CUSTOM DISHWASHERS WITH GE 2015
At GE's FirstBuild innovation lab, I developed a concept for dishwasher racks customized to individual loading habits. Using smartphone-based 3D scanning, users could capture their preferred arrangement of dishes and generate fitted inserts to hold them securely. The project explored how digital fabrication and mass customization could make everyday appliances more adaptable to the people using them.
JACK-IN-THE-BOX 2012 with Casey Landey
Working with Casey Landey, I designed and prototyped a children's jack-in-the-box featuring exposed, moving gears. The semester-long project followed the complete design-for-manufacturing process, from mechanical development to injection-molded part design and a fully functional 3D-printed prototype. Our final deliverable was a production-ready manufacturing package, including technical drawings, assembly instructions, and documentation for bringing the toy to market.
PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOP WITH WILL.I.AM AND THE PRINCE'S TRUST 2014
I led industrial design and mechanical engineering instruction at a two-week London workshop sponsored by Autodesk, Makerversity, the Prince's Trust, and Will.i.am's i.am.angel Foundation. Working with students from underserved backgrounds, we explored product development through electronic music, programming, and physical prototyping. Their creations were later exhibited at the Barbican, where Will.i.am performed with their instruments, and several participants went on to pursue further education or launch startups.
CAST CONCRETE SINK 2016
I designed a cast concrete sink to demonstrate new animation capabilities in Autodesk Fusion 360. The project used the process of modeling, casting, and assembling a multi-part sink as a practical example of the software's features. The resulting tutorial helped introduce new tools through a real-world design and fabrication workflow.
UNDERACTUATED HAND 2013
My team of four designed and built an underactuated robotic hand using sheet metal, plywood, polymers, and 3D-printed components. Developed in SolidWorks and fabricated using a combination of digital manufacturing techniques, the hand lifted 12 pounds—the highest in the course—and was voted best in aesthetics by our classmates. The project explored how a single mechanism could be translated to multiple complex movements to grip an object.
MICROFLUIDIC RESPIRATORY MODEL 2010 with Torey Bird
Working with Torey Bird, I developed a microfluidic model to mimic respiratory processes at a scale difficult to observe through conventional experiments. The project used precisely controlled fluid channels to simulate aspects of airflow and gas exchange within the respiratory system, as well as a peristaltic pump to simulate bloodflow. A semi-permeable membrane was also placed between layers to allow for O2 and CO2 exchange. It offered an opportunity to explore how engineering and microscale fabrication techniques could support biological research and the development of experimental medical models and diagnostic testing equipment.
HIDDEN ACTIVITY SENSOR 2015
I designed a 3D-printed housing that conceals an electronic activity sensor within ordinary door trim. Created for Autodesk and Hackster.io's "Hack the Home" design challenge, the project explored how accessible fabrication tools could make smart-home technology less intrusive. It served as an example for a community initiative that attracted hundreds of submissions and encouraged makers to rethink everyday objects.
GENETIC ENGINEERING: MULTIPLE GENE PROMOTERS 2010 with Kendall Pletcher and Hande Piristine
Working with Kendall Pletcher and Hande Piristine, I helped design a genetic plasmid to investigate whether E. coli could express simple computational logic through multiple gene promoters. The goal was to investigate how different promoter combinations could produce predictable patterns of protein expression. The experiment explored how combinations of regulatory sequences could influence gene expression, effectively treating biological systems as programmable logic. Although our results were inconclusive, the project offered a fascinating introduction to synthetic biology and the intersection of computation and genetic engineering.
MY FIRST ENGINEERING PROJECT EVER - A MECHANICAL HOPPER 2009
For my first engineering project at Olin College, I designed a mechanical jumping toy inspired by the click beetle's remarkable ability to launch itself into the air. Through three design iterations, I developed a mechanism that converted stored mechanical energy into a controlled jump and spin. The final prototype exceeded the one-meter height requirement and gave me my first taste of turning biological inspiration into a working mechanical system.
OLIN BOX 2012
I designed and fabricated a laser-cut plywood box for an Olin College assignment requiring six types of joints and four different fasteners. The design incorporates traditional woodworking joinery alongside decorative patterns representing a sunrise, skyline, hourglass, equalizer, and the college itself. The project was an exercise in combining mechanical precision, digital fabrication, and visual storytelling within a single object.
MARIO PLANAR MECHANISM BOARD 2012
My team of four designed and built a laser-cut plywood mechanism board that moves Mario through obstacles on a rotating world. Powered entirely by a pendulum and escapement, the system combines belt drives, cams, rack-and-pinion mechanisms, planetary gears, and levers into a single coordinated sequence. The project brought together classical mechanical engineering principles in a playful, entirely mechanical demonstration of motion and timing.
LAUNCHING AN EDTECH ANALYTICS STARTUP IN TEL AVIV 2018
As part of an MIT MBA work-study program, my team of four partnered with Tel Aviv-based EdTech company Time To Know to develop a business strategy around its emerging predictive analytics technology. We combined research into Israel's startup ecosystem with three weeks of on-site work to explore commercial opportunities and develop a go-to-market strategy. Although much of the work remains confidential, the project brought together systems thinking, emerging technology, and entrepreneurial strategy in one of the world's leading innovation hubs.