Our team, De$ign, was tasked with developing a solution that would enable an immersive work experience in cars. By conducting extensive background research, we created a vision for a productive working experience in cars which we categorized into 4 main areas: seating, connectivity, surfaces, and storage. While each of the areas is important, we found there was pressing need for solutions in the surfaces area. In developing this surface, we explored the limitations of other existing products, namely size, placement, and stability. In order to improve in these areas, there were several major considerations that went into our design, but our primary focus was modularity. We believe the Fern to be a novel solution for productivity in cars.

Our proposed solution for working immersion in automobiles features a design comprised of a table which rolls up on the seatback in front of the user when not in use. When in use, the table is deployed using a motor and guided by the user and becomes an angled surface which rests on the user’s lab. The angle of the table can be adjusted by activating another motor which controls the height of the table. Each type of motion can be controlled using switches mounted on the user’s chair. Our chose to name our table the Fern as its shape was inspired by Fern leaves.

Our challenge was to design and manufacture an autonomous electromechanical system capable of navigating around a playing arena, sensing IR beacons, and interacting with various game board components such as plastic balls and gates -- within the time span of three weeks. This year’s challenge was themed around startup culture, wherein the robot would deliver “buzzwords” (i.e. plastic balls) to “funding rounds” (i.e. bins or receptacles for the balls) in order to advance the success of the company. A winning robot would deliver buzzwords in a set sequence or at a high enough volume.

Human Engineers Inc. is an NGO dedicated to providing prostheses care and education to amputees in the Philippines. Being part of the team allows me to mix my intellectual interests with my drive for service. I was immersed in an intensive anatomy and prostheses course led by prosthetist Michael Norell. I learned the differences between above and below knee prostheses, how to build one and to adapt each one to an individual’s body. The most rewarding part of being with the group are the missions to the Philippines. I built over 20 prostheses and personally fit them to the people who came to our clinic.

As part of this non-profit organization, we train volunteers, collect donations, and coordinate logistics with our contacts in hospitals and communities of the Philippines, with the ultimate goal of building a sustainable system for patients to access prosthetic care. We Measure, precision cast, and fit prostheses from start to finish. On the mission, our team can fit up to 50 patients per day with prosthetic limbs.

The Locomotion Laboratory in Darmstadt under the leadership and guidance of Dr. Andre Seyfarth researches and analyzes the human gait, recreates movement using models and simulations, and replicate human movement using mechanical design and robotics.

I specifically investigated a model which explained the paradox leg function in hopping. A simplified, mechanical model doesn’t correctly represent natural human gait, so I am to developed a model using Matlab and SimuLink that simulates dynamic monopeds and bipeds in a “hopping” motion using a feedforward loop that simulated the active muscle-tendon complex and changed the force of the leg as a function of the changing reaction force.

Such models could help us to design assistive systems (e.g. orthoses/prostheses), which better support human leg function as state-of-the-art running/jumping systems. This is the type of research that continues to inspire me every day. Robotics prostheses, prosthetic research, and it’s interaction with the human interface is quickly increasing in relevance, and I want to be an active part of this groundbreaking technology.

Skills: Dynamic modeling, MATLAB simulation, Working Model Simulation, 3D-Solidworks

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most recurring form of arthritis in the US, affecting over 27 million adults in its most common form: hand, hip, and knee, with the Center for Disease Control (CDC) estimating an economic impact of over $28 billion every year. The disease is characterized by degeneration of articular cartilage (AC), presence of osteophytes, and the narrowing of the joint space. Current technology detects Osteoarthritis when it is already too late. What do I mean by too late? By the time the doctors find out, the patient would need joint replacement surgery in order to relieve the pain. A procedure that can cost up to $20000.

Joint and Osteoarthritis Imaging with Novel Imaging Technology (JOINT) – working on methods to develop time-dependent cartilage deformation in vivo during weight bearing in order to see if that can be a functional indicator of cartilage health in osteoarthritis. Marc Levenston’s Soft-Tissue Biomechanics Lab - studying the structure-function relationship of the meniscus is of utmost importance to understanding the progression of OA at its initial stages and the development of early detection diagnostic tools. Together, our team can develop a protocol that can potentially detect the onset of OA and prevent drastic, invasive surgery.

The goal of the Robot Chicken project class was to create a battery-powered biomimetic robot capable of stable, autonomous bipedal locomotion for my Mechanical Systems Design. For this project, my team had the choice to model our robot after a bird or dinosaur. Our robot needed to be able to walk in a relatively straight line at a minimum speed of 2 cm/s over a portion of paved road and, as a bonus, across cobblestone.  As a team, we decided to mimic our design after a chicken and we created the Robot Chicken. Our two major priorities were stability and motor performance. Stability was important for possible movement, and motor performance was key to prevent excess battery drain.

Overall, our chicken was quite successful given its size and weight of 400.0 grams. On testing day, the chicken traversed the pavement and cobblestone without falling. The springs on the feet proved to be advantageous as the chicken walked in quite a straight path, aside from its trajectory being changed by large gaps in the pavement. Notably, our design was also awarded “Most Biomimetic” at the 2017 Living Machines Conference.

I made this fruit picker for my father on our farm in Florida. Since we were children, my brother and I had the weekly task of picking the mandarins, oranges, and lemons from the trees. One of us would climb a ladder, pick a fruit, and drop it on the ground. The other would pick it up and place it in a basket. Since my brother and I left for college we haven't been around to help. This fruit picker was made with a specific aesthetic: two pairs of hands to represent my brother and me. That way our dad will always have our support and help, even from miles away.

Using sheet metal forming techniques, milling, and turning, I created Los 'Manos Lopez.

Robotikids (our team) partnered with Abilities United on the Art tools project. AU is a Non-profit that advocates for the inclusion and independence of people with disabilities. We are worked with their art program, who presented us with a challenge of exploring designs that will allow people with disabilities the opportunity to create art more easily and independently.

Our team participants with motor impairment normally require hands-on assistance and continuous supervision when creating art. This doesn’t promote independence and strains the already few staff members in the program. The Tetris Table was designed to be both modular and assistive. With a passive Helping Hand attached to the corner, will maintain the pen upright so that the artist can simply grab on to it and move the mechanism around. I was Treasurer and Co-designer of the Table. We wanted a functional device that is also financially competitive to other art and easel set-ups.

Limitless Zoom makes products to help individuals who use wheelchairs simulate immobile parts of the body and increase mobility. Through empathy interviews with people who use wheelchairs, we found a need for increased access to movement while seated in their wheelchairs.  This issue is incredibly important because without movement not only can chronic illnesses arise, but these individuals are also limited in their recovery, as well as ability to experience movement as they may have had before. Our team was nested under the greater Stanford and national Design for America organization.