engine Simulator
Fall 2019
Smart-Assistant-Controlled Lightbar
Jan 2020 – Personal Project
