Projects

PROJECT 01

APEX

Autonomous Precision Exploration

ROS 2 Raspberry Pi 5 RP2040 3D Printed

Overview

What is APEX?

APEX is a fully custom quadruped robot built from the ground up — frame, electronics, firmware, and software stack. Runs ROS 2 on a Raspberry Pi 5 as the main compute unit, with four dedicated RP2040 microcontrollers handling per-leg PID control at low latency. Built as a capable autonomous platform for navigating uneven terrain with an eventual sensor payload.

Details

Key Components

3 DOF High-Torque Legs

Each of APEX's four legs has three independently controlled joints — hip roll, hip pitch, and knee — giving the robot twelve degrees of freedom in total. Every joint is driven by a GoBilda planetary gear motor with a 99.5:1 reduction ratio, delivering high torque at low speed for precise, powerful movement across uneven terrain.

Custom PCB & Enclosure

Rather than a tangle of wires and breadboards, APEX uses a custom-designed PCB to manage power distribution and signal routing across all twelve motor controllers. The board is designed to handle the high current demands of running twelve motors simultaneously while keeping the electronics compact and reliable. Additionally, the dual boards are housed in an enclosure designed for optimal portability, modularity, simplicity, and functionality.

Open-Source Code Repository

All of APEX's software is publicly available on GitHub. The full codebase covers inverse kinematics, gait generation, PID motor control, IMU stabilization, GPS navigation, and live camera streaming. The CAD will be published once the build is complete. The goal is for APEX to be a real reference that other students can actually build on without starting from zero.

ROS 2

APEX runs on ROS 2, using its publish-subscribe architecture to handle communication between the robot's major systems. Navigation commands, joint targets, and operating mode changes are all passed between nodes over typed topics, keeping each subsystem decoupled and independently manageable. A multi-threaded executor runs the controller and stream server nodes in parallel, allowing the gait loop, camera stream, and telemetry monitoring to all operate concurrently without blocking each other. Using ROS 2 also sets the foundation for future expansion — adding new sensors, a SLAM module, or an ML-based perception node becomes a matter of writing a new node and connecting it to the existing topic graph rather than rewiring the entire codebase.

3D Printed Chassis

The majority of APEX's structural components are 3D printed in carbon fiber reinforced PETG, chosen for its combination of stiffness, impact resistance, and printability. The parts were designed specifically for FDM manufacturing, with wall thicknesses, infill, and orientations optimized for the load paths each component experiences during walking.

[ Battery / Power Photo ]

Power System

Main power: LiperiAir 5000mAh 3S 80C LiPo. Logic power: Liperior 3500mAh 2S 25C LiHV. Charged with a Gens Ace D300 dual-channel charger.

GPS-based Guidance

In autonomous mode, APEX uses a HGLRC M100 GPS module and an onboard compass to navigate to real-world waypoints. The navigation system computes a bearing from the robot's current coordinates to the target, calculates the heading error, and feeds a turn command into the gait controller to steer the robot in the right direction. It is the foundation for the fully autonomous outdoor navigation planned for future development.

Inverse Kinematics

Rather than manually specifying motor angles, APEX uses a custom inverse kinematics engine to compute the correct joint angles for any given foot position in 3D space. Given a target X, Y, Z coordinate for the foot, the IK solver works backwards through the leg geometry to find the exact roll, pitch, and knee angles needed to put the foot there. This runs in real time across all four legs on every step, and is what makes smooth, adaptable walking possible.

PROJECT 02

GoKart

Fully Functional Gas GoKart Designed for Looks and Performance

Fabrication CAD Design 3D Printing

Overview

About This Model

Custom gas go-kart engineered for both aesthetics and structural reliability. Primary contributions include CAD design, 3D printing, and hands-on fabrication and assembly.

Build Details

Key Components

Custom Brake

Engineered a highly responsive braking system optimized for heat dissipation and reliable stopping power. The brake assembly was carefully modeled to integrate seamlessly into the tight clearances of the rear axle drivetrain.

Custom Front Spoiler

Designed a custom aerodynamics-inspired front body wing using 3D CAD modeling. The spoiler was optimized for functional impact-resistance and split into modular components for easier 3D printing and assembly.

Rear Fins

Rear stabilizer fins modeled to add a racing-inspired aesthetic to the vehicle's trailing edge, with clearance maintained from exhaust paths.

PROJECT 03

RoboArm

4-DOF Robotic Arm

Servo Control CAD 3D Printed Inverse Kinematics

Overview

What is RoboArm?

RoboArm is a 4 DOF robotic arm designed and fabricated entirely in-house. It's capable of pick-and-place tasks, basic sorting operations, and teleoperated manipulation. The whole arm is controlled by an Raspberry Pi Pico running custom inverse kinematics firmware with a remote running off of a NRF52840.

Build Details

Key Components

Fully CAD-Designed

Every single millimetric detail of the robot was engineered from the ground up using advanced 3D CAD modeling. The full virtual assembly integrates the complex multi-axis arm, the intricate 4-bar linkage of the claw, and the heavy-duty chassis plate. By simulating clearances, pivot points, and hardware tolerances before a single part was manufactured, the design ensures seamless mechanical fitment and zero structural play.

End Effector

Servo-driven 4-bar linkage claw at the end of the arm. The linkage geometry keeps the jaws parallel throughout the full gripping range, maximizing contact with target objects. Driven by a high-torque servo.

Mecanum Wheels

Chassis uses Mecanum wheels driven by independent motors. Angled peripheral rollers allow omnidirectional movement — strafing, diagonal translation, and in-place rotation — without requiring the chassis to reorient.

Inverse Kinematic Model for Precision

Operating a multi-segment robotic arm requires more than just guessing motor angles. The robot utilizes a custom inverse kinematics (IK) engine that maps the exact 3D coordinate space of the target. By calculating the geometry of the two-segment arm in real time, the IK solver instantly translates a desired X, Y, Z destination into precise angular commands for the joint servos, ensuring fluid, straight-line paths and pinpoint accuracy during manipulation tasks.

Long-Lasting and Reliable Power System

High-capacity power distribution network supplying the drivetrain and servo loads. Regulated to provide clean isolated power to logic controllers while maintaining a high-current supply to motors.

PROJECT 04

Engine/Transmission Model

Functional Scale Mechanical Model

CAD 3D Printed Mechanical Design

Overview

About This Model

A scale functional model of a V8 engine paired with a 2-speed manual transmission. All pistons, connecting rods, crankshaft, camshaft, and gear selector are fully operational — turn on the DC motor, which simulates running the engine, and watch every component cycle through its motion. Modeled entirely in Fusion 360 and printed in PLA with manufacturing tolerances in mind.

This project grew out of wanting to truly understand how an engine and gearbox work together mechanically. Building it forced me to learn primarily about the various components of a transmission including the clutch and selector as well as different designs of transmissions.

Build Details

Key Components

Fully CAD-Designed

Every phase of this mechanical assembly was engineered from scratch in Autodesk Fusion to replicate real-world automotive architecture. The complete digital twin integrates the reciprocating engine components, a functional friction-style clutch, and a selectable two-speed gearbox into a single cohesive system. Designing the assembly digitally allowed for precise motion-linking and interference checking, ensuring that moving parts interact exactly as intended before sending them to the 3D printer.

Many Components

Features dozens of individual parts including a segmented crankshaft, connecting rods, pistons, clutch plates, shift forks, and custom-keyed gears. Component count reflects the mechanical complexity of a real powertrain assembly.

Tight Tolerances & Design for Manufacturing

Bringing a highly dynamic, multi-part mechanism to life using 3D printing requires strict adherence to Design for Manufacturing (DFM) principles. Every component was modeled with real-world FDM print tolerances in mind, optimizing slicing orientations, wall thicknesses, and structural infills. The result is a smooth-running system with incredibly tight tolerances—eliminating excessive play in the gear mesh and linkages while ensuring components slip together perfectly straight off the print bed.

Functional/Educational Model

Mounted on a clear acrylic baseplate. Driven by a controllable DC motor, the model demonstrates the full power transmission path — piston reciprocation, clutch engagement, and gear ratio selection — in a visible, interactive format.

PROJECT 05

Wind-Powered Magnet Generator

Experimental Alternative Energy System

Electromagnetics Aerodynamics 3D Printing Rapid Prototyping

Overview

Project Scope

An experimental exploration into wind energy capture and electromagnetic induction. Built completely from scratch, this project combines a custom aerodynamic rotor assembly with a custom-wound permanent magnet generator topology to convert ambient airflow into measurable electrical potential.

Build Details

Key Components

Wind Turbine Rotor Design

The mechanical front-end features custom-designed turbine blades optimized to capture kinetic wind energy at low startup speeds. Modeled with proper aerodynamic lift profiles and pitch angles, the rotor assembly was 3D printed to achieve structural balance and minimal rotational friction along its primary drive shaft alignment.

Permanent Magnet Generator Core

The electric powertrain utilizes an array of powerful permanent magnets spinning past a fixed cluster of copper wire stator coils. As the magnetic flux cuts across the turns of the coils, it induces an alternating current (AC) according to Faraday's Law of Induction, isolating mechanical components from the electrical generation path.

Performance & Optimization Tuning

Initial benchmarks under test workloads yielded a peak output of approximately 0.5V. Analysis indicates that performance can be dramatically accelerated by refining internal structural tolerances, tighter wire spool alignment, and winding high-density copper wire coils to increase electromagnetic coupling efficiency.

PROJECT 06

VORTEX

High-Pressure Water Rocket

Aerospace Design Pneumatics CAD Modeling Rapid Fabrication

Overview

Project Background

Engineered as part of a competitive engineering curriculum, VORTEX is a high-pressure water rocket developed to maximize thrust profiles and aerodynamic efficiency. By optimizing fluid dynamics, dry-mass parameters, and pressure constraint values, the vehicle achieved exceptional stability and maximum altitude ceilings during official testing cycles.

Build Details

Key Components

Class Design Challenge

The vehicle was built under strict academic criteria prioritizing rigorous structural validation, predictive safety margins, and performance reproducibility. The design target forced an intensive look into impulse-to-weight ratios and fluid drag mechanics.

231 Feet @ 90 PSI Performance

During live field trials, VORTEX achieved a verified peak apogee of 231 feet when pressurized to a maximum threshold of 90 PSI. The data confirms rapid kinetic acceleration and uniform decompression stability through the exhaust nozzle alignment.

Precision CAD Modeling

Developed entirely within modern 3D CAD platforms to guarantee exact volumetric distribution, center-of-gravity placement, and precise alignment of stabilizing surfaces. The digital workflow streamlined rapid geometric iterative adjustments prior to physical layout.

Reinforced Bottle Frame

The main propulsion core utilizes an engineered multi-stage composite bottle matrix designed to handle intense hoop stress conditions during rapid 90 PSI pneumatic charging cycles without mechanical degradation or leakage.

Custom Aesthetic Finish

The vehicle shell features a smooth, multi-coat custom spray-painted finish. Beyond improving field visibility, the protective layer was cured to minimize microscopic surface drag coefficient properties across high-velocity air streams.

Future Avionics & Guidance

Upcoming upgrades focus on building an active payload nose cone integrating an embedded camera for high-altitude data collection, along with dynamic active-guided tail fins to implement vector-steering correction.