Projects
openCArM
openCArM is open source camera array microscopy. It is a framework and codebase that allows off-the-shelf camera components to be easily integrated into large scale multi-camera parallel imaging systems. OpenCArM systems have been the subject of several academic journal articles found listed in the publications section
Smart Silvia Espresso Machine Controller
The Rancilio Silvia is a home espresso maker popular with people who like to take things apart. When you open it up, you find no printed circuit boards with tightly embedded components. Instead, you find switches, plugable wires, and some simple sensing elements. This makes it a great platform for hacking. Adding more sophisticated temperature control with a PID controller is a popular modification. I wanted to take it a step further and add a web interface to control the machine and monitor its status. This project is the result of that effort. The resulting system allows for programmable shot profiles, live temperature monitoring, automated maintenance tasks, and voice control through Alexa. PID control, relay operation, and sensor reading are handled by a microcontroller and the scheduling, web interface and Alexa integration are handled by a Raspberry Pi.
Coastal Profiling Float Benchtop Simulator
Coastal Profiling Floats are autonomous mobile sensing systems that move up and down in the water column capturing data in coastal regions. Profiling floats are widely used throughout the ocean for purposes such as measuring ocean currents, salinity, and temperature. Using floats in coastal regions creates unique challenges not present in the open ocean. Coastal ecosystems have more things to crash into. It is therefore helpful to be able to simulate collisions and other unexpected events in a controlled environment. During my internship with MBARI in the Summer of 2017, I developed a benchtop simulation system using controllable air pressure valve. By plugging the output of this valve into the pressure transducer on the float, we can simulate the float moving up and down in the water column. This allows us to test the float’s response to unexpected events without having to deploy it in the ocean.
Spirobot
Spirobot is a kinetic art piece inspired by the paths of spinning objects. It is composed of a belt driven staff rotating on the end of a larger directly driven arm. It features 2 control knobs that let the viewer directly control the position of the 2 moving pieces. I used DC motors to drive the kinetic elements with encoders to sense position for feedback control. The piece was laser cut out of wood and acrylic. This was my senior thesis for my undergraduate degree in Robotics Engineering at UC Santa Cruz
