Undergraduate Researcher

• Jan 2015 - Present

I work as an undergraduate researcher in Dr. James Schmiedeler's Locomotion and Biomechanics Laboratory, on a project that uses a planar collaborative robot (a "cobot"​) to assist in diagnosing and rehabilitating people suffering from motion-planning disabilities such as apraxia.I find this project extremely interesting because it relates closely both to my interest in biologically-inspired robotics, specifically biologically-inspired control of limb movement, and to my extracurricular weightlifting training, where motion planning and proprioception are paramount.My first major contribution to this project was developing a Matlab-based data analysis program that accelerated the data analysis process from a multi-day procedure to a 30-minute (maximum) task. This was a valuable experience because my program had to interface with software written in TCL for the cobot by a previous undergrad researcher, so I learned how to write flexible Matlab code and how to become familiar with TCL, which I initially found baffling unfamiliar.While working with the cobot's TCL files, I uncovered and fixed a serious error that caused most of the patients'​ movements to be incorrectly represented. Thanks to my observation and subsequent corrections, our project team has been able to move forward with data acquisition.I am currently developing a mirrored version of the cobot's software to determine if apraxic patients experience more difficulty with planning lateral motion (away from the body) than with planning medial motion (toward the body). I am also developing a program that computes the effective mass at the end of the cobot (where the patient places his or her hand) to analyze inertial effects on human motion planning.Here's a link to the webpage for the project I work on: http://ame-robotics.nd.edu/LAB/Biomechanics/Rehab.php Show less

Undergraduate Student

• Aug 2012 - Present

Design Engineer Intern

• Jun 2014 - Aug 2014

Redesigned ArcBotics' miniature humanoid robot to simultaneously reduce production cost, achieve human-like range of motion (ROM), and improve appearance.Studied robot mechanics and control theoryPerformed design survey to determine prevalent tastes in miniature-humanoid-robot marketWorked in a team with rising seniors at Tsinghua University in Beijing, China.This was the first time I left the United States, and it was also my first time on an airplane! Once in Beijing, I experienced many other firsts, from ordering my first meal in Chinese to designing my first robot. Needless to say, the seven weeks I spent there gave me tremendous opportunities for growth, both intellectually and personally. Show less

Undergraduate Researcher - Aircraft Direct Drive Servo Technologies

• Jul 2015 - Sep 2015

After I enjoyed such a positive experience working with Tsinghua University's mechanical engineering undergraduates at their campus in Beijing during the summer of 2014, I was eager for more, but I had no idea how soon my hope would come to fruition! For the past several years, Notre Dame engineering students have traveled to Beijing to work with Tsinghua University's students on their campus, but the summer of 2015 was the first time students from Tsinghua came to Notre Dame to work with Notre Dame's engineering students. I eagerly welcomed the opportunity to work again with such intelligent and warm-hearted people! Our project came from Honeywell's Advanced Technology group. They sought ways to replace traditional 2-stage electrohydraulic servovalves (used in fueldraulics and flight control surfaces) with simpler direct-drive servovalves. My colleagues from Tsinghua and I investigated numerous actuation technologies that could potentially achieve this new servovalve architecture. We considered piezoelectric stack actuators, magnetostrictive actuators, voice coil motors, shape-memory alloy actuators, stepper motors, and relatively new "walking piezoelectric motors"​. After a preliminary review of mechatronics literature presenting research on these actuators, we selected the most promising candidates and created mathematical models of each. From these, we developed simulations using Matlab and Simulink, which we then used to compare commercially available products and to suggest how to customize each actuator to achieve Honeywell's desired performance characteristics. At the end of the summer program, we successfully presented our findings to a panel of Honeywell's engineers and executives. I gained vast technical experience through this project, but more importantly, I had a great experience working in an international team on a cutting-edge project for an extremely successful engineering company, and I made friendships that will last a lifetime! Show less

Summer Intern

• May 2013 - Aug 2013

Used Visual Basic for Applications to develop a semi-automated database capable of automatically generating requests for quotes (RFQs) and updating inventory. I had to learn VBA from scratch, and I really enjoyed the challenge of learning it and applying it in such a short time span! Maintained customer relations software. Assisted with inventory management, landscape design, and customer relations. Used Visual Basic for Applications to develop a semi-automated database capable of automatically generating requests for quotes (RFQs) and updating inventory. I had to learn VBA from scratch, and I really enjoyed the challenge of learning it and applying it in such a short time span! Maintained customer relations software. Assisted with inventory management, landscape design, and customer relations.