I like studying robotic systems, working on things with my hands, and spending time in nature. I believe in synergy between human and machine. And by taking inspiration from nature, I hope to translate my passion for sciences and arts into more human-centric technology.
In this project, I model the mechanics of a passively driven Compass-Gait Walker and its impact dynamics as it traverses down an inclined slope. Above is a plot of its inner-leg angle as the road grade (gamma) is varied. As the road grade increases, the robot walker begins to exihibit bifurcated periodic motion, and eventually — chaos!
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Here is a video of the compass-gait walker, showing its simulated dynamics in action.
In this project, I use reinforcement learning to train an AI agent to play the game of Tetris. Click on the video to see it in action!
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I designed and built this CNC milling machine when I was 15yrs old. The machine was designed with cost and availability of parts in mind, using commonly available parts from the hardware store. In addition to the mechanical design of the machine, I also designed all of the electronics and firmware necessary to control and operate it.
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Schematic of the motor drivers designed for the CNC Machine.
Here I am modeling current flow and equipotential lines within a thin-film resistor. Solved using FEA with FlexPDE software.
Measuring voltage at three points along the perimeter of a thin-film resistor, it is possible to locate an object serving as a source within the bounds of the film. Note that the object of interest has a conductive base, which appears as a rectangular 'inclusion' in the equipotential plot.
An inverted pendulum system balanced by closed-loop control, designed through system identification root-locus techniques. Demonstration in UC Santa Barbara controls lab.
This is a concept design I made for a handheld measurement device. The design focused on ergonomics, hence featuring a stippled rubber sleeve, two easily accessed thumb buttons, a magnetic charging/data port, and a large physical dial on the top face. Designed and rendered using Rhino.
How does one reference a tool to a deformable soft surface? By applying a matrix of fiducial markers, it is possible to create a high-precision motion tracking system along a deformable surface. Even a low-cost webcam shown here is capable of delivering sub-millimeter precision when its physical relations are appropriately leveraged.
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Typical SMD soldering work done under the microscope. This was a PCB designed for a past project. 0402 components shown here were among the finest-pitched packages soldered for this board, alongside some BGA bluetooth modules. For the best solder joints, my preferred method is to first tin all solder pads; then with a generous amount of tacky flux, tack down components, and solder with a heat gun. This method does not require solder paste and delivers clean repeatable results!
Shown above is how I often rapidly prototype with medium to high pitch surface-mounted devices without ordering a custom PCB design. Kapton® tape is utilized as a surface for gluing down SMT devices and serves as an insulation barrier between devices and the perf-board. Short lengths of magnet wire with meltable insulation are then used to make point-to-point solder connections. This method is fast, robust, and sidesteps the turnaround time of custom order PCBs!
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