Academic Projects:

Pick and Place using Franka Panda Arm

Inverse Kinematic solver in python to control the Franka Panda Arm for block stacking tasks. The camera detects the block pose using April Tags.

Mini AMR

The team developed a two-tiered robot using IR-retroreflective sensors, IR photodiode with potentiometers, and a Vive tracking system, powered by a dual system (power bank for ESP32, 9V batteries for motors) with completely soldered circuits for robustness. Implementation involved an ESP32-S2 Wrover microprocessor controlling a two-wheel drive system with TT motors, neutral steering, and adaptive behaviors like auto-reverse when stuck. The robot performed excellently across all tasks: achieving smooth wall following with seamless obstacle avoidance.

Semiconductor Die Attach on Flexible Substrate

This study addresses the need for low-temperature die attach methods suitable for flexible substrates like Kapton and paper, commonly used in printed electronics. It investigates wire bonding and flip chip bonding techniques to attach a bare silicon MEMS resonator to a soil moisture sensor. The findings underscore the potential of alternative bonding techniques for temperature-sensitive and flexible electronics, highlighting the need for improved substrate preparation to enhance bonding reliability.

CFR 3D Printing of Onyx-Based Composites

Investigated the impact of carbon fiber (CF) orientation on the tensile properties of Onyx-based composite materials to understand how fiber alignment affects mechanical performance. Specimens were 3D printed using the Continuous Fiber Reinforcement (CFR) process with CF orientations of 0°, 15°, 30°, and 45°, and tensile tests were performed following ASTM D638-14 standards. The findings highlight the significance of fiber alignment in enhancing tensile strength, demonstrating that CF reinforcement improves strength but reduces plasticity, making the material more brittle. This has implications for optimizing material design in applications requiring tailored mechanical properties.

Solar Panel Deployment Mechanism

The project addressed the power supply challenge in solar sailing satellites, where traditional wall-mounted solar cells become inefficient due to the large solar sail blocking sunlight. The team developed deployable solar panels for COEPSAT-2, a nanosatellite with a 40-square-meter solar sail, featuring four panels with nine solar cells each, initially stowed using nylon wire to meet launch vehicle space constraints. Nylon nichrome mechanism triggers deployment, and a carbon fiber flat spring with cam follower mechanism ensures secure locking post-deployment.

Homography from scratch

Python implementation for homography. Projecting Penn Engineering logo on Barcelona cup match goal net. References: Nayar, S. "Computing Homography | Image Stitching," YouTube, Mar 2, 2021. [Video file]. Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_qjO4cM74o. [Accessed: Sept 5, 2023]. Hartley, R. I. and Zisserman, A. (2004). Multiple View Geometry in Computer Vision (Second edition). Cambridge University Press. ISBN: 0521540518.

Augmented Reality using April Tags

Python implementation of P3P and PnP algorithms for pose estimation and augmented reality task using april tags. References: E. Olson, "AprilTag: A robust and flexible visual fiducial system," 2011 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, Shanghai, China, 2011, pp. 3400-3407, doi: 10.1109/ICRA.2011.5979561. R. M. Haralick, C.-N. Lee, K. Ottenberg, and M. Nolle, "Review and Analysis of Solutions of the Three Point Perspective Pose Estimation Problem," International Journal of Computer Vision, vol. 13, no. 3, pp. 331-356, 1994. V. Lepetit, F. Moreno-Noguer, and P. Fua, "EPnP: An Accurate O(n) Solution to the PnP Problem," International Journal of Computer Vision, vol. 81, no. 2, pp. 155-166, 2009.

NeRF

NeRF