Baja Transfer Case + Inboard Braking 2021Johns Hopkins University - Baja SAE Team
Objective: Design and manufacture a transfer case for a Baja SAE off-road racing vehicle featuring 4WD output and the team's first attempt at inboard braking. Knowledge and Skills Used:
Result: While it follows the same overall concept of the classic Baja gearbox, my transfer case stands out by implementing inboard braking and using both custom spur and spiral bevel gears. In this iteration, the ratio was changed from 7.1:1 to 7.5:1 to provide more torque to the ground and improve the vehicles hill climb performance. This decision was made while considering the top speed decrease, but determined to be the most effective course of action. Additionally, the oil sealing solution was redesigned to include designated fill and drain holes and a cork gasket is used to seal together the clamshell sides of the case. New in my design, as well, is alignment pins to ensure that the gears perform as designed with the maximum lifetime achievable. Using a combination of hand calculations for stress, deflection, and fatigue, FEAs, KISSsoft gear analysis, and rethought gear-stage ratios, my transfer case as a whole is over 6 lbs lighter than the previous iteration, even with the addition of inboard braking. My transfer case design will begin manufacturing shortly and will be used to power the 2021-2022 Blue Jay Racing car at competitions throughout the country. 
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Shifter + Torque Limiter 2021Johns Hopkins University - Baja SAE Team
Objective: Design, analyze, and manufacture a mechanism to select between 2WD/4WD on a Baja SAE car while limiting the maximum load experienced by the drivetrain. Knowledge and Skills Used:
Result: The previous shifter mechanism suffered from frequent reliability issues and was difficult to maintain. My version removes cantilevered shafts and utilizes a modified shifter mechanism to avoid binding in the muddy conditions found at competition. By installing a torque limiter, using hand calculations considering maximum stresses and fatigue, and implementing FEA based optimization, I was able to lighten the dogs by over a pound. My design has been frozen and the manufacturing process has begun. I am excited to put my design to use on the upcoming Baja car. 
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MARVIN 2018World Maker Faire 2018
Objective: Construct a wooden, robotic, 15-foot-tall, artificial intelligence driven Connect 4 game for play at the New York City World Maker Faire. Knowledge and Skills Used:
Result: MARVIN became the top hit at the World Maker Faire in NYC in 2018. It was featured in over a dozen separate publications about the faire and won Editors' Choice and Best in Class awards. It also hold the unofficial world record for the largest Connect-4 board. Reflection: For about a year, my friend Jonathan and I spent our weekends in the garage building MARVIN's components, and at the beginning of the summer we constructed him for the first time. Using a 4 foot pole, a human player places an 11 inch diameter colored game disk at the top of the column of their choosing. The disk placement is recorded by optical sensors that transmit its location to an Arduino. On September 22 and 23 MARVIN was displayed at the New York Hall of Science as part of the "Greatest Show (and Tell) on Earth". During setup, we encountered some fundamental issues related to our use of infrared sensors in the outdoors (they don't work). However, no problem is too large when you have access to the brainstorming power of hundreds of makers with great ideas. Together, we came up with a few creative hacks (thanks Mike from Hackaday) that fixed our problem. Once Marvin was up and running, he started winning: finishing the weekend with a winning percentage of 78% (better than any Major League Baseball season record in history). Kids and adults alike flocked from around the fair to come play him and although usually defeated, they walked away happy. Marvin became a huge crowd pleaser and received four Editors' Choice awards. Read More About This Project Here |
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Operation 2019Philadelphia Maker Faire 2019
Objective: Create a supersized version of the Hasbro game "Operation," modernized with an electronic 3 axis CNC-style arm to give it a remote surgery twist. Knowledge and Skills Used:
Result: The operation game was a big hit at the Philadelphia Maker Faire and was recruited to numerous other exhibitions. We were featured in many tech-oriented publications and used our platform to promote large scale at home engineering and design projects. Read More About This Project Here |
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RFiClimb 2017My partner, Jonathan Roach, and I are pleased to announce that we have licensed our technology to Climbalytics. A consumer version is now available!
World Maker Faire 2017
Objective: Create the world's first RFID based rock climbing tracking system for production and implementation in rock gyms. Knowledge and Skills Used:
Result: At the 2017 World Maker Faire, RFiClimb received a "Best in Class" award and three Editors' Choice awards. Additionally, a further developed version of the product is now available for purchase commercially. Read More About This Project Here |
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Wooden Sailboat
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Pneumatic Road Tube Sensor 2020Johns Hopkins University - Baja SAE Team
Objective: Create a self contained and portable device to measure the time that it takes for a vehicle to travel 100 feet. Knowledge and Skills Used:
Result: This project was a success and the device is now in use for testing and data acquisition of various JHU Baja SAE vehicles. |
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Carbon Fiber Steering Wheel 2020Johns Hopkins University - Baja SAE Team
Objective: Design and layup a carbon fiber steering wheel for the Johns Hopkins Baja SAE car. Knowledge and Skills Used:
Result: The steering wheel was a success and is currently in operation on a JHU Baja SAE vehicle. |
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Freshman Fall Design Project 2020Johns Hopkins University
Objective: Design and build a device to catch a falling egg, transport the egg horizontally and vertically by a specified distance, then release the egg. Knowledge and Skills Used:
Result: Device transported an egg as desired and was presented and defended in front of the mechanical engineering design class. |
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Wooden Car 2020Objective: Design and manufacture a gasoline engine propelled wooden car to carry two people around campus.
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Result: The car drove well and was used to provide rides around campus for up to three people as part of a fundraising operation. A few years later, after working on a the JHU Baja car, it is interesting to see both what we did well and where this wooden vehicle was lacking. All in all, I am very happy with the result of this project given the budget, resources, and tools we had at our disposal. Read More About This Project Here |
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Electronic Saxophone 2016World Maker Faire 2016
Objective: Design and manufacture an electronic saxophone with proper tone production and breath sensitivity. Knowledge and Skills Used:
Result: The Electronic Saxophone won two Editors' Choice awards and a "Best in Class" award from the 2016 World Maker Faire in New York. According to PC Magazine, it was one of "The Coolest Projects at Maker Faire 2016." Read More About This Project Here |
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