Competition Robotics

Across three seasons, I served as the Design Lead, guiding the team through a V-Model lifecycle from strategy development through competition validation. I developed the detailed design and CAD models for major mechanisms. I championed a process that recognized manufacturing and programming as internal stakeholders; I conducted regular iterative design reviews to ensure manufacturability and strategic synergy of mechanical design and autonomous routines.

In the 2024 season, I competed with team 8736 The Mechanisms. This season I owned the primary end effector, affectionately named "Gerald", and drew the master sketch specifying the state positions for intake, storage, and shooting. The robot earned the Quality Award for its robust construction and risk mitigation plan.

Between the 2023 and 2024 seasons, the team built a drive platform for performing unit testing of mechanisms and code. The platform allows sub-teams to work concurrently, thereby making the most efficient use of limited time. It is highly flexible, featuring an adjustable frame size and self contained electronics system, and was milled and anodized in-house. Mecchiato is still in use as of the 2026 season, has run several off-season and outreach events, and proved invaluable to the programming team.

In the 2023 season, I founded my own team; 9293 Caffeinated. The team was composed of 4 highly motivated members and supported by several industry mentors. As a small team with limited resources, we developed a strategy targeting a specific niche within a competitive alliance. I designed a custom drivetrain, superstructure, and the internal mechanisms. We made a name for the team with an outsized performance, winning the "Rookie All-Star" award at the Peachtree District Championship and competing at the FIRST Championship in Houston. This season was, in the words of Woodie Flowers, the hardest fun I've ever had. 

In the 2022 season, I competed with my school's team (1002). Covid-19 had a significant impact on the team, and much of the institutional knowledge accumulated over the years had dissipated. This season was my trial by fire, as I was thrust into leading the design and owning the CAD modeling as a rookie.